Wow, what can I say? It was the first Torchlight that we’ve been to and it didn’t disappoint. It was really efficiently organised and we got to our pitch with the minimum of delay. I was glad we had electric hookup and we were quite close to a water tap and waste disposal point, so we were very comfortably set up quite quickly, though levelling the van took some time as the field was very uneven! Thank goodness we’ve ordered hydraulic levelling for the new van.

On Friday afternoon we wandered round the site, finding out where everything was, notably the pub and the main stage. An early meal and we were off to see the Wurzels. I know, I know, you’re thinking “The Wurzels?? Seriously??” But they were great fun, they had the crowd singing along with them and throughout the rest of the weekend you could hear strains of “Ruby Ruby Ruby, Ooh arr, Ooh arr, ooh arr.”

We’re not great fans of Oasis so didn’t bother watching the tribute band, wandering into the pub instead. There were DJs on all weekend, interspersed with live bands. On Friday we were treated to the Bikini Beach Boys. Fabulously camp, they sent up the Shadows, themselves and had the crowd up on their feet dancing. By the end of their set we were ready for bed, but were waylaid by the light trail. It was lovely, think Blenheim Palace winter trail on a smaller scale. We wandered through the woods and took the obligatory photos with the angel wings.

Saturday we wandered off to the club tent and dipped in and out of talks and cookery demos. By 6pm we were settled into our chairs to watch the Ed Sheeran experience which was very good. It’s a slick one hour turn round and then Boyzlife were on. They were great and had the crowd on their feet dancing and joining in. The evening rounded off with Squeeze who very proficiently played all their well known songs, they didn’t engage with the audience as much as Boyzlife, but no-one seemed to mind.

Sunday it was time for some forest bathing and a walk through the woods down to the lake. The evening set was the Twisted Time Machine who took us on a musical/dance journey through the 70s, 80s and 90s. I never thought I’d see Tim doing disco dancing, perhaps it was the beers that helped! They were followed by Gabrielle who was really good. She chatted to the audience and got us joining in with the chorus of some of her songs. The evening rounded off with Craig Charles and a solid hour of soul and funk which had most of us on our feet dancing, those of us who still had some energy left!

We left on Monday morning and drove cross country to see friends who live on a narrowboat and catch up with them over lunch. A great break and I’d definitely go to Torchlight again. Massive well done to the Camping and Caravan Club.