in an area of the Derbyshire Dales called the White Peak on account
of the limestone walls and buildings which dominate the rural landscape.
The first Monyash Festival exists for three reasons:
Our line-up is now finalised:
admired Pete Atkin and his music over the years, and would love
to see him again.
festival, which needed somewhere larger than the village green.
New 2-tier ticketing structure:
writing with Clive James in the late 60s / early 70s during their domination
of the creative process at Cambridge University's Footlights society. Other
famous members of the time include Julie Covington, Russell Davies, Rob
Buckman, Germaine Greer, Maggie Henderson, Barry Brown, Alan Sizer,
Jonathan James-Moore and Daryl Runswick. Pete's influences range from
Rodgers and Hart to the Beach Boys, taking in Duke Ellington on the way.
His greatest on-stage moments were on tour with a rock band in the early
70s, but at Monyash he will accompany himself on guitars and piano.
raconteur, perhaps best known today for his emceeing and deejaying work.
and play their own songs with many an eclectic influence. Their repertoire
also includes a wide variety of traditional folk songs and tunes. Instruments
featured are guitars, bass, mandola, accordian, concertina, bowed psaltery
and a range of whistles.
John Burton, Chris Watson and Peter Skinner specialise in traditional Irish
and English ballads with guitars, accordian, banjo, mandolin, bodhran, tin
whistle, bouzouki, mouth organ and four-part harmony vocals. They have
just cut their first album, which will be on sale at the festival.
Matlock, who bring a breath of fresh air with their unique interpretations of
songs old and new.
Bun all join us to represent the north Derbyshire folk scene. As with most of
our line-up, they have agreed to forego their usual fees to support our cause.
as a writer of songs of our time with lyrics of rare insight. He styles his music
néo-folk, and already has two albums to his credit. He was unable to bring
along all of his whole recording band, but he will be joined by his bassist.
In response to requests from the local folk music community, we have introduced
a new class of ticket, the "Afternoon of Folk".
The original yellow ticket (£15, limited to 500) becomes a "Passport" to the whole
day's events. Holders can come and go as they please anytime between 12 and 12.
So if (for instance) it's a wet day, or you have other commitments, or you're a die-
hard Atkin fan and you don't care to hear our excellent folk bands (9 groups, duos
and solo singers/instrumentalists), there's nothing to stop you coming along just for
the evening's concert session in which Pete will be supported by Canadian singer/
songwriter Brent Mason. Your ticket will guarantee you a seat in the marquee and
a space in the car park adjacent to the festival site. The concert promises to be a
very special and memorable event for followers of Pete Atkin.
The new "Afternoon of Folk" blue ticket is priced at £5 (or £6 on the day if any
remain) and gives access from 12 noon to 5 p.m. approx. During this period accom-
panied under-12s will be admitted free of charge. The afternoon session will be split
between main and club tents and will include Penny Bun, Crowded Hour, Martin
Sumpton, John Prentice, Groggy Frog, Coalesce, Smithy's Brew, and will close with
Tony Capstick. Parking will be in the village. The blue ticket will not provide access
to the evening concert event.
None of this will preclude Pete from making a possible guest appearance during the
afternoon sessions. Equally we might choose to put on one of the folk bands for a
second set in the evening, for additional flavour.
Other attractions and facilities at the Monyash Festival:
Naturally we were a little daunted by the prospect of matching the attractions of
those well-established "real" folk festivals like Stainsby, Cambridge or Cropredy,
but we've done our best to make it a memorable day out for all, with
with large banked grass area outside for comfort/picnic/play.
around and an opportunity to make music informally with our guests.
Bring your own instruments!
around tea-time. Club tent closes for evening concert on the main
stage in the marquee.
from luxury hotel through inns and pubs, B&B, self-catering, down
to caravan and camp sites -- this is a vacation area!
So where is Monyash, and how do I get there?
Monyash sits near the centre of the rough square defined by the cities of
From Manchester (including the airport) and the North-West, approach
From the South-West we recommend bypassing Birmingham on the east
From London and the South you'll be approaching via the M1. Experience
In the centre of Monyash you will find signs and stewards to direct you to
Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Stoke on Trent. The nearest towns
are Bakewell to the east and Buxton to the north-west. Bakewell is
famous for its puddings, known the world over as Bakewell tarts, and
is a popular holiday destination for those visiting nearby stately home
Chatsworth House. Buxton is a once-popular spa town with an air of
decadence, but also a thriving Opera House which hosts the annual
Gilbert and Sullivan festival and the Alexis Korner memorial concert.
via Buxton, taking the A515 Ashbourne road. Monyash is indicated as
a left turn, the B5055, about 7 miles out of Buxton.
via the M42, then A446 and A38 to the ring road west of Derby. The A52
then leads you to Ashbourne, where you follow the Buxton-bound A515
and arrive on our map.
leads us to advise you avoid Derby, Alfreton, Matlock and the rest and
(for speed) continue to JCT 29, the A617 to Chesterfield. In Chesterfield
follow the A619 for Bakewell, avoiding getting shunted into Chatsworth
Park as you leave Baslow, and arrive on the east of our sketch map.
The Monyash road (B5055) is straight on at the roundabout in the centre
of Bakewell. Traffic from Sheffield and the North joins this route at Baslow.
the Festival car parks. The Festival site is at Dale House Farm, a half-mile
north from the centre of the village on the Flagg road -- Chapel Street as
it leaves the village centre.
We're building a separate section covering holiday homes on our
Monyash site, but many of these will already be fully booked for
the holiday season. For those looking for accommodation for the
festival night or the weekend only, we've compiled this list.
(Note to recipients of printed copy: the odd underlined words
are hypertext links in the World-Wide Web version of this page.)
Ordering Tickets
The evening concert is a tickets-only event, and we have a ceiling of 500,
Alternatively we can supply the Afternoon of Folk (blue ticket), valid from
Tickets are available by post from the following address:
Monyash Festival
Cheques and Sterling Drafts should be payable to "Monyash Festival".
All proceeds go to the Monyash Church Restoration Fund.
Have I forgotten anything? Festival enquiries please to Carole Birkill.
because this is what our marquee and support facilities can accommodate.
For this reason we advise early booking. The all-day Passport (yellow ticket)
which includes concert access is £15 (fifteen pounds), with no concessions.
12 noon to 5 p.m. approx., including Tony Capstick, for £5 in advance, or
£6 on the gate if any remain unsold on the day. Under-12s free in the afternoon.
Dale House Farm
Monyash
Bakewell
Derbyshire
DE45 1JJ
United Kingdom
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