Has anyone been to F1 at Silverstone, please can I have your advice/experiences?

[mummyplonk]

Hiya, I would love to take DH for his 40th to the Grand Prix next year. I am a complete novice at this and after googling for hours am getting myself more and more confused. We only live and hour and a half away but I am thinking would like to stay for a couple of nights as the traffic will be horrendous. I wish money wasnt an issue but I am overwhelmed by the cost of the tickets being about £240 each so am thinking the camping options nearby look fun. Could anyone share their good/bad experiences all advice greatly received especially on accomodation, tickets & travel.

shameless bump.. am still googling

anyone? pretty please

I've been twice, and am going again next year. It's great fun! Are you going for the whole weekend? I'd recommend it, you get more time to properly explore and see the cars on different parts of the circuit. Traffic is a nightmare, but only right outside the circuit, so you will need to stay within walking distance to avoid it. We stayed in Milton keynes last year, but have booked camping at woodlands for next year.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

I have been twice! It will be a great day i promise!! Even if you are not a huge F1 fan its hard not to impressed. The traffic in and out is busy but i thhink they have park and rides.

The first time i went camping and there was a great atmosphere! I will take my DS next year. I like the fact that everybody is polite (not yobbish like footie games can get,i don't want DS to hear the F word yet!)

They have other things there too. A few brave people were bungy jumping. Also,some people have radios/portable t'vs,which helps once Vettel drivers start overtaking each other. As i got a bit confused towards the end. Or if you have binoculars you should be able to see the placings on the big screen.

The red arrows show up too which never gets boring. Definitely try camping though,we were invited to a BBQ to next doors tent and had a great night.

I've been many years ago and if you're a petrol head then you will enjoy it - DH did, whereas I'm not so.

The atmosphere is really good, but unless you are in hospitality, you don't really see much of the race, although with smart phones I guess you can watch it live too!

Last year the campsites got waterlogged and there were awful problems with traffic and ended in people being turned away.

Thank you Lilmrschatty, I think I have found the campsite for us, the Silverstone Golf Camp site. The reviews say it is very close to the Vale and Stowe entrance and seems quite resonable. Yes, I am hoping to go early friday morning and stay until Monday. Would you recomm staying Sunday night to miss some of the traffic home? Are the facilities once you are in pretty good, I have heard the food can be expensive do you bring a picnic?

Suckstobescaryme, That sounds great do you remember what campsite you stayed in at all? Did you have general admittance tickets or is it worth paying extra for a seat?

DameEnidsorange, Yes I saw some of the mudbath pictures from last year, it looked horrendous, oh please let it be sunny.

We have always braved the traffic and headed home Sunday night, but it is quite busy. You are allowed to take a picnic, but I don't remember the food being too expensive. It's all fast food though, and the alcohol isn't cheap.
I'd recommend getting a kangaroo tv so that you can follow whats happening around the other side of the track. The first year we planned to stream Bbc on our phones, but the signal isn't good enough with that many people all in one place.
You will also need ear defenders, it's very very loud!
We have always had grandstand tickets and I think they are well worth it. If you are general admission you can't wander around, once you have your spot one of you will need to stay there at all times. I think you have to arrive very early to get a good view too, but with a grandstand ticket you can arrive just before the race.
We are sitting in club, which is where we were last year. I think it is a great place as you can see the back end of the grid, the last corner and you are opposite the podium.

I've been twice (including this year!) we had a platinum weekend pass for Woodcote, and as chatty said, it means you can wander around until right up to the race.

We also paid for a cross-country transfer from a nearby airfield, so we parked there and we're driven in across the fields in a 4x4, so we missed all of the traffic.

We took earplugs, but actually just listened to radio silverstone on our MP3 players

Thanks everyone, some great tips, maybe will wrap up some ear defenders for him to open on the day. I think I will definitely get seats probably in Vale as close to campsite and corners. Maybe bring a bottle of bubbly in with us if we are allowed. Bring MP3 players, will have to research kangaroo tv, is it worth bringing I pad?

I took my iPad but didn't use it, to be honest. Too much going on! I can't remember if there were restrictions on taking stuff in - pretty sure there weren't.. Binoculars were also good.

Kangaroo tv looks great, are they easy to hire when you are there? As not staying at a hotel so dosnt look like I can pre-book. Leave the I pad then, and put Binoculars on his birthday list from his parents, thanks everyone am getting excited now. Rang his boss this morning and secretly booked him off work for that weekend.

Is kangaroo tv the same as fan vision? Silverstone emailed me a week before offering £25 off the cost of fan vision if I booked in advance..

You will have a fantastic time. We went had hospitality tickets one year courtesy of DH work, we were inside the track and had a fabulous day. However the usual outside of the track tickets had just as good a time, so much to do and see. It is very, very loud. It hurts your ears it is so loud. Buy ear defenders.

Yes MrsdonaldDraper it looks the same, will make sure I give my E mail address when booking then. Some reviews are saying G admission people are queing at 4.30am on Sunday for entrance..gulp. What time would you recommend arriving with allocated seats. Also, sorry does it mean that the seat is only for the Sunday, where do we go Fri/Sat? Thanks.

(ooh Panda lucky you having hospitality, I hope he is still working for them )

I pre booked the fan vision/kangaroo tv last year, I picked it up at the circuit on the Friday, it didn't matter where I was staying.

It doesn't matter what time you arrive with allocated seating, but there is lots to see and do. They will issue a timetable nearer the time so you can see the best time to get there.

The seat will be for the Sunday only. Friday is roving grandstand access for everyone, so you can choose to see different parts of the circuit. Saturday I think you can sit in any grandstand that is the same price range or below as your Sunday ticket. I might not have that correct though! I didn't have a problem getting a seat and it was really interesting to see different corners.

We got there about 10am, I think and came in the main gates, which were fine. The red arrows were bout 12pm, I think. On the Fri/Sat I think the tickets are roving, so anyone can sit anywhere. Remember, it won't b as busy on Friday, as a lot of people literally just go for Sunday's race. Exciting!! I want to go again now!

Oops! Sorry chatty, I had my post open for ages, so didn't see your reply!

Thanks everyone, I really really want to get Club Silverstone at Becketts tickets, (will live on pasta for the next 6 months I think if I do) at £420 a ticket is it really worth it? Have any of you been there or seen it?, I really hope it will be something special and not disappointing for that amount.

Not sure about camping as didn't but can say this...

DO: get kangaroo fan vision thing. Two people can share one. It's surprisingly hard to get what's happening round the other side of the track when used to watching on tv

(If not in a covered stand) take ponchos, camping chairs, wellies. It may well rain. Also warm clothes if not hot.

(If In general admission) get there early on race day. We got there at 6am managed to stake out a position at the front in the concrete area at luffield (which btw I would recommend as a place to watch as the drs Zone has been on the preceding straight last two years, saw lots of overtaking)

Go for qualifying too, but maybe not the days prior unless your really into it? Practice is less fun to watch especially at just one corner

DON'T: expect it to be a short journey home... Took us 3 hours to drive a few miles. This was a bad year as the council closed one lane of the duel carriage way out on that weekend... Seriously. Yeah so expect that on the way home.

Expect fans to be intelligent enough to watch the race rather than blow those god damned horn things every. Single. Time. Lewis Hamilton drives by, even when doing nothing. Seriously, every lap.

It's a great experience :) I'd say having been in the stands (comp tickers through DH work) and general admission the only benefit of the stand was no rain on your head and a slightly elevated view. If you work out where you want to be and get there early though general admission is a very cost effective option.

Oh also got the fan Vision on the day Saturday no probs, then took it to us hotel on that night and charged, returned on Sunday after the race no probs

Thanks for the tips hamncheese, I wasnt expecting horns, all the more reasons for ear defenders then!

I am wondering whether to stay on the Sunday as I have heard the after party can be fantastic?

Yeah ear plugs are needed for numerous reasons! We popped into the after party thing the first time but didn't stay long enough to know if it was any good really... I suppose you either head for the hills once the champagne is sprayed or settle in for a while after in terms of traffic. The second time we went three days in a row so didn't bother with the after party as we're knackered and a bit soggy. Was a great race though (2011)

Great tips so far, fan vision, ear defenders, bring our own food/drink, sun screen/brollies, binoculars. Would be so much happier if a mumsnetter would recommend a campsite. Are there any half decent ones? My DH is prob going to hate camping so that's the main worry for me. X

Please shameless bump for anyone who has camped or Glamped x