A previous experience of the mudbath that the Glastonbury festival usually descends into had me begging editor Young for the keys to his XC60 last month.
A couple of years ago, only a very early start and some blind luck got a heavily loaded Toyota Auris out of said mudbath, so I didn’t fancy taking any chances this time around. The fact that we were also four in number this time meant we’d need all the space we could muster for five nights’ worth of camping gear, dry clothes, beer-transportation trolley and a gazebo that would never actually see the light of day. The XC60’s 495-litre boot swallowed most of it, and whatever was left fitted between the rear seat passengers.
The Volvo proved itself to be a decent motorway companion and the full house didn’t seem to numb the performance, although that’s probably a good thing given I’ve been very critical of both the engine and power delivery in the past, something that early reports suggest has been cured with the replacement D5 engine coming later this year. The only complaint from the back suggested the rear seats are a little hard, but there was plenty of space.
But it turned out that the satnav system proved to be the most useful asset. Huge delays in the last five miles up to the site had us venturing onto roads with vegetation growing down the middle, but the system’s remote control meant the front passenger could act as co-driver while my eyes stayed firmly glued to the road. We skipped a couple of hours of jams and popped out onto the A37 pretty much opposite the car park.
As it happened, we got out at the end of the festival, before the worst of the mud, created by a thunder storm timed beautifully to coincide with packing away and a half-hour walk back to the car. However, there was still enough mud to create difficulties for cars without four-wheel drive and provoke a smug feeling of security that shielded me from any anti-4×4 hatred from the festival’s hippy element.
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