Looking back at a good year for Oxfordshire music festivals

Don't worry if you don't get tickets for Glastonbury - you can have a great time at music festivals closer to home instead. There are plenty of them.

Cornbury at Great Tew has now gone but there are plenty more to enjoy.

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These include Truck at Steventon near Abingdon, Kite at Kirtlington, Wilderness at Charlbury, Big Feastival at Kingham, Cropredy near Banbury, Nocturne at Blenheim Palace, and Riverside in Charlbury.

If that's not enough, over the border you can enjoy Towersey and Reading festivals without having to travel too far.

Truck and Wilderness were both hit by bad weather this year - but it didn't stop festival goers from enjoying the bands and having a party.

Truck kicked off at Hill Farm in Steventon in July and our music correspondent Tim Hughes was there to enjoy it.

He wrote: "Rain, wind and mud failed to dampen the spirits of thousands of music lovers who braved extremes of weather to enjoy an “amazing” weekend of rock.

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"Up to 30,000 people descended on Hill Farm for four days of music at the weekend, headlined by indie-rock band Two Door Cinema Club, alternative pop act alt-J, and rock duo Royal Blood – with The Wombats topping the bill on the Thursday for early arrivals.

"They were greeted by sunshine and clear skies before Saturday’s heavy rain turned parts of the site to mud.

"There was, mercifully, no repeat of the disastrous mudbath of 2017, in which the entire site was flooded with thick, sucking mud, and stranded cars had to be rescued by tractor.

"With most stages housed in marquees it was possible to escape the worst of the weather – before the sunshine returned on Sunday."

Wilderness in Charlbury also suffered from heavy rain, leaving festival goers slipping in the mud and struggling to get their vehicles off site.

But the damp weather at the festival in August didn't stop revellers from putting on sparkly outfits and elegant costumes for four days of fun in the forest - and it didn't rain all the time.

Wilderness is a feast of music, dancing, fine dining, crafts and country pursuits at Cornbury Park.

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Held among the trees of the ancient Wychwood Forest, the festival is among the most beautiful events of its kind, attracting a fun-loving crowd, hailed by organisers as the "incredible" stars of the show.

They were joined by an eclectic bill featuring stars of music, stage and screen.

Headliners The Chemical Brothers, Christine & the Queens and Fatboy Slim were joined by artists as different as Sugarbabes, Arlo Parks, DJ Todd Terry and The Zombies.

Surprise guest performers included Benedict Cumberbatch, Noma Dumezweni, Emma Corrin, Claire Foy, Taron Egerton, Jordan Stephens, Dolly Alderton and Sinéad Cusack – who entertained the audience with spirited readings of amusing and poignant letters in 'Letters Live' sessions.

Kite at Kirtlington is much smaller than Wilderness but it has a packed programme and attracted some big names including Bangles star Susanna Hoffs as a speaker, and the Pretenders and Suede as headliners.

The crowd at Nocturne at Blenheim Palace loved welcoming soul singer Lionel Richie, while Nile Rodgers brought some funk to Fairport Convention's Cropredy Festival.