The mud was in the tradition of all great British pop festivals – but 17,000 music lovers braved the rain and revelled in a two-day Mumford and Sons extravaganza in the Cairngorms.
The band was widely regarded as the star act at its own party, the “Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Festival” on the Rothiemurchus Estate at Aviemore.
At the height of the downpours police issued warnings to people to leave their cars a few miles away in the village and find other ways of reaching the site.
The event was reckoned to be worth about £5.4million to the local economy, according to Highland economist Tony Mackay.
And it might make a comeback.
The fans, the force and the organisers all hailed it a success.
Festival organiser Rob Hicks, the promoter behind a host of major music events across the Highlands, said: “It was pretty muddy. The rain was unrelenting.
“But we delivered a phenomenal show and people’s resolve was just incredible.
“It felt different. There was no edge, nothing was dangerous. It was just people having a good time and probably because of the mix.
“We drew people from across the globe – everywhere, there were foreign voices.”
He said the Stopover was intended as “very much a one-off” but the spectacular mountain setting had stunned festival-goers and “it would be rude not to” revisit the location.
There were just six arrests for minor assaults and disorder, with two people expected to appear at Inverness Sheriff Court today.
Police also reported a number of “personal quantity” drug seizures.
Busy cash tills in and around Aviemore and its surrounding villages delighted local traders and Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stewart Nicol.
He said: “There is an undoubted buzz around the city and wider Highland region which is an undoubted boost for the local economy.
“It is particularly satisfying that we are seeing new and international events such as the Stopover Festival in addition to the week-long World Orienteering Championships.
“It is particularly important for the local economy that such new events are added to our local calendar in addition to well established and significant event such as the upcoming Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.”
Tony Mackay calculated that the combined income from the Stopover and the orienteering event was £6.4million.