CJMurviPic

We walked from the campsite to the station at Froghall. It was a nice walk downhill with some industrial remains and bluebells in the woods. The canal and railway swap sides in the river valley. It is remarkably quiet with few roads. One weekend a month the train is extended to Cauldon Lowe. We went straight up to Cauldon Lowe then returned to Consall for lunch at the Black Lion. It is a remarkable place with the canal and railway dominating and the road playing very much the bit part.... read more

We had never seen the Saw Doctors before. We had often speculated about how new people are won over to our favourite bands. We felt alone among the faithful, but too loud for us. We went to the Hampshire Songs presentation which was a complete antithesis. When it finished we went to the bar for a drink and found Dervish (who we had seen in the afternoon) playing with a couple of the American guests. It was a magic experience until the crowds arrived after the end of Saw Doctors. I supppose it could only have been bettered if it had been Show of Hands and Dervish. (Steve Knightly had guested with them at Shrewsbury FF 2010).... read more

Show of Hands are our favourite act. We remember them individually from the 1970s when they did floor and guest spots at Exeter University. We saw them for the first time as Show of Hands at The Evesham Arts Centre early on when there were about 20 in the audience! We have followed their career with interest. They normally now play with Miranda Sykes on double bass, but the bass had met with an accident that day and Miranda had returned early to Bath. So Phil and Steve were back to the duo, the performance was perhaps more fresh and they were doing some older stuff as they needed to replace songs that relied on Miranda. Someone had recently asked why they still called the trio "Show of Hands with Miranda Sykes", I had said you ... read more

Canterbury Was an OK walk down to Canterbury, but there is a bus service. We had been to Canterbury before so it was a mooch rather than a mission. I had a book token and there were several craft shops. Julia's sister picked us up so we didn't walk up the hill. Family Stuff We had lunch at the van and the sisters tried out some songs for the evening. Julia's sister had us round for tea before going off to Faversham. Faversham Folk Club Kieran Halpin was the guest and apart from Julia and her sister the other floor spots were occupied by singer songwriters (including one who had guested at the club).... read more

Railway Trip Lovely trip on a sunny day. The railway has been preserved for many years and was known as the Dart Valley Railway. The railway was initially a commercial concern. Later they took on the Paignton Kingswear line when BR decided to close it. The commercial concern concentrated on the new line and have now fully given control of the original railway to the South Devon Railway. Totnes Folk Club (Paul Downes) We had a meal at an ethicy cafe. We were slightly surprised when a lady with her dog on a bit of string was allowed to dine. It is hard to discover yourself while you are still tethered by your mobile phone. I'm sure dogs look after their mistresses. Food was good and different. We arrived in good time and Julia was given ... read more