THE entrance at Langton Matravers was particularly unprepossessing; four shrammed women in a draughty tent on a bleak, windswept Purbeck hillside.

But once we had been wristbanded and driven over the ridge and down the steep slope we found an oasis of calm, albeit with a breezy campsite, at Wilkswood sheep farm.

The tent pitched, on a spot with stunning views over Nine Barrow Down and Swanage, we strolled down the hill to the bijou festival site arranged around and in the historic farm buildings.

With five stages – ranging from large barns to a duck shed - there was plenty to see. And away from the music we found Morris dancing (although not too much), storytelling, workshops (ever seen crochet at another festival?), poetry, meditation, films, stalls, food (although not too much for the vegetarian), the 40-beer and 20-cider real ale baaaa (it is a sheep farm!) and competitions.

And best of all was the laid-back feel to the whole event – hardly anyone telling you what to do or how to do it – and festival-goers treated as adults. In short, the perfect old style festival. And that’s without mentioning the music.

Ah, the music. Many and varied were the acts, ranging from top, established stars to young hopefuls making their way in the world. And the emphasis, organiser Paul Burke told me, was very much on youth.

We caught the bluegrass and barn dance fivesome Great Western Revellers, who included remastered tunes such as Crazy, Delilah and Stand By Your Man.

And this being folk and people ‘play around’ Laura and Charlotte Carrivick later turned up as the Carrivick Sisters.

Similarly, members of the effervescent 12-piece, Cornish-based, Jewish Gypsy (Klezmer) music group Klezbians, cropped up in the energetic instrumentalist combo Gaderene.

And when talented Bournemouth-based guitarist Mark Woodford was spotted in the Duck Shed it was just one of the five gigs he was playing.

But for ubiquitousness, look no further than guitarist Bob Burke. He was in sister Catherine Burke’s Band, then played with Krista Green, was seen alongside busker turned artiste Vic Chetcuti and then sidekicked with the Steve Perry Band, whose rocky, Free-style bluesy stuff certainly woke punters up. Bob is probably still strumming away somewhere now.

And the beauty of a festival is seeing something new – such as Dorset’s harmony duo Ninebarrow. Shut your eyes and Jon Whitley and Jay Labouchardiere could be the young Simon and Garfunkel. Bigger things beckon.

Mark Harrison twisted blues and folk into his own style, Daniel and the Lion took nerd rock to new heights, Dizraeli and the Small Gods sounded excellent and Quinns Quinney ‘skiffled’ some popular tunes.

Portsmouth’s Luke Ferre, bizarrely dressed in just dungarees, knocked out some interesting songs, the pure-voiced Karine Polwart travelled from Orkney to perform her beautiful songs, covered Billy Bragg’s New England and we even witnessed a marriage proposal during the set (it was accepted).

And the virtuoso mandolinist Rex Preston and double bassist and angelic singer Miranda Sykes reminded us of their skills.

And there was Miranda again as headliners Show of Hands showed why they are the best contemporary folk band in the country with Steve Knightley and Phil Beer’s 75-minute set of well-loved songs, such as Cousin Jack, Now You Know, the brooding Katrina, Blue Cockade, Springsteen’s Youngstown, AIG and Roots.