This was my first visit to the festival. I'm not really a folkie, but I like to hear a good live band. I've not even been to any other festivals, apart from the odd free one. If they were all as civilised as this one then I might go more often, although I had a couple of issues. The facilities were good. It started off dry, but there were boards down to get you around most of the site. There was a big camping area that looked more like a family camp site than some of the festivals I've seen pictures of. There was entertainment for kids in a quiet area.

The main festival area was a big field with three big tents for the stages. Two of these were open at one end so more people could see the acts. The problem was that all the available space outside was taken up by small camps consisting of folding chairs, rugs and assorted other furniture. Some of the rugs had been pitched inside the largest marquee, which reduced the available area for the audience. Some of those on the rugs were not even watching some of the bands.

I saw:

• Bellowhead, who were great fun
• Show of Hands. An excellent acoustic duo from Devon with guest female bass player. I was impressed enough to buy one of their live albums from the well stocked on-site record shop
• Kate Rusby, a singer from Yorkshire. She had a nice voice and a good band, but the music didn't grab me.
• The legendary Joan Baez. Again a great voice, but I could only stay for aroun dhalf her set due to the light rain and having to get home.

There were various acts wandering around, not all of the musical sort. It made for an entertaining day, but not a cheap one. The tickets are not too bad, especially if you can do all the days, but you have to pay extra for an essential programme. You can't buy a one day ticket for young children, but at least it cost less than a one day adult ticket. There were lots of food vans, but prices were a little high. I expect they have to pay well just to be there. I might consider camping there if I could get on the site, but for a whole family it would be a lot of money. The standard camping fee is for a small tent and we would need more space to be comfortable for four nights.