Let's not get carried away. We haven't established that there was any drop off in attendance.

Jack Campin, with his rather jaundiced view of Whitby Folk Week, considers,"WFW shrinks slowly year on year." Though he later admitted, "The one and only event in the programme that I went to was Doc Rowe on Monday (and short visits to two lunchtime sessions)."

There is very little that WFW can do to overcome the problems of relief and parking in Whitby. Neither is new! People who find the hills a challenge tend to plan their days accordingly. The Metropole, the Rifle Range, West Cliff Primary School, the Leisure Centre and the Conservative Club form a cluster of venues at the same altitude.

Extra parking spaces have been provided by the Park & Ride. People staying for the week can generally find parking places on the street. Day visitors can use the enormous car park at the Leisure Centre, which charges 7GBP for 6 hours and 9GBP for 24 hours. While this may seem a lot to folkies, it is what other day visitors to Whitby pay!