Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is becoming one of Britain’s best boutique festivals.

Now in its second year on a farm near Corfe Castle, the festival has embraced the barns, buildings and natural contours of the land to conjure up an excellent, user-friendly site.

With three distinct stages – each with nigh-on perfect sound – and a host of other musical and child-friendly activities, there was indeed something for everyone.

And the line-up remained staunchly eclectic, proving once again that all music is actually just folk with variations.

The Proclaimers headlined; the Reid twins and full band turning in a relentless 90-minute set of hits and more, barely pausing for breath (or communicating with each other) as they romped through the likes of Sunshine on Leith, Let’s Get Married and I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) before a wildly appreciative crowd.

Not far behind was acclaimed folk doyenne Eliza Carthy & the Wayward Band, a dazzling 12-piece collective of seasoned musicians creating a huge wall of sound and stunningly reinventing their genre yet again.

Also in this quality field of talent came the Dartmoor-based sublime husband and wife duo of angelic-voiced Kathryn Roberts and skilled guitarist Sean Lakeman, who could play forever and remain interesting.

Best surprise of the weekend was Undercover Hippy, former DJ Billy Rowan’s four-piece whose modern protest songs in a reggae and rap style were just fantastic. If you’re going to track down just one of these acts make it this one.

Always interesting (although a little directionless on this occasion) is the Songwriters Circle, in which three musicians discuss their art and play their songs; this year it was Nizlopi (he of the JCB Song fame), Eddi Reader and Chris Difford collaborator Boo Hewerdine (he wrote Patience Of Angels) and up-and-coming Maz O’Connor.

Nizlopi later turned in a stomping, crowd-pleasing set.

With around 30 acts performing each day, the pleasure of Purbeck is roaming from stage to stage catching old favourites or new (to me) performers. Thus, honourable mentions to Poole’s resurgent and newly-professional Ninebarrow, the bluesy Mary Spender, and Sam Duckworth (formerly Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly) with his own protest songs.

Plus, the effervescent Model Folk who fizzed; The Churchfitters who used a saw as a violin, Gilmore and Roberts who were wonderful, Benjamin Folke Thomas who proved Swedes can do folk and Virginia’s Hot Seats whose old time bluegrass was simply the best.

The renowned Villagers headlined Friday but slightly underwhelmed me, but Rhyl’s Goat Roper Rodeo’s ‘cosmic blues’ were lively. Latin Quarter underplayed their big hit Radio Africa, indie heroes I Am Kloot’s John Bramwell was, well, quirky and singer-guitarist David Fidler simply had the wrong surname.

Too many to mention… roll on next year!