well....Sidmouth is a nice place. i just like walking up and down the front bumping into people. i like looking at sea, eating chips, and the sandstone cliffs.

most festivals are a bit dire as a performing experience. that's probably cos i like using my own PA system.   you really are at the mercy of how people make you sound.

i always like watching Martin Carthy from afar - he walks round Sidmouth with a lovely spring in his step and a sunny smile. Alan Bell and Paul Downes are usually somewhere in the environs.

i hated being crammed into that big tent this year. i was hoping to see Ralph McTell - but i found it so claustrophobic, i had to get out. and it cost as much as seeing him in a nice comfortable theatre. not to mention that tradition of being in a bloody great queue.

the sessions are okay, but its abit of a waste of all that sea air. at some point i always seem to look out of the window wistfully and wish i was trolling up and down the promenade. and theres nowhere you can actually listen to music and have a Devon cream tea.

i sympathise if you found it hard to get a foothold. there are worse festivals. i think maybe if i were doing it as a ploy to network - i would actually just go to festivals where i was able to make prior arrangements - arrange a definite spot.

you have to decide whether you're some sort of wander vogel, or a muso trying to cut a dash. and make your festival plans accordingly. if you're an old fart rattling round sidmouth - its pretty perfect as is.