The heat really affected enjoyment on the Thursday and Friday.…We waited til later Friday and  turned up during Celtic Social Club. Williamscot Rd car park was the emptiest we had ever seen it on those days, so I assume others did the same. The field seemed to have more space than last year, even with the same ticket nos, I assume for the same reason.

Highlights for me, from what we heard of the whole weekend, were:
Marshall Gilmour Webbs…lovely to behold, beautiful to hear. They captivated the field, as far as could be seen from where we were. (I am sure David Gilmour would not want to steal the limelight).
Spooky Men’s Chorale
Barbara ( just fun and light for that slot, but possibly over-hyped in the programme? IMO).
Fairport…

We were both perplexed by whatever The Haar tried to do to some staples, which could have been great field singalongs.
Hayseed Dixie were okay, but once you know their M.O.  it’s never the same watching/hearing them as the first time.

I actually found Matt Bragg quite amusing and felt he shouldered any ‘muck-ups’ quite cleverly, from the bits I heard.

Williamscot Road gate  was closed off, which we hadn't realised til leaving on Friday, meaning a v. long walk to the car park that night.  I have never before seen an exodus during RT’s set, like this year…I felt way guilty, as I have always loved his music and was down at the front in years past, but we decided to leave early. We just weren’t ‘feeling it’ probably due to the weather.

The Fairport finale, I personally enjoyed…I thought Simon sounded great. It was nice having the variety of guests again.

They only needed a Camping Pass. Since I always buy that with my tickets, I've never looked too closely as to whether that's possible. Logic would dictate that it is, to allow for the seemingly many people  that forget to buy one with their tix.

Thanks for the comprehensive review, Andy.
Although I retired from outdoor festivals pre COVID, I still enjoy reading the reviews.

As posted elsewhere, I pretty much agree with Andy on all points. The field felt very roomy, but better for it. The blistering heat on Thursday prevented much or any wandering, and I’m always amazed that the non-food concessions can ever turn a profit. Food queues were varied (massive queue for the Greek food stall on Saturday). Barbara were excellent, and I’ll go and see them in November.

Cropredy really does hold a special place in my heart as it has been a constant of my entire adult life (first attended on the day I got my A level results, now 55), but New Forest Festival is running it close. Looking forward to next year without overthinking what may happen to the festival after that.

Thanks Andy, a good summary of the weekend. Apologies that I didn't hang around to chat when I briefly introduced myself but I was quite 'over-refreshed' at this point and didn't want to make a bad impression  

Never forget that the thieves are not normal Cropredy fans. I was quite happy to leave my bag by my chair of they want my bottle and a copy of Mojo they are welcome. The value of a van makes it worthwhile buying a wristband to avoid security. As this was a sellout it must have been preplanned. Beware of strangers showing interest. I have a new van so invested in a decent security device, sad but necessary

Just realised that this was the first Cropredy (in 8 attendances) where we've seen every act. Normally some of the time is spent on Field 8/CotC, in the village, in the Red Lion or in the Brasenose. Perhaps the heat meant that we were just happy to stay in one place.

Highlights for me were RT, Le Vent Du Nord, Hayseed Dixie. And also how many of the artists that I knew nothing about previously were very enjoyable. The excellent ice cream at sensible prices. Minerva Stout. Leons. The glamping experience.

Lowlights for me were The Haar (their experimental versions of well-known tunes just didn't work for me. I could have put up with one or two, but not a whole set), Soft Machine (very competent, but just not my music).

Minor things: Matt Bragg was out of his depth playing an arena, even though some of his jokes were actually quite funny. Putting Will Pound & Jenn Butterworth in that slot (they were brilliant but could have been swapped with Hayseed Dixie or put on even earlier in the day - I'm sure many will disagree!) Spooky Men weren't quite as good as last time. Fairport didn't seem to be fully engaged and, despite a 2.5 hour slot, missing Who Knows Where The Time Goes and rushing Meet On The Ledge robbed a section of the audience of the highlight of their weekend.

Ironic observation: Richard Thomson, who wrote Meet On The Ledge, was unable to play it during his set. Fairport Convention, who didn't write the song, had to play it, despite appearing not to really want to. Heresy?

Worst Moment Of The Weekend, By Far: Hearing that somebody had their caravan brazenly stolen from Field 7A. Cropredy has always been very friendly and safe. I left valuables in our tent rather than locking them in the car. We left our bags (with seats, etc) next to the barrier while we stood up front for FC, and when retrieving them I even commented to somebody who was doing the same thing that there weren't many festivals where you could just leave your bags unattended and expect to still find them there when you returned. It will be sad if the culture changes to having to be very security conscious.

True!

I seem to  be alternating between doing shows and mixes just now so this week you get to hear my dulcet tones between the tracks. Tune in today to hear...

Johnny Cash, Brigit DeMeyer & Will Kimborough, Annabelle Chvostek, Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Katherine Priddy, Jack Johnson, Findlay Napier, Aisling Irwin, Calum MacLeod, Blackbeard's Tea Party, Bella Hardy and Yasmin Williams

Listen at 1pm or 8pm on https://www.internet-radio.com/station/gingerfeatherfm/

I had a chat to the guy at the Talking Elephant stand about him.  Apparently Blair moved up to Chesterfield to care for him after his stroke, but is now back in Bristol, and plans to work on the recordings from Ashley's big birthday bash, which may be out early next year (they've been held up by Blair's general busyness, as well as having to care for his dad).