“So… my advice is this; make full use of the opportunity while it lasts.”

Looking back at the very first words posted on Caught by the River back in May 2007, they seem incredibly prescient. In fact, you could argue that the site and all its subsequent spin-offs have been examples of grabbing opportunities and running with them. Back in 2007 with some time on our hands due to “enforced gardening leave”, we started this website. Its growth has been a constant source of excitement for us. Getting involved in festivals, putting out books – they aren’t things we even thought about back then; we just wanted to express our wide-eyed joy about the things we were passionate about. Five years on and 2000 posts later, that’s pretty much still the way the site works.

Regular site readers will probably have noticed already that this year celebrates not just our 2000th post but also our fifth birthday. And our fourth year at Port Eliot. And the publication of the newly spruced up paperback of Words on Water. And, being as this is the 2000th post, we thought we’d say thanks for all your support over the past five years by giving some prizes away.

We’ve got a pair of tickets for Port Eliot Festival up for grabs (probably best check you can get there before entering as it’s tickets only). Runners up will win either copies of the ace Diagrams LP or Pat Long’s brilliant book The History of the NME (you can specify which runner up prize you want if you have a preference). Question is – name the rock’n’roll outdoorsmen who have so far headlined our tent at Port Eliot twice. Send your answers to info@caughtbytheriver.net – to be eligible for these prizes you must be on the mailing list – so sign up now!