Kev the Clogs - I accept your opinion about the 'bad bits', but if I may just comment ....

I've been to Sidmouth and Broadstairs plenty of times (admittedly not Sidmouth in recent years), and there have been some pretty crowded pubs in Sidmouth as well. The bus service, I believe, is primarily to get artists and their equipment to the venues as they are all in town without parking spaces. Punters are always welcome to any spare seats on the buses. When not being used for that, buses could be booked at the festival office. Campsite security was noticably stepped up after trouble on the first couple of nights (always the case after the event!!) and I suppose the crowds of youths outside the Dolphin may seem daunting, but actually they are (mostly) harmless and I was more than happy to push through them, chatting to them on the way. Part of the festival atmosphere imho.

One thing I might say after reading through this thread - does everyone just go to Broadstairs for the free pub gigs and sessions? Very little mention of the excellent marquee and pavilion events (especially the late night stuff) that all us ticket holders went to.