My own Sidmouth highlights? Far too many to list them all – but here are a few.

Meeting McGrath of Harlow at Herga Kitty's excellent Monday night reunion singaround – our first face-to-face encounter since we were students decades ago.

Seeing and hearing so many highly talented young musicians, singers and dancers, performing with such grace and zest. We've been hearing for some time that the future is in safe hands – now I really do believe it.

Participating in the late Sunday night rave-up at the Bedford – and in particular, hearing the young man with the portable electric keyboard, who responded brilliantly to an inebriated punter's repeated requests for an all-too-familiar ditty, by deconstructing "The Wild Rover" to several wildly incongruous tunes, including "A Whiter Shade of Pale" with all the JS Bach twiddly bits. Magic!

Attending LNEs from Monday through Friday, and enjoying them all hugely. Every band and floor spot was superb - ditto the company and the general ambience.   

And finally, performing on the Arena Stage with Hexham Morris – an experience involving hours of anxiety beforehand, almost as many hours of euphoria afterwards, and ten minutes in between about which I remember almost nothing.

A wonderful festival, which thoroughly deserves its high reputation.

Wassail!