The organisers of Oxfordshire’s newest music festival say they have been “blown away” by the reaction to their first event and last night vowed to make it an annual fixture.

Wilderness Festival, which took place in the scenic surroundings of Cornbury Park, Charlbury, over the weekend, was billed as a ‘pioneering celebration of the arts and outdoors’.

It featured three days of live music, fancy-dress partying, a masked ball, lectures, drama, discussions and fine dining.

And, while many other of this year’s summer festivals have suffered – and even gone to the wall – because of poor ticket sales, Wilderness exceeded its organisers’ expectations by pulling in about 10,000 people.

Lady Rotherwick, who threw open the gates of the grounds of her family home for the three days, said: “We are over the moon. It has far surpassed our wildest expectations.

“I have adored every minute of it; it’s been heavenly.

“Because it’s the first year I didn’t know what to expect. But I have been blown away.”

The festival site has a licence for 20,000 people, and Lady Rotherwick said it would return next year, with room to expand.

She added: “We will definitely be back next year, there is no question at all about that. It will go on and on.

“It has been so much more than a music festival."”

The event featured sets by scores of bands and artists including Mercury Rev, Antony & the Johnsons, Gogol Bordello, Toots & The Maytals, The Low Anthem and Laura Marling.

But, for many, the highlights took place away from the main stage, with festival-goers enjoying swimming in the lake, massages, spa treatments, yoga, nature walks and stargazing at a festival observatory.

Among them was Nigel Winser, director of Summertown-based environmental organisation Earthwatch, who lives in nearby Finstock.

He said: “It is very special to find a festival like this in such a fantastic landscape.

“Wilderness is all about exploration. You never know what’s around the next corner, and there were lots of surprises.

“They have created something rather special."”

One of the liveliest sets was by London country-rock band Treetop Flyers.

Frontman Reid Morrisson said: “We’ve played a lot of festivals this summer, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.

“It has been lovely, with an amazing atmosphere. There were little things going on all over the place and everyone was so chilled.

“It really is the perfect festival.”

Genevieve Willis, from East Oxford, agreed. She said: “I’ve loved it all. It’s been such a laugh. It's absolutely perfect and just what Oxfordshire needs.”

Tim Harvey, festival organiser, said: “Wilderness was six years in the making, and a dream of ours for so long. It’s as much a weekend retreat in one of England’s ancient landscapes as it is an outdoor arts spectacular.

“It is a genuinely different type of festival.”