Within the majority of folk-related gatherings I have attended (folk clubs, other acoustic music clubs, morris events, ceilidhs etc.) I have found a number of regular Mudcat posters. Sometimes two or three in the same room who had not realised it! It looks like we may be but a happy few.

On the distance front, UK/US distances matter less than travel times. I have met people from the US who regard 100 miles as a reasonable commute, since it can be accomplished in under an hour and a half at rush hour. I also know that in some parts of the UK outside major cities, a 90-minute journey could be less than 30 miles.

Are we a minority? The number attending the biggest folk gathering in the UK at Sidmouth is fewer than the audience at many of the Stones' recent gigs!