PORT Eliot Festival has grown and grown from its original roots as the Elephant Fayre in the 1970s and now attracts middle class Bohemians from all over the country.

However it is still mostly populated by people from Devon and Cornwall and is an essential part of their social calendar. You can see why though, Port Eliot is a cornucopia of cultural delights with a wide range of literary talks, cooking, fashion, cinema and of course music, Radio 4 in a festival if you will.

There can be no better setting for a festival especially when a bright full moon is rising over the valley above the Brunel viaduct and the castellated stately home set in Humphry Repton-designed parkland.

The festival is divided into roughly three sections The Idler Tent and Caught By The River stage bordering the estuary which is enjoyed by swimmers at high tide and mud enthusiasts at low. The park area in front of the house with the main Park stage and the walled garden and bowling green above the house (the hill's a killer!) with their selection of authors, talks, music and fashion.

First port of call, so to speak, was the Caught by the River stage for a performance by Ian Drury's son Baxter Drury (the little boy who appears on the front cover of Ian's acclaimed album New Boots and Panties). He's got the moves and vocal mannerisms of his dad down pat but his lyrics and performance left me cold.

The wall to wall sunshine had gone as Friday gave way to sunshine and (heavy) downpours.

The highlights of Friday included Guardian restaurant critic Grace Dent talking to restaurateurs Rowley Leigh and Russel Norman on the art of being a restaurant critic which was both entertaining, funny and down to earth.

In the Caught By River stage Toby Hay and Jim Ghedi melded traditional and contemporary folk with the infeasibly tall fiddle player incongrously wearing a Black Sabbath sweatshirt.

One of the big draws, for me anyway, was the singer from rock group Suede, Brett Anderson discussing his brilliant memoir Coal Black Mornings with music journalist Miranda Sawyer, although I managed to miss him performing an encore with Danny Goffey from Britpop legends Supergrass in the Caught By The River Stage afterwards. Indie popsters Teleman rounded off the evening channelling The Buggles (in a good way) and XTC.

The main draws on Saturday were Robert Webb talking about his new book about the challenges of bringing up boys and another former Supergrass hero Gaz Coombes who seems to think he's Prince these days going from the opening number.

Much more fun however were Australian electro funsters Confidence Man on the Caught by The River stage (can you see a pattern emerging here?). This male and female duo along with a drummer and keyboard player in their underpants and black beekeeping hats had all the right moves.Their mixture of LCD Soundsystem and Barbie Girl pariahs Aqua hit all the right notes. Don't miss them if you have the chance.

Other musical highlights included Cardiff band Boy Azooga led by musical Magpie Davey Newington whose vocals and arrangements carry the tunefulness of The Super Furry Animals.

The best thing about Port Eliot though is stumbling into a tent and listening to something you'd never imagined you'd be interested in. A garrulous Irishmen talking so fast you could hardly understand him about the Tarot Cards set he'd created with an artist or dancing next to American actress Teri Hatcher, her of Superman fame, in the Boogie Round at 2am or enjoying an amazing lentil curry on the Bhangra Bus, a converted yellow school bus all the way from the USA.

Port Eliot, where the food is delicious, the drink flows freely and you are guaranteed to be entertained and cerebrally challenged. Can't wait until next year!