Leeds festival pickup

[AreYouShittingMe]

My DCs are going by to Leeds festival (one day only) and I have agreed to pick them up from the pick up area. They are both going with different groups of friends and I'm trying to get to mitigate any possible problems (e.g. no phone battery) so I can find them both/ they can find each other.
Does anyone know if the area is zoned, or if it is better for them to arrange to meet on the festival site itself? The original plan was for them to get the shuttle bus to Leeds station but this is just adding extra time to the journey when I'm wanting to be home to my bed ASAP.
Has anyone got any advice/ suggestions based on their experience?
Thanks

Reading as in the same boat. They planned shuttle bus but like you am not keen to go further than needed!! Bumping for someone who knows the drill

It is zoned, but it takes hours to get in, find them, and get back out. It’s horrendous, complete gridlock. And there’s no phone signal so finding them is a nightmare as the zones are massive. Honestly, it is much easier for them to get the shuttle bus into Leeds and pick up from there.

Thank you @Anonym00se - that's really helpful! I thought the queues for the shuttle buses would be a nightmare so it would take them ages to get out of there and to the station. But it sounds like it's just going to be a chaotic whatever we plan.

Gridlocked and hours to pick up. I did it for my friends last year. Was queuing from the motorway. Shuttles is a far better option.

I live in the area and don’t suggest you collect!
it’s carnage!

Honestly - avoid the pick up, it is ridiculous. You'll get home at 4am, if you're lucky.

Get them to use the shuttle buses.

Don't do it, it's a nightmare! My son went 2 years ago and I'd naively arranged to pick him and 2 if his mates up at the pick up area. We live in Liverpool so 1.5 hours drive away. I was near the motorway turnoff (about a mile from it) at 11:30pm. Then sat in completely gridlocked traffic for almost 2 hours, inching along toward the site. I've never known anything like it. As PPs have said, phone signal was patchy but eventually managed to speak to my son and get them to start walking in the opposite direction rather than towards me. Security guards didn't like people leaving on foot apparently but they managed to get out and I finally picked them up / they flagged me down some way down the lane, past the exit, at about 1:45am. As I drove past the pickup point, the queues of traffic to get back out looked unreal. By the time I'd dropped his friends home I didn't get to bed until 4:30am. So don't count on getting to bed earlier if you pick up! I warned him if he ever wanted to go again, he'd have to camp or stay in Leeds and make his way there!!

Eek. Just picking up on this as I am now doing pick up not DH and so don't want to be there for hours and hours I wonder if I can book them into a hotel!

I warned him if he ever wanted to go again, he'd have to camp or stay in Leeds and make his way there!!

Just to add, even if they camp it’s even worse on the Monday morning!