FOR 51 weeks a year Fleet motorway services in Hampshire provides a much-needed pitstop for weary commuters and fractious families, with its predictable array of fast-food restaurants and magazine shops.

But for six days every June such mundane familiarity is shattered. Where once there were Vauxhall Astras, jacket-and-tie combos and the faint whiff of body odour, this week the car park has Volkswagen love buses, straw hats, pierced eyebrows and the stronger aroma of marijuana smoke.

This is the start of the long Glastonbury weekend, when Fleet transforms itself into a haven for the bohemian eccentricities of thousands of festival-goers.

It may be 90 miles away from the gates of Worthy Farm, but Fleet services assumes a crucial role: it is the home of the last “regular” lavatories that any of them will see for up to a week. It is also the last place to take a shower, although not too many bother with that.

This may not be Stonehenge, a more traditional staging post to the festival, but then the 5,000-year-old stone circle does not offer proper baby-changing facilities, a caffè latte or a family bucket of KFC.

You are also more likely to see a celebrity on the garage forecourt: Kate Moss turned up last year, buying £150 of cigarette papers, Marlboro Lights and magazines.

Neil Harris, the assistant manager of the Welcome Break shop, said that he expected takings to triple over this week: “It is mental every year. But our regulars don’t know what to do with themselves. They mostly stare at the women, particularly on the way back from Glastonbury when they come in in their bikinis because they have nothing left that’s clean.”

His job is to ensure that they have enough Marlboro Lights, ten-packs of Red Bull and Rizla papers to keep their new clientele happy.

Yesterday the police and organisers were warning people without festival tickets to stay away. All 112,000 were snapped up within three hours in April, and each entrant is required to bring photo ID. Expectations are particularly high for this year’s festival, the 35th, because Michael Eavis, who owns Worthy Farm, has said that 2006 will be a “fallow” year with no event.

The forecast for the weekend looks as though the weather could dampen spirits, with thundery showers predicted today and possibly tomorrow, but with temperatures of about 21C (70F) on Sunday.

After last year’s headline performances by Oasis and Sir Paul McCartney, this year’s Glastonbury has a more contemporary feel. The line-up had to be shuffled at the last minute, after Kylie Minogue had breast cancer diagnosed. Her Sunday night slot will now be taken by the Brixton DJ duo Basement Jaxx, who will bring the curtain down on Glastonbury 2005 with their mix of electronic, soul and 1970s disco.

Tonight the White Stripes, the Detroit band famed for their minimalist cool, will be headlining on the Pyramid Stage and Coldplay will be in the top spot on Saturday. Their status as The Biggest Band in the World took a knock recently when the Crazy Frog ringtone beat Chris Martin to No 1.

Pete Doherty will be hoping to put the last turbulent few months behind him, when his band Babyshambles appears later today on the Other Stage.

Internet chatrooms have been buzzing with rumours that he may marry his partner, Miss Kate Moss, at Glastonbury.

Other performers appearing over the three-day festival include the Doves, Killers and Fatboy Slim tonight; Kaiser Chiefs, Keane and Kasabian tomorrow; and Brian Wilson, Primal Scream and Ian Brown on Sunday. The Yeovil Town Band will make their dreaded customary performance on the main stage on Sunday morning to blast the befuddled and hungover out of their tents.

For those unwilling to slum it, festival-goers have the option of staying in Maharaja-style tents on a nearby farm this year. Wealthy music fans are paying up to £6,000 to stay at Camp Kerala, which offers VIP festival tickets, hot showers, serviced lavatories and cooked breakfasts.

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