First things first, let's be clear that this isn't a guide to the UK's best "boutique festivals". That term has become increasingly common in recent years, used to describe any low-capacity festival. But it's horribly misleading. Boutiques are fashionable, exclusive and expensive - things none of these grass-roots events could be accused of. All 10 listed here charge a fraction of the £175 you'd need to buy a Glastonbury or Reading ticket. And while they don't have superstar headliners, they often offer more interesting and eclectic line-ups than you'd expect at, say, V Festival.
Many small festivals admit to being inspired by how they imagine festivals were in the 1970s, despite the fact that several of their organisers weren't even born then. So, these events are friendly, intimate, uncrowded, ethical, original and motivated by the desire to give you a good time, rather than squeezing every last penny out of you. Get along to any of them and you'll quickly realise that, when it comes to UK festivals, small really is beautiful.
Best for your health
The Outsider
Where Rothiemurchus, Cairngorms, National Park, Scotland
When 27-28 June
Weekend ticket £60 (£80 with camping)
Headliners Teenage Fanclub, Sharleen Spiteri, King Creosote
We say Located in the Scottish Highlands, Outsider really is a festival with a difference. As well as offering an impressive (and largely Scottish) lineup of music, comedy, theatre and film, the festival hosts fun-runs and mountain bike rides and encourages punters to explore its stunning surroundings, which include the Cairngorm mountains and Loch an Eilein. The natural world theme continues with a series of debates about environmental issues, plus river rafting, organised sports and night-time star gazing with the Royal Astronomical Society.
They say "We felt there was an audience who didn't necessarily want to get off their face and trudge through packed campsites to crowded arenas where you're a long way from the band; people who wanted to engage in a true outdoor experience, who would be active and environmentally sussed rather than merely passive consumers. Outsider is like wild camping in the Highlands alongside a festival that's unlike anything anywhere else."
Pete Irvine, festival director
More info outsiderfestival.co.uk
Best if you really don't like crowds
Blissfields
Where Bradley Farm, Bradley, Hampshire
When 3-4 July
Weekend ticket The £41 weekend tickets have sold out, but day tickets remain at £25 (Sat) and £20 (Fri)
Headliners Super Furry Animals, Laura Marling
We say Blissfields grew out of a party held by farmer Paul Bliss in 2001, for 70 friends, expanding until it was named best small festival at the 2007 UK Festival Awards. That accolade prompted an ill-fated move to Winchester's larger Matterley Bowl in 2008, where poor ticket sales forced the event's cancellation. Lesson learnt, they're now back home at Bradley Farm (capacity 1,250) with a renewed energy and a strong lineup.
They say "I'd wanted a festival on our farm since seeing the film of Woodstock when I was 18. It took us 20 years to finally get round to it, but we did it! We're still not as big as Woodstock - someone once said ours was the only festival where they could see the stage, their car and their tent from the same place - but I think the size, and the friendliness of our crowd, is what makes Blissfields special."
Paul Bliss, organiser
More info blissfields.co.uk
Best for foodies
Lounge On the Farm
Where Merton Farm, Canterbury, Kent
When 10-12 July
Weekend ticket £85
Headliners Edwyn Collins, Mr Scruff, the Horrors, Portico Quartet
We say As well as playing host to a genuinely different and eclectic lineup, this terrific 5,000-capacity event has become renowned for the quality of its cuisine. Where possible, all ingredients are sourced from within a 20-mile radius, whether it's Kentish hog roast, game pies, fruit picked straight off the tree, the festival's own cider or a three-course candelit dinner. If that gets you in the mood for eating locally, they're even offering lessons in how to forage from the countryside.
They say "Being Canterbury residents, we became a bit bewildered by the lack of decent contemporary cultural offerings available unless you travelled to London or Brighton. So, we decided to do it ourselves. We're still relatively small and intimate. That leads to a nicer, more personable atmosphere, with a kind of pumped-up village fete feel."
Matt Gough, organiser
More info loungeonthefarm.co.uk
Best for steam train enthusiasts
Indietracks
Where Midland Railway Centre, Butterley, Derbyshire
When 24-26 July
Weekend ticket £55
Headliners Camera Obscura, Emmy the Great
We say Indietracks was founded in 2007 by Stuart Mackay, a keen music fan who used to restore locomotives at the Midland Railway Centre in the Derbyshire countryside. By combining his two passions - indiepop and trains - he came up with this wonderfully quirky 2,500-capacity event. As well as watching dozens of obscure or unsigned bands play in the carriages or in a loco shed, punters can go for steam train rides, check out the petting zoo or have a look inside a signalbox. There's also a main outdoor stage, which is being programmed in 2009 by terrific Spanish indie label Elefant, in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
They say "There's a greater intimacy here being so small, with much more of a community feel to the place. Plus we're a regular daily tourist attraction with proper facilities, and while we don't offer camping, there's a very posh site next door that we recommend."
Stuart Mackay, organiser
More info indietracks.co.uk
Best for surprises
Standon Calling
Where Secret location, Standon, Herts
When 31 July-2 Aug
Weekend ticket £89
Headliners Femi Kuti, Tony Christie, Ladytron
We say Standon Calling (no relation to Kendal Calling) began life as a house party in 2001, before blossoming into a 3,000-capacity gem of the UK festival scene. It certainly helped that the "house" in question was a 16th-century manor house set in gorgeous grounds, but the imagination and ideals of founder Alex Trenchard have clearly played a major part. The festival donates its proceeds to charity, books an eclectic bill and prides itself on impromptu surprises. It also has an annual theme. This year's is space, so expect the intergalactically unexpected.
They say: "I never planned to start a festival. Each year since the original party for 30 people in 2001 we have simply set out to create a better party than the year before. My aim is to create a sense of mass euphoria when everything - music, art, theatre, lighting, performers - blends together to create a moment that engages all of the senses and brings the audience as one."
Alex Trenchard, founder
More info standon-calling.com
Best for listening and learning
Wood
Where Braziers Park, Oxfordshire
When 15-17 May
Weekend ticket £55
Headliners Brakes, Dodgy
We say Established last year, Wood is the little sister of the terrific Truck Festival (25-26 July), an event which has itself set the template for small, friendly festivals over the past decade. But where Truck's largely teenage crowd gets tipsy and bounces to rock and rave, the 1,200-capacity Wood is a calmer, more hippyish affair with a family vibe. Set in the gorgeous Braziers Park, its (mainly) acoustic acts play on a solar-powered main stage. The ticket price also includes a variety of green-tinted workshops on topics including knitting, woodcraft, cycle repair, singing and making wallets from juice cartons.
They say "We really wanted to create a sustainable music festival, especially after the floods which hit Truck in 2007. The event runs entirely on renewable power - solar, recycled vegetable oil, wood, bicycle - and 85% of waste is recycled. There are no portaloos, only wood-framed composting toilets (some with a view of the stage!). Our aim was to create a temporary community where we're all friends, and children can run about without fear of getting lost in giant crowds."
Robin Bennett, director
More info thisistruck.com/wood
Best on a budget
Rhythms of the World
Where Hitchin Priory, Hitchin, Herts
When 4-5 July
Weekend ticket No weekend tickets, £7 per day
Headliners Jazz Jamaica, John Otway, Etran Finatwa, Flamboyant Bella
We say This charming, volunteer-run world music event began life 17 years ago as an Oxfam fundraiser. Control has since passed to the local community, who moved the festival from the town square to the 16,000-capacity grounds of Hitchin Priory last year. It's a lush, naturally sloping site with a terrific array of well-priced world cuisine on offer. At £7 per day, household names are thin on the ground, but teenagers can rock out to new talent on the BBC Introducing stage, while their parents check out quality main stage acts from as far afield as Niger, Louisiana and Iceland.
They say "Being organised entirely by local volunteers means the festival reflects our community and offers real diversity. We have community groups, local performers from many different genres and unsigned bands all mingling with renowned artists from around the globe. We're essentially inviting the world to Hitchin's summer fete!"
Steve Smither, performance director
More info rotw.org.uk
Best for Brazilian vibes
Festinho
Where Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk
When 4-6 September
Weekend ticket £60
Headliners Mixmaster Morris, James Yuill, Nancy Wallace
We say Festinho started in 2005 as an Oxfordshire garden party for the supporters of the Action for Brazil's Children Trust. Since then, it's blossomed into a 1,500 capacity fundraiser for the charity and moved to the sumptuous surroundings of Suffolk's Kentwell Hall. There's a definite Latin party vibe with authentic caipirinhas on offer at the bar and Brazilian artists playing alongside
UK-based folk and dance acts. Many of the musicians join the organisers and production team in giving their services for free, ensuring that as much money as possible goes to the ABC Trust's work with Brazilian street kids.
They say "We think Festinho is the most friendly, welcoming and heart-warming festival going! Its intimate and cosy nature means that from the moment you arrive to the time you leave, you truly feel like you're a part of something special." Simon Strick, festival director
More info festinho.com
Best for summer sledging
Kendal Calling
Where Lowther Deer Park, Penrith, Cumbria
When 31 July-2 Aug
Weekend ticket £70
Headliners The Streets, the Zutons, Noah and the Whale
We say Now in its fourth year, Kendal Calling has moved out of its titular town for 2009, with a new site in a pretty country park just outside Penrith. The event is organised by two local promoters in their early 20s, who've secured a lineup many medium-sized festivals would be happy with, despite a very competitive ticket price. They've also had the tremendous idea of trucking over 20 tons of real snow from Leeds Snowdome for a sledging slope. If it rains, they'll presumably use the sludge in the adjacent igloo cocktail bar.
They say "It's quite isolated in the Lakes and we didn't feel that enough national talent was coming to the area. But there are plenty of fields and plenty of people up for it, so we started our own thing. We didn't set out to emulate the large festivals, because they inevitably lose the personal touch. That doesn't mean we can't compete with them, though. We've only got a £70 ticket and a capacity of 4,000, but our lineup can still more than hold its own." Andy Smith, co-promoter
More info kendalcalling.com
Best for campfire singalongs
Y Not
Where Pikehall, Matlock, Derbyshire
When 31 July-2 Aug
Weekend ticket £42
Headliners Noah and the Whale, Young Knives, Dananananakroyd
We say In 2005, 18-year-old Ralph Broadbent organised a party for 200 friends with a gazebo and wooden blocks for a stage. Four years on, Y Not now has a capacity of 4,000 and a reputation as one of the friendliest, best-value small festivals. Go to the UV party and you'll be given free face paints and glow sticks, or queue for a £1.50 pint and you can write your festival experiences with a marker on the bar-cum-message board. And, unlike many festivals these days, once the music finishes, the communal campfires begin.
They say "We don't have a separate camping area for bands, everyone camps together. If you find yourself sitting round a campfire late at night, chances are you'll end up singing songs with one of the bands you've seen earlier!"
Ralph Broadbent, founder
More info ynotfestivals.co.uk