NOW in its third year, the Great Estate has cemented itself very nicely indeed at the start of the summer festival season.

It bills itself as 'the most rambunctious Garden Fête' and it certainly lives up to it.

Set in the fine grounds of Scorrier House near Redruth, it really did have that feel.

The event is very family friendly and, looking around, it was clear that the clientele was made up largely of parents and children.

That's not to say that it wasn't welcoming to those without kids – it had a traditional festival feel while managing to capture that summer fete atmosphere at the same time.

To that end, alongside the usual music there was plenty else going on.

There was Mexican wrestling from Lucha Britannia, which was delightfully entertaining, there was swing dancing in the lovely Secret Gin Garden, there was yoga in The Sanctuary, there were hot tubs, poetry, talks on foraging, relaxation and nutrition, a fairground, arts and crafts, drama workshops, circus shows, a silent disco and much, much more.

Those who wanted to treat themselves could have afternoon tea, a evening feast or a posh brunch in Scorrier House itself, there was a vintage car show on Sunday and a Victorian Sports Day on Saturday.

There was so much going on that you'd be hard pressed to squeeze it all in.

This year there was the option to have an early visit, arriving on Thursday night to set up camp and spend the evening in the Secret Gin Garden before the festival proper opened its gates.

And that made for a very nice start to things, lounging in deck chairs in this quiet little spot. It was, over the course of the weekend, somewhere to chill out while enjoying anything from swing to classical music to DJs on its little stage.

On Saturday we were joined by friends and their six-year-old daughter, which gave us a great insight into how this festival goes down with kids.

And it's fair to say that it went down well.

Our young friend was experiencing her first festival and it won't be her last, from the fun fair to bouncy castles and crafts, she had an amazing time and went from midday to 11pm without flagging.

And finally, to the music.

The big names were Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly on Friday, James on Saturday and Craig Charles' Funk and Soul Show on Sunday, all of which went down a storm, but there was plenty of local talent on show as well in the wonderfully named Madame Wong's House of Wrong courtesy of BBC Introducing.

The absolute highlight for me took place a la Madame Wong on Friday night.

Ever since they were announced, Elvana had me interested.

For those who haven't heard, they're a Nirvana tribute band fronted by, yep, an Elvis impersonator.

Needless to say, it went down an absolute storm to a packed tent. While clearly there's a novelty angle, musically the band was note-perfect and it was just brilliant.

Whatever your tastes, this great festival has really established itself now as a top start to summer – indeed, a record 19,000 people enjoyed it this year.