Seth Lakeman, Judy Collins, Richard Hawley, Joan Armatrading, Eric Bibb

And so the 44th Cambridge Folk Festival winds to a close. The attendees take down their tents, the curry van rumbles into the distance, Martin Carthy is carefully dusted down and gently placed into storage to be taken out for next year.Seth Lakeman, on

k.d lang, The Imagined Village, Eric Bibb

Genuine conversation heard today: "Top of the mornin' to ye, Jimmy! How are ye?"As the traditional Sunday morning edition of the Archers was broadcast from Stage 1 for die-hard fans, I was in the Club Tent for a little guitar workshop with bluesman Eric

Beoga, Club Tent war, Bassekov Kouyate

While I keep spotting Kate Rusby out of the corner of my eye and muse whether buying a mandolin is really a good idea, the music just keeps coming at Cambridge. In the Club Tent, the smallest of the three stages (but most intimate) we had Irish folkers

The Waifs, Peatbog Faeries, Billy Bragg, Levellers

You are, of course, supposed to wash your hands before putting contact lenses in, but I have the distinct impression that a trip to the facilities at Coldham Common would leave you rather less sanitary than before.More to the point, last night started

Cherryholmes, Carthy, and McGoldrick

There's a peculiar feeling of uneasiness in the VIP tent when you're almost rubbing shoulders with Mark Radcliffe and a few of the Levellers and was that really Kate Rusby sitting outside? You don't want to stand and stare, but then it hardly feels right

Friday - and so it begins

And this is Cambridge, where for the 44th year running absolutely nothing has changed. Stage 1, 2, and the Club Tent are back again, the burger van loiters in its perennial spot, the crowd remains the healthy mix of youngsters, oldsters, sprawling families,

In Preparation...

"I always leave on a Thursday night, With me tent and me groundsheet rolled up tight..."Though it may well be technically Friday morning, and I haven't quite left yet, and Christy Moore was singing about a completely different festival, nevertheless