Last year Edith Bowman did something she's never done before.

She went to a festival on her own.

In the past the Scottish DJ and broadcaster has attended festivals with her mum and with her kids. She's sometimes attended them to watch her husband, Tom Smith, singer with guitar band Editors, perform. And of course she's been to Glastonbury and T in the Park as a presenter for the BBC.

But last year she went to Festival Number 6 in North Wales all alone and it turns out she loved it. "It was utterly liberating. You didn't have anyone telling you where to go or what to see and it was down to me to discover stuff and find things. Every decision was based on me; whether I talked to people, whether I joined in on the ukulele lessons. It felt a really healthy thing to do."

In short she rediscovered why she wanted to go to music festivals in the first place. Because she's a music fan. "The other thing this has made me do is not take them for granted, which I probably have over the last five years if not longer because I have been lucky enough to go to at least a couple of years. It's made me fall back in love with them in a way."

So much so that Bowman, who grew up in Fife and was a Radio One DJ until last year, has now written a book about Britain's summer music festivals. Edith Bowman's Great British Music is a mixture of travel guide and music memoir, as well as her own personal photo album. In it she advises readers on the individual appeal of each festival and remembers her own festival experiences. Like heading off to Glastonbury just two weeks after her first son Rudy was born via caesarean section. That's dedication, Edith.

"Yeah, I know. It was hilarious. And maybe two weeks before there'd been One Big Weekend and I'd done that. I remember waddling on stage and introducing Bloc Party.

"I was so driven by hormones and emotions and adrenaline that it didn't cross my mind to go 'what are you doing, you idiot?'

"But then if had the chance to go back and change it I wouldn't. He's come into the world to be part of our lives so that's what he's going to be."

She can't tell you what her favourite festival is. They all have their own flavour. "I get something different from each one. But she's always loved T in the Park.

"T in the Park almost gives me a real patriotic emotion because you see the bands blown away by the reaction they get from that crowd."

If you've never been to a festival before which one would she recommend? "I would say Latitude or Bestival. Bestival is great especially if you haven't been to the Isle of Wight before. It's a great island. There's loads to see."

Bowman, despite winning Celebrity Fame Academy back in 2005 has never had any desire to be on stage herself. "A lot of people can sing but they sing in the shower or in karaoke with their mates."

Or around the table with their kids, as Bowman has started doing with her two sons Rudy and Spike, who's two and Rudy who's nearly seven. At the moment Queen's greatest hits album is their favourite album. "'I want some baked beans' is what they sing at the moment instead of 'I want to break free,'" she says. "That's a good one at breakfast time to get them to eat their breakfast.

"It's brilliant introducing them to music and seeing their reaction to it. We've got a compilation album in the car. On the Stuart Little film there's a version of It's The End of the World As We Know It. So we put the R.E.M. version on this compilation we made for the car and Rudy sits on the back and knows all the words. Michael Stipe needs them written on the music stand.

"I love that it's almost like rediscovering music in a way and it also makes you remove your music snobbery and your inhibitions."

It also means going to music festivals is a very different experience too, she says. In what way? "I don't get drunk and go out and watch bands to the wee small early hours."

Edith Bowman's Great British Music Festivals is published by Blink, priced £16.99.