Car Parking

Forum for information about the annual show at RAF Cosford
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Mooshie1956
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Re: Car Parking

Post by Mooshie1956 »

Arrived just before 7 and put in the holding park. Eventually got moving and parked up directly behind the Planes TV van. I felt really guilty as it's the best place I've ever parked and didn't really need it being in the Cosford Club.
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WG655
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Re: Car Parking

Post by WG655 »

Its very much the luck of the draw I think - we'd planned to arrive at 8:45-9am; it took an hour from the back of the queue on the M54 to get onto the airfield. Getting on about 10am, we got parked less than 2mins walk from the static helicopters!

jayne_morris
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Re: Car Parking

Post by jayne_morris »

Pat Murphy wrote:
PeterR wrote:George,
This year the area that was previously known as Car Park 7 is no longer a car park! So no danger of being parked there again...! :win:

Although Car Parking isn't in my area of responsibility, I have been to a couple of the traffic meetings and it was said that the fill order this year would be changed this year so the early arrivals filled Car Park 2 (closest to the crowdline) first. No promises, but I think this is still the plan so your best bet is arrive early via the 'normal' entrance (M54 > A41 > Old Worcester Road) and hopefully you'll be in luck.


Sadly turned out not to be the case. Spoiled it for me. Oh and getting out might be fun cos its pretty muddy lol


the old area known as car park seven was where the static apache was and where they were doing the helicopter pleasure flights from so the old car park seven was not used but what is marked on the map as car park seven is and new area for this year and iti is probably in a worse location than the old car park seven

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WG655
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Re: Car Parking

Post by WG655 »

For those of you who got shunted into Car Park 7; what was the leaving time like given that you were in theory nearer the roads?

106500
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Re: Car Parking

Post by 106500 »

WG655 wrote:For those of you who got shunted into Car Park 7; what was the leaving time like given that you were in theory nearer the roads?


Despite my annoyance at being shunted into this farmers field, an upside was that when we left about 7:00 pm we sailed off with no queue at all!

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CJS
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Re: Car Parking

Post by CJS »

I'm still there, think I'll have one more cup of tea while the traffic thins out before I try to leave.

Oh, hang about... :-P

I did find leaving a bit of a nightmare but that's always the case leaving a large event. It took me an hour to get out of a Bristol car park after a gig last week and that was only 3000 odd people (they weren't all odd, although given the band quite a few of them were...)
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speedbird2639
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Re: Car Parking

Post by speedbird2639 »

I was in CP7. I dumped all my stuff in the boot of the car and then drove straight off the site with just a few seconds delay while the marshalled waited for a gap in the (mainly coaches) traffic on the road we exited on to. As opposed to the normal 2hr wait to even get of the airfield.

'Offsite' car parking gets my vote everytime - the only issue was I hadn't brought my usual fishing trolley for all my stuff as I was expecting to be parked on the airfield so we had to carry it but I wld swap a 2hr wait for a short walk with a bit of carrying anyday. CP7 every year for me from now on if its available.

106500
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Re: Car Parking

Post by 106500 »

For me the following is the case:

Pros: far easier exit from base - no delay at all

Cons: long way to crowd line. Lots of stuff to carry. We also like after the show to dump stuff in car and look around. Couldn't do that.

On balance I think we'd preferred to have parked on the base.

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Wrexham Mackem
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Re: Car Parking

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

Its not luck of the draw, its to do with which route you arrive on.

Like Pat, I approach down the A41. I was placed in car park 7 (at 07:35), and the gate I always would have driven onto site by is now a pedestrian entrance. The only way to park on the field would have been to go over the M54 roundabout and enter with the traffic approaching from there.

Yes, it was a longer walk down to the crowd line, and I too worried a lot during the day about getting my car back out of the field, but and this is a massive but, getting out was an absolute doddle. Left at 19:00 and there were very few cars left in that field and absolutely no queue. No queue to leave Cosford. That's unheard of and for that reason I'm happy to park in 7 again.

It did affect the day in another way though, its too far back to the car. So what is usually a pleasant evening stroll around the the show ground travelling light couldn't happen, there was no fun in it carrying all the gear. The show ground needs a RIAT style drop zone if there is going to be offsite parking.

Andyperkins
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Re: Car Parking

Post by Andyperkins »

Arrived about an hour later yesterday than in 2014 so was expecting to be on the motorway queuing for hours when I hit the queue at just gone 8:30 but by 9 we were in and parked pretty much crowd centre half way between the static/stalls and the toilets near the crowdline which was perfect, great view of everything from there so we got the chairs out and stayed put all day after having looked around in the morning.

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DerekF
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Re: Car Parking

Post by DerekF »

I arrived at the early bird parking (car park 8?) at around 7.30ish and was held there until just after 8am. We then all left the car park and joined the regular queue. I was then directed to towards car park 2 at the far end. I broke off and joined another queue and ended up in car park 3 or 4 near the back. I have to say that I was lead to believe that those that arrived early would be near the front. Obviously this not the case and it would be appear that it was fairly random in where you ended up. It was frustrating to see those arriving at 10.30am getting a better parking spot than I had for arriving at 7.30am.

Having said all that, getting out was easy due to good traffic management and directions.