Yesterday we went with the Weston ukulele group – the one who meet at The Bear on Monday night, down to Sidmouth for the last day of the annual folk festival:
There has been a folk festival in Sidmouth in the first week of August every year since 1955, now attracting tens of thousands of visitors to over 700 diverse events with broad ‘something for everyone’ appeal.
With an ear to the past and an eye on the future, the festival features established stars and emerging talent; major concerts, lively roots parties; small intimate sessions; ceilidhs and folk dancing; storytelling; fun family entertainment and youth-centred sessions; hands-on workshops and spectacular dance displays; the best in South West crafts and the tastiest of local food and drink.
It really was the best possible summer to go – perhaps in the past it as been wet, windy, story, miserable, iffy, but this week it has been glorious. We were there on the last day and the small town was full of musicians, singers and dancers of all sorts! There were proper groups of people, troops of Morris men and cloggers and Molly dancers and mummers, people in traditional costumes, weird costumes, crazy costumes, painted faces, black faces, green faces, blue faces, jugglers, unicyclists… There were people who looked like trees, bundles of colourful rags, scarecrows… it had to be seen to be believed!
The Weston group weren’t due to play until late afternoon which meant we had the day wandering the town; We had lunch in an excellent pub called The Radway Inn – which served Otter beer! We sat down to enjoy our beer and sandwich while up the end of the other bar a great gang of folk musicians played seamlessly which was very fitting as this was Folk Festival week!
Our gang of Weston ukes lined up against the seawall to play – there’s not a lot of room, but enough room for the fifty or so of them to strum and sing away, passing people to stop, applaud, sing along, dance – we even had a couple jiving!
It was time to get back on the coach and set off home to Weston, and I’m sure a fair few of us nodded off to sleep as we zoomed up the motorway!
Lois Elsden 
What a wonderful picture. There is such beauty and charm in rural England I almost wonder why I spent so much of my life abroad.
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I remarked exactly the same thing to a friend I was with. I think with us having this long hot dry period has reintroduced a lot of people to the great places available in this country. Many tourist destinations have already improved their facilities, accommodation and attractions to include things to do when the weather isn’t so pleasant so maybe this will see a return to holidays at home rather than the expense of abroad! Fortunately no longer having a day job means we can visit whenever we like, and avoid the crowds!
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Agreed! Down with day jobs!
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