Festival of Britain: 1.5million revellers to bask in Bank Holiday sunshine... but roads and rail will be hell

By Chris Brooke

Prepared for anything: Festival-goers are already on their way to Reading, wearing hot-weather shorts, wet-weather jackets, and in many cases both


Forget the beach and the DIY shop – this Bank Holiday belongs to festivals.

With the promise that sunshine might at last replace the recent rain, more than 1.5million revellers will spend the weekend enjoying outdoor events across the country.


Around 70,000 are expected to be packing their wellies to head for the waterlogged fields of the Reading music festival, with a further 80,000 at its sister event in Leeds.


Sinking feeling: Festival-goers brave the mudbath as they arrive at Reading Festival yesterday


In London, more than a million will hope to avoid the mud at the Notting Hill Carnival while, elsewhere, 300,000 are attending the Mathew Street Music Festival in Liverpool,with 40,000 at the Manchester Pride Big Weekend.

Although Sunday sees the risk of heavy showers in the North, sunshine is expected across the country on Monday, with temperatures at a respectable 68f (20c).


Sodden: Revellers arrive at Reading Festival for a weekend of music and rain. 24 hours before the festival kicks off, the ground is turning into a quagmire


Mud bath: Reading Festival-goers make their way along a muddy Thames towpath after setting up camp for the music event this Bank Holiday weekend


The road to Reading: Optimistic music fans tramp along a muddy path to the festival - dreaming of blue skies for the weekend


Get out the barbecues and the umbrellas: The weather promises a mix of showers and sunshine


But even if the traditional bank holiday washout is avoided, one thing remains true to form – travel disruption.

Whether in a car, on a train or at an airport, expect a chaotic journey.

With sporting events adding to the weekend’s attractions, more than half the population is said to be planning a trip.

Around 16million cars will be on the roads, with five million people making journeys by train.

Thousands will be travelling to the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final between Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves at Wembley.

The fourth Test match between England and Pakistan continues at Lord’s, where the nearest Tube station,St John’s Wood, is closed on Sunday and Monday due to engineering works on the Jubilee Line. The Victoria Line will also be closed on Saturday and Sunday.

But it will be the main roads where problems are worst.

The M25, M40, M62 and A1(M) will be hit by roadworks, while the M6 is likely to be slow-moving in the Midlands and jams are expected on the A1 towards Yorkshire.

Holiday routes to the West Country,including the M5, A30 and A303, are also likely to be busy, along with the M3, M27 and A31.

One in ten train journeys will be interrupted by replacement buses as engineers lay new track, repair bridges and update signals and power lines.

The worst disruption will be between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton and Stafford and between London Liverpool Street and East Anglia.

On Sunday, train journeys between London and Liverpool will take an extra three and a half hours and involve up to five changes.


The road to Reading: Optimistic music fans tramp along a muddy path to the festival - dreaming of blue skies for the weekend


Rain stopped play: A few determined fans toughed it out at Lord's today, but this weekend the ground will be a sun-baked arena of classic cricket


Those travelling by air also face a crush. Heathrow expects 840,000 passengers from today until Monday, with more than 500,000 at Gatwick.


Nice weather for ducks: Kagoule-clad girls make their way to Reading in the rain


However, with fears of Bank Holiday washout now receding, the millions who have stayed at home to enjoy the late summer sunshine should not be disappointed....once they reach their destination.


source :dailymail