IT’S surely worth taking a leisurely trip up to Bellingham in the heart of rural Northumberland this weekend, for the annual Baafest, three days of fine music among the hills and forests of England’s most northern county. Your hosts will be the talented duo Landermason, and the special guests include Rob Heron and his Teapad Orchestra, guitar maestro Eddie Walker, and Cheshire folk-rockers Elbow Jane.

I was up there myself last year, and it proved to be a great way to end the summer festival season, and it’s less than an hour north of Newcastle, so not as far as you think. Meanwhile, it’s good to see one of our great local folksong writers, Ed Pickford, back on the scene, and you can catch him at South Shields folk club, at The Customs House this Sunday at 7.30. Eddie was a pivotal figure on the scene in times past, and his songs, ranging from the hard-hitting “One Miner’s Life” to the comical “Oldest Swinger In Town”, were widely covered all over the world. His recent songs are just as good and on-target, and he has built quite a healthy “on-line” presence too, via Facebook and the like, so check him out at your leisure.

Tonight, it’s the annual club-swap between The Duke of Wellington in Billingham and The Black Bull in Blaydon, so all you Teesiders have to head to Tyneside this evening, for a memorable night of songs, stories and general tomfoolery. Finally, good to hear that local folk DJ Liz Franklyn will be returning to the airwaves soon, via the Blues And Roots Radio channel. Her new programme, called The Folk Garden, can be heard on the station’s website, and will no doubt shape up to be the perfect way to keep abreast of the current and classic folk music CD releases.