Last weekend's Big Tent, Scotland's leading green festival, was undoubtedly the best yet with brilliant sunshine bringing thousands flocking to Falkland Estate.

Walking into the estate from the village direction to be offered cups of locally-grown strawberries (only after surviving the eco-question about our chosen mode of transport to Falkland) you'd think you'd entered some kind of festival utopia.

I have to admit that having been several times to the festival on its former Palace orchard site, the new venue took a bit of getting used to, but there's no doubting the location — sitting in the heart of the valley between East and West Lomond — provided a natural amphitheatre for the weekend's festivities.

Despite having a one-year-old who doesn't sleep much and a slightly demanding four-year-old, we decided to make a weekend of it and find out if the Big Tent lives up to its name as a 'family friendly' event.

So early on Saturday morning feeling like we were about to embark on a fortnight's holiday to France and not just a night in Falkland, we set off in my parents' little campervan, to journey just 14 miles along the road.

But getting there, unpacking and setting up the tent surrounded by ancient trees and the area's two majestic hills, we couldn't have asked for a more picturesque setting.

Saturday morning gave us the chance to explore the new site, familiar to us as the sheep field opposite Falkland stables, but given a whole new appearance covered in 'big' tents.

Perhaps it was designed as an endurance test, but the 'kid's zone' was situated at the top of the hill, making it a bit of a breathless experience for some parents pushing buggies. But once up there it was worth the effort, with acts like Mr Boom and the Clydebuilt Puppet Theatre's 'Call of the Loon Bird' drawing huge audiences.

This zone — quiet given its distance from the music — also gave children the chance to explore the Fife Coast and Countryside Tent as well as face painting and interactive workshops.

While we were up the hill we took time to discover 'A Place Apart', the estate mausoleum, which was provided a venue for Spanish band Quixote, and an exhibition of artworks.

Back down the hill again and we had a wander around the wood and craft zone which featured works from local artists and craftspeople including Collessie's Marianna Lines.

The huge wooden xylophone proved a hit with both of my children, one of whom using his stick to hit the 'keys' while his much smaller sister decided it was better for chewing on!

A walk in the direction of the 'market place', which also featured the 'Wee Shindig' stage, gave visitors the chance to see some of the best local, fairtrade and 'green' products on sale before being tempted by the barbecue smells from one side and the Arbroath Smokie smells from the other as we headed towards the food village.

Later on it was time to stock up on buffalo and mushroom burgers and settle down on the picnic blanket on the hillside next to the main stage and hear some music.

It was disappointing that King Creosote (Kenny Anderson) had played the night before as I think he would've been a better headline act for Saturday, but despite that the highly energetic Brazil! Brazil! were a great act, followed by the Chipolotas and a bit later on Session A9, who in comparison to the international-feel brought to the festival by the Brazilians, gave us all a traditional Scottish treat.

Our overnight stay didn't prove too troublesome with a long-day in the fresh air helping the children to sleep, and we began the next day with a wander down to the village bakery.

Standing outside I got talking to a local, who like most 'Falklanders' seemed to think all visitors were foreign, or at least not from Fife.
He shared some anecdotes with me about his involvement in US country singer Johnny Cash discovering his ancestral links to the area — a link which resulted in Cash's daughter, Rosanne, headlining the main stage on Sunday night.

Sunday was indeed the best day, the sun came out and you could almost see visitor numbers swell.

Eager to escape the heat we headed into Maspie Den for a walk which as well as being a cooler gave that extra dimension to the whole 'Falkland experience'.

Back into the festival site and after something to eat from the Pillars of Hercules organic cafe, we settled down for Roseanne Cash's debut.

It was unfortunate we couldn't hear much of Falkland Steward Ninian Stuart's introduction, but Rosanne also talked of the importance of the Big Tent in making people aware of the problems facing the planet and the things that can be done to make it better, before belting out a number of songs including her Grammy award-winning 'I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me'.

Bringing the event to a close and signalling an end to our wee holiday in Falkland, we left in positive spirits, not only knowing that we had survived our first camping experience with children, but also buoyed by the fact that the Big Tent has showcased the beauty and energy of this area to the world.

See this week's St Andrews Citizen for photo's of the Big Tent Festival.