It may have been the sun igniting thoughts of the summer that might have been, or the relaxed vibe, or the eclectic choice of music but Cropredy Y2K was judged by many, me included, to have been the best for some years.

For the first time, hard-working organisers Dave and Christine Pegg, had added an extra day to proceedings and given the size of the crowd on Thursday night will no doubt be doing the same next year.

The festival was opened by Cropredy-based band Spank the Monkey, more used to playing on the 'festival fringe' than on the big stage. They quickly overcame a back stage bout of nerves to produce a blistering set of classic R&B, harking back to the halycon days of the sixties. It has always been the band's ambition to play at Cropredy and on this viewing should get a crack at it again. Highlight of the night for people in the audience of a certain age was the chance to see the original line up of The Incredible String Band perform together for the first time in more than 30 years.

It was an emotional moment as Robin Williamson, Mike Heron and Clive Palmer walked out on stage to a typically warm Cropredy welcome. They took us on a nostalgic trip through their 'greatest hits' with vocalist Williamson as mesmerising and enigmatic as ever.

In complete contrast to the gentle meanderings of The Incredibles, the electric All About Eve set about their top-of-the-bill performance with startling energy. The angel-voiced Julianne Regan flitted about the stage like a moth on speed while that master of the Rickenbacker Marty Wilson-Piper displayed a wonderful array of crowd-pleasing guitar-heroism. Three encores later we all still wanted more. Friday's proceedings were opened by a seemingly ad-hoc and brilliantly entertaining set led by Geordie compere Keith Donnelly who brought on Eddie Reader and Anna Ryder as well as his erstwhile singing companion Gilly Derby. A great way to start the day.

Donnelly and Co were followed by a foot-stomping set from folk-rockers Little Johnny England we'll be hearing more about them in the future; a pleasing set from the Iain Matthews Band; an equally glittering performance from The Backroom Boys, featuring ex-Fairporter Jerry Donahue; and a truly inspiring set from The Albion Band, featuring Fairport co-founder Ashley Hutchings and the wonderful Kellie While.

Headlining were The Priory of Brion, a band fronted by Cropredy regular and all-round rock legend Robert Plant. And on Friday night he was at his charismatic best although perhaps not quite as ease with his band as has been the case in the past. Highlight of the set was his show-stopping version of The Youngbloods' Darkness, Darkness a genuine tour de force.

Saturday opened with another local band taking to the stage. The Unprofessionals, from Banbury, are a covers band but they chose their material carefully, with Curtis Mayfield classics rubbing shoulders with numbers from Jamiroquoi and James Brown. A set from that excellent singer-songwriter Bob Fox (check out his album Dreams Never Leave You) was followed by the surprise package of the festival, seventies surviviors Stackridge. Proving that they were always more than just a 'novelty act', the band offered up a truly entertaining and melodic set.

The Hamsters, loud and proud as ever, exploded on stage with guitar-fuelled abandon, filling the North Oxfordshire afternoon with the sounds of Hendrix and ZZ Top leaving the much quiter Show of Hands to expertly set the scene for the main event.

And the annual final from Fairport Convention and friends proved to be one of the most varied for many years. It turned in to a genuine Fairport reunion as the band were joined by Jerry Donahue and his daughter Kristina (who performed a stunning version of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne), Iain Matthews and Ashley Hutchings as well as Dave Swabrick and folk legend Martin Carthy.

Surprise guest was Supertramp's Roger Hodgson who performed a couple of Tramp hits, Girlfriend and The Logical Song. All too soon it was time for Fairport's traditional closing song, the emotional Meet on the Ledge.

'It all comes round again' they sang I for one, can't wait.