Folk by the Oak is a great day out for everyone

Summer is finally here!! The continuous rain stopped for the day, so we really looked forward to Folk By The Oak and sitting out in the beautiful sunshine and listening to some great folk music. Held in Hatfield Park, the location couldn’t be more idyllic and perfect for a folk festival, surrounded by trees and a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of neighbouring towns. Only our second Folk By The Oak but already a big favourite, for its brilliant line-up of musicians and also the entertainment and ambience created to make it a great day out for everyone.

We set up our picnic blankets on the lawn, joined the unofficial competition for the biggest and most brightly coloured sun-tent to ensure a bit of shade, and we started our picnic. The lawn quickly filled up, plenty of space for everyone to set up their little spot, some even brought gazebos and set up at the back to have a proper party for the day. Castillo Del Diablo were there again, keeping us topped up with tasters of wine, and they had a great bar for those that needed a bit more refreshment than a small sample. Every taste was catered for, even in quite a small area the choice of food was vast; wood-fired pizzas which looked amazing, hog roast, jacket potatoes, Rock & Soul doing great fish and chips, the salt and pepper squid rings were a big favourite with us. We also had a good look around the craft tent before the music started and couldn’t help buying a cupcake and some lavender biscuits from 'Treats From The Kitchen.'

The music on the main stage kicked off with Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo, she warmed us up with some beautiful folk ballads, her voice was enchanting and really made you put your cider down to listen to her words. A short set, but with so many acts lined-up for the day the 30 minute sets were just enough for us to enjoy each artist and have a good stretch and look around between each one. Also on the main lawn, they had storytime at the back in between each act to keep the little ones (and big ones) entertained.

Next on were Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, a real folk couple who sang about their life and love of folk and their many travels. Their first song was a tribute and a goodbye to their beloved canal boat they had to move out of when they had their son. Then they sang about a town they visited in the Australian outback, known as the last drinking hole of Ned Kelly. They also sang some familiar tunes so we could all have a sing, including 'You Shall Have A Fishy'. A great lunchtime sing-song.

Next to the main lawn they'd set up a smaller stage, the Acorn Stage, for local bands and artists to come and play and they had an act on between the main acts. Some brilliant music and nice and close to the bar and food to get a drink and sit on a hay bale and watch the whole site go by.

Back at the main stage, Chris Wood gave us a melodic acoustic set of both traditional and non-traditional folk songs, haunting us with his sad tale of the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

The main attraction on the main lawn for the little ones was the Sea Mandala, back again providing a fun sensory experience, with bowls, baskets and coconut shells for them to play with dried spices and rice and lentils, and enjoy the touch, smells and sounds of nature. It was a really lovely place to sit and watch the main stage and be surrounded by the amazing aroma of lavender, peppercorns and mustard seeds.

Children were also entertained with a pottery workshop where they could 'throw a pot', make brooches or try some knitting in the craft tent, or a miniature fairground with swings and candyfloss. There was also a small circus stall where they could try their hand at Diablo, juggling or devil-sticks.

Breabach were on next, with some traditional Scottish folk songs, a great up-beat set to get us all dancing in the afternoon, the bag-pipes definitely prevented anyone falling asleep in the sun, you couldn't help to get up and have a dance!

By late afternoon the beer tent and bars were still flowing, no running out this year, so the merriment was still in full swing. Cara Dillon joined the stage with a few more to her band than usual. She started her set with 'Jimmy Mo Mhile Stor' and one of my personal favourites, 'Garden Valley.' Despite being ill after catching a stomach bug from the previous days festival (they deduced it could only be from "bobbing apples in the portaloos."), Cara and her band treated us to a beautiful set, with some excellent acoustic interludes to give Cara a break.

Another look through the craft tent to have a good look at the instruments, art and pottery for sale and then food, we settled down to watch the sun go down and I really looked forward to The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain. I've seen them many times and they never fail to disappoint, and their set was as entertaining as ever, something for everyone. They treated us to their renditions of 'Kiss', 'Joshua' (the Dolly Parton fan next to me confirmed) and 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)' and finished with Adele's 'Rolling In The Deep' and Lady Gaga'’s 'Born This Wa-ay.'

One more break to go to stretch our legs, plenty of space for the children to run around and burn off a bit more energy, check out the stalls of vintage clothes, festival knits and 'Green Gifts' before they closed and get a last beer for the night then snuggledown under a blanket to watch the stars come out and Show of Hands.

Steve Knightley, Phil Beer and Miranda Sykes rounded off the day with some new songs, including a song Steve had written with Seth Lakeman, 'Haunt You.' 'Cruel River' was sung about the River Dart, a man claimed by the river after falling in love with a farmer's daughter. 'Arrogance, Ignorance & Greed' was dedicated to Bob Diamond who was apparently working in the bar due to his recent hard times. They sang some new songs and some real favourites, 'Country Life', 'We're Alright', and 'Cousin Jack'. There were some brilliant solos from Phil and Miranda too to really show off their musical talents. The show-stopping finale was 'Cousin Jack' with some amazing fireworks to bring a fantastic day to an explosive end, and we headed back to the car happy, tired and a bit more sun-tinged than we would have liked, but with memories of a great day.

The cheeky devils came back onto the stage when we were half way back to the car and they did one more song and another firework display. We still had a great view of it all from the car park though. We'll definitely be back again next year, and will wait for them to start clearing the stage, so we don't miss the last song again!

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