There’s a llama nuzzling my chin. Her name is Truffle, she’s just turned 16-months-old and I’m about to take her for a walk.

I first became aware of the phenomenon of llama treks last year, over in Ireland watching a travel programme about a trip to a B&B in the countryside. Where they had llamas. And people took these llamas for a walk and it was calming, and it was restful, and it looked wonderful – a new form of mindfulness (being in the moment with a llama) and a more interesting way of meditating (thinking about a llama while walking). I googled llama treks and found a few places around Ireland that offered them. I read up on them all, then returned to London and did nothing more about it.
But the llama universe was clearly looking out for me. Because just six weeks later I had an invite from the Merry Harriers Inn in Surrey – not too far from where I live – for an overnight visit. And they had llamas…

I meet all ten of the llamas before we set off on the trek. Mungo is coming with us – he’s a few years older than Truffle and he’ll be walking with Fi – she’s a human (who says she has the best job in the world, leading llama treks year-round, weather permitting). I also meet Lorenzo, the baby of the family, just 8-months-old and too young yet for treks.
Llamas are friendly creatures, curious and loving and beautiful to look at. They are the stuff of viral videos. And they smile. Kittens – so over!

The only thing is, because they have three stomachs, they really like to eat a lot, spend 16 hours a day feeding – and don’t intend to stop just because they’re walking. So, I spend a substantial amount of the time trying to coax Truffle out of the hedges and away from foliage as we walk. With my inordinate charm? No, with a box of carrots, literally dangling a carrot in front of her to move her along. It’s quite a treat having her snuffle them out of my open palm though. Llamas, it turns out, also have ridiculously soft faces.
Treks take a couple of hours through the fields and countryside paths behind the Merrier Harriers inn. Or you can make a real trip of it and take a picnic (the llamas will carry the picnic basket and you can even have champagne).
When I’m not hanging out with llamas, I’m chilling in my shepherd’s hut or hobnobbing with the locals in the bar. There are five luxury huts set up in a field across the road from the inn and if this is a shepherd’s life, sign me up for a flock and crook now.

The inn also has accommodation in rooms over the pub or in pretty garden huts out the back (with views of the llamas). The inn itself is a 16the century pub – watercolours of it hang in Tate Britain – and serves food all day, with much of the produce sourced locally (some of it from their own garden).

The nearest station is Milford and trains run every hour from Clapham Junction, journey time is 40 minutes and then it’s a 10-minute taxi ride to the inn. If you’re driving, it’s off the A3 – follow the signs Milford and Haslemere.
The Merry Harriers is located in Hambledon in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is rather outstandingly beautiful. But mainly, there are llamas.

OWN YOUR OWN LLAMA (mug): And now, the smiling llama has become immortalised in ‘mug’ – as part of a fundraising appeal to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, set up by Lenses of Croydon. Photographer Robert Wilson Jr is a member of the group and donated this fabulous llama pic as part of the project. Read more and buy the mug here. (Other mugs are also available!)

I also wrote about the experience for The Scotsman – you can read the article here (it’s on page 2 – don’t panic

The Merry Harriers, Hambledon Road, Surrey GU8 4DR; phone 01428 682883; email enquiries@merryharriers.com. Inn rooms from £115 per night, garden rooms £110, shepherds’ huts £195, B&B

Photos copyright Rob Wilson Jnr at Fluid4Sight and Merry Harriers

It’s August and you haven’t booked to go away? No need! Opt for a staycation on the Isle of Wight instead – just a short trip on the ferry to this island off the south coast, you’ll feel you’re leaving the country without having to pack your passport. It’s the perfect destination for a short holiday, with great beaches, plenty of activities, interesting places to visit and a very good chance of fine weather. Or, if you’re close to the south coast, with crossing times of just 25 minutes on the brand-new Red Jet passenger ferry, it’s a day trip option as well.

The Isle of Wight is a beautiful spot. In 1963 half of the island was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 1974 its north west coast was recognised for the unspoilt natural beauty of its soft cliffs, woodlands, farmland and creeks and defined as the Hamstead Heritage Coast. It includes the National Trust land of Newtown National Nature Reserve and Forestry Commission woodland of Bouldnor Forest, and is a haven for wildlife, including the native red squirrel.

The opposite coast, with its rugged clay and sandstone cliffs was named as the Tennyson Heritage Coast. It includes the Needles chalk stacks and is a fossil rich coastline, well known for dinosaur footprints, chines and lighthouses.

Needless to say, this natural paradise is a big attraction for walkers and a coastal path winds its way around the island, accessed from Bouldnor near Yarmouth or Thorness near Cowes, with other footpaths from Newtown, Shalfleet and the surrounding areas leading across the fields and woodland to the coastline. Altogether there are 64 miles of coastal paths to rocky coves and dramatic clifftops and over 500 miles of footpaths on the island to suit both the gentle stroller and experienced hiker.

Isle of Wight: top things to do

1. Take a guided walk to discover local wildlife and landscapes or uncover the island’s dinosaur heritage on a fossil hunt. The island is often called ‘England in miniature’ and a walk will allow you to explore the very best of the English countryside, from sand dunes and coves to thatched villages and sailing towns. ‘Rambles by Bus’ have been developed by the Isle of Wight Ramblers and Southern Vectis to allow visitors to follow walks that start and end on a bus route.

2. Hire a bike once you land on the island – most ferry terminals are near a cycle route and the majority of routes are off-road, so suitable for all the family. There are over 200 miles of cycle tracks and off-road bridleways on the island and lots of cycle-friendly accommodation if you want to make this the focus of your visit. Some local businesses offer baggage transfers so you can cycle unimpeded from place to place.

3. Pay a visit to Queen Victoria’s former home, Osborne, with its own private beach. The monarch’s former home was owned privately and kept as a summer home and place of retreat for herself, Prince Albert and their family. Writing about it she said, “It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot”. Now owned by English Heritage, it is one of the island’s most popular tourist attractions, its grand rooms, including the family’s private apartments, still full of their possessions, including many of the gifts Prince Albert gave his wife. Outside the extensive grounds house a beautiful Victorian walled garden, the Swiss Cottage built for the royal children and woodland that runs down to a private beach. Admission is £15 for adults, £9 for children under 15, more information here.

4. See Carisbrooke Castle, where the deposed king Charles I was incarcerated before his beheading. The castle is over 1,000 years old and began life as an Anglo-Saxon fortress, built to provide refuge from the Vikings. As well as a prison, it has also been used as an Elizabethan artillery fortress and royal summer residence. Today, as well as its fascinating history, you will find donkeys working the 16th century treadwheel and an Edwardian-style Princess Beatrice Garden, designed by TV presenter and award-winning garden designer, Chris Beardshaw.
Adults £8.80, Children £5.20, more information here.

5. Visit the spectacularly sited clifftop fort and Victorian coastal defence, the Needles Old Battery for the best views of the iconic Needles, one of the island’s landmarks. You can explore its history through exhibitions, displays and memorabilia and take a trip into its underground tunnel for more spectacular views.
Adults £7.50, children £3.75, more information here.

6. Travel back in time on the island’s west coast, where you’ll find Stone Age burial tombs – long barrows – around Freshwater Bay and above the village of Mottistone. Barrows are also strung out along the tops of the downs at Headon Warren and Brook Down.

7. Go on a dinosaur hunt. Rapidly becoming known as Dinosaur Island, the cliffs and beaches around the coast are full of animal and plant fossils, with the oldest rocks formed back when dinosaurs walked the earth. The yellow, brown and grey rocks exposed in the bays of Compton, Brook and Brighstone contain fossilised tress and dinosaur bones and giant casts of dinosaur footprints in stone are a famous feature at Hanover Point.

8. Hang out on the beach – there are plenty to choose from. Most popular are Sandown beach, Whitecliff Bay, Shanklin (pictured above), Brightstone and Gurnard.

For more information on all of the attractions above, see Visit the Isle of Wight website

Stay
Haven Hall on the west coast, overlooking Shanklin beach, is one of the most stunningly-located hotels on the island, a haven of 5-star luxury and just recently opened. Read all about it here.

Eat
Thompson’s in Newport is run by the youngest chef ever to win a Michelin star, Robert Thompson, and offers classic cooking with a modern touch, using lots of the island’s superb local produce. The Waterfront at Totland Bay has amazing views and great food.
The Isle of Wight is a bit of a foodie paradise, don’t leave without buying some of the wonderful local produce, including its famous garlic. Yes, it even has a garlic festival.

Drink
Fisherman’s Cottage at the end of Shanklin beach has outside tables that are just a few feet away from the sea. It also does very good food.

Getting there

Red Funnel runs a regular passenger (travel time 25 minutes) and car (travel time 1 hour) ferry service to the island from Southampton (including a free shuttle bus from Southampton train station), see details and timetables here.
It’s a dog friendly service – read more here.
Red Funnel has also produced a Days Out guide, with suggested itineraries for day trips and four self-guided day trip tour packages including Queen Victoria’s Osborne, Carisbrooke Castle and Newport, Olde-World England, around Godshill and Shanklin, and Dinosaur Isle & the Isle of Wight zoo. Packages include travel to and from the island and cost £29.95 per person and there is also a cycling package for £28 per person, including bike hire.
You can also take the Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth and Lymington or Hovertravel from Southsea.

After a week of wind and rain and a storm called Brendan (Brendan, seriously?), the hip replacement playing up (sometimes I wonder if they actually left the old one in) and general January “bleh”, Sunday’s glorious sunshine was like a bolt of energy from a beautiful blue sky. The weather called for a walk – and a proper walk, none of your urban strolling around a city park.

I went to Woldingham – 15 minutes from East Croydon on the train. Mainly because I like the name (it also happens to be the next station after Upper Warlingham, try being the announcer on that train with a hangover). But also because looking at the map of the area surrounding Croydon, Woldingham is on the edge of a big green bit.

I downloaded the All Trails app before I set off so I could follow a walking route – it was useless. I could see an overview of a possible route but to download the detail would have cost me a year’s subscription fee. So I did it the old-fashioned way and printed – yes, printed – the Woldingham Countryside Walk.

From information board outside Woldingham station, turn right along Church Road. Just before Church Road Farm, turn right over railway bridge and left towards Marden Park Farm. Continue up gently sloping bridleway, taking in views across the valley.

This is proper countryside – glorious vistas and sweeping views, made all the better by that huge expanse of blue sky and sunshine. There’s still signs of this morning’s frost, as well last week’s rains and God is that ‘gently sloping bridleway’ muddy. Don’t try this with trainers.

Bear right on tarmac road and then left through iron gates on to Horse Chestnut Avenue. Worth a look back to see view of 19th century mansion, once part of the Marden Park estate, established by Sir Robert Clayton, Lord Mayor of London.

Right, so I can’t see any sight of the 19th century mansion but it’s still a very nice view. Lord Clayton was a local 17th century politician, owned a bank and rebuilt St Thomas’ Hospital in London, though clearly had nothing to do with the mansion, which is now Woldingham School.

At South Lodge, bear left and then turn immediately left through squeeze gap into Marden Park. Climb steep 200m section of path with care.

It was steep but the view from the top of the hill was worth it – looking over Godstone and Bletchingley and, according to my map, views as far as the South Downs on a clear day. Which was news to me. I thought I was in the South Downs. But no. Turns out this is the North Downs.

The North Downs, according to my info, has inspired the likes of JM Turner, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Winston Churchill and Charles Darwin both lived nearby. The North Downs Way runs 153 miles from Surrey into Kent, following the Pilgrims Way to Canterbury Cathedral. Being fond of a cathedral, I like the idea of walking to Canterbury. But that’s for another day.

For now, I’m veering off my guided walk, 3 miles in. There’s another 3 miles to go if I want to stay on this route and end up back at Woldingham station. But a wander back down the hill to South Lodge leads me to “ancient woodland”.

Then this.

No, I wasn’t expecting that either. But then this.

So I follow the path down the road towards the vineyard, walking into clear blue sky.

And I come to this!

Result! Godstone Vineyard, a winery, cafe and wine shop bang in the middle of my healthy countryside walk. In the sunshine. So I take off my mucky boots, sit outside in the sunshine and a very nice lady brings me a cream tea.

The vineyard was set up in 1985 and currently produces about 15,000 bottles of local sparkling wine every year from its 10 acres. I had a small sample of both wines they produce – the white (excellent) and the rose (even more excellent, fine bodied and not the slightly wishy washy liquid rose can often be). Then I sat for another while in the sun, sipping a glass of sparkling wine, and thinking how much I love countryside walks. No wonder they’re so popular. I’m really looking forward to my next one.

(Just to finish off, I should probably say that after tea and a scone with jam and a glass of wine, plus a couple of small wine samples, I couldn’t face the next 3 miles to complete the walk – especially since I’d wandered off the route to the vineyard. So I got an Uber to take me the couple of miles to Caterham station, and from there got a bus to East Croydon. Countryside walks. Fabulous.)

From ice skating, light trails and spending the night in the home of the Christmas card, see our round-up for festive inspiration in 2018

Go ice skating

Some of the London ice rinks are open already – you can get your skates on at the National History Museum, on its wonderful rink in front of the historical building, surround by light-bedecked trees. There’s a café bar overlooking the rink if you’re not a skater – treat yourself to a hot chocolate and mulled wine.
Until 6 January, tickets from £12 adults, £8.80 children, £39.60 families; Nhm.ac.uk
Once the outdoor fun is over, pop inside to check out the stunning images in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition (tickets £15/£9)

One of the most beautiful rinks in London, Skate at Somerset House (pictured above) takes place in the iconic building’s courtyard, under a 40ft Christmas tree. Hosted in association with Fortnum & Mason, after the skating visit alpine inspired restaurant Fortnum’s Lodge or shop at Fortnum’s Christmas Arcade.
There’s a skate school where you can learn to skate or brush up your skills; alternatively book a Skate Mate to provide assistance for novice skaters – available for 3 to 15 people, (cost £35 in addition to the price of your skating ticket). Special Skate Lates will feature leading DJs and artists on rink-side decks.
The rink is also open to wheelchair users and there are special dedicated wheelchair sessions.
From November 14 to January 13; £11 adults, £8.50 children; Somersethouse.org.uk

The ice rink at the Tower of London gives visitors a chance to skate in the moat surrounding one of London’s most famous landmarks, with stunning views of the Tower and the river Thames.
From November 23 to January 6; £14.50; Toweroflondonicerink.co.uk

Visit Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland for a chance to skate on the biggest outdoor rink in the UK, surrounding the park’s Victorian bandstand, and illuminated with over 100,000 lights. Afterwards, check out the park’s Christmas markets, Magical Ice Kingdom, Enchanted Forest, Santa Land and fairground rides.Read more about the Winter Wonderland Christmas market here.
From November 22 to January 6; £9.50 adults, £7.50 children, £30 family: Hydeparkwinterwonderland.com

Skate around Henry VIII’s sixteenth-century pad at the Hampton Court Palace ice rink, a very picturesque backdrop, especially when lit up after dark.
From November 23 to Jan 6, £14.50; Hamptoncourtpalaceicerink.co.uk

Christmas days and nights out

London Zoo is celebrating Christmas with a fabulous magical light trail and is also giving visitors a chance to upgrade to a VIP sleepover experience and spend the night in the zoo as well! From 4.45pm, the zoo will be transformed into a magical wonderland of twinkling decorations, illuminated animal sculptures, singing trees, light tunnels, festive food treats and surprises. Meanwhile, overnight guests will be staying in one of the zoo’s cosy lodges – nestled in the heart of the Land of the Lions! Are you brave enough…
Select dates from 22 November to 1 January; £16.50 adults, £10.50 children, £52 family, under-3’s and carers free
Overnight stay includes lodge accommodation, tour of Land of the Lions guided by ZSL’s experienced hosts, access to Christmas light trail, 2-course buffet dinner, behind-the-scenes tour, early morning zoo tours, full English breakfast, 2-day access to the zoo and exclusive discounts; from £378
Zsl.org

Winter at Southbank Centre is a packed programme of festive fun and entertainment. It includes two new family shows: Circus 1903 (from the award-winning War Horse puppeteers), running from 19 December to 5 January at the Royal Festival Hall, and Rumpelstiltskin at the Queen Elizabeth Hall from 13 December to 6 January.
The roofs of the Hayward Gallery, Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall will be illuminated by David Batchelor’s Sixty Minute Spectrum project, featuring a variety of coloured flashing lights in every colour of the rainbow.
Handel’s Messiah will be performed by Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall on 16 December, with an afternoon of timeless classics earlier that day in the Hall, with Christmas at the Movies.
Free events include a traditional festive Caribbean music concert, Argentinian tango performances and lessons, Strictly Winter Ballroom and swing classes, and 30-minute performances by a variety of choirs in the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall from December 11 to 23.
And if all of that wasn’t enough, the traditional Southbank winter market will be taking place outside, with a range of alpine lodge stalls, pop-up bars and festive food and drink. Read more about London’s Christmas markets here.
From 9 November to 6 January (Christmas market until 27 December); Southbankcentre.co.uk

In Greenwich, the Royal Observatory’s festive programme includes Christmas Stars, an investigation of what the night sky has to offer in December as we head toward Christmas in this festive-themed show. Presented live by a Royal Observatory astronomer, the show will look at the moon, constellations and planets.
Runs throughout December; £8 adults, £5.35 children; Rmg.co.uk

A Christmas concert under the hull of Greenwich’s Cutty Sark features Merry Opera performing Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Gilbert and Sullivan, as well as sea shanties and a reading of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem, Christmas at Sea, which is 150 years old this year.
16 December; £25, includes a mulled cider and mince pie slice; Rmg.co.uk

Take a tour of the Queen’s House in Greenwich to discover the fascinating royal history and iconic architecture of this ‘house of delight.
Throughout December 2018 and January 2019; £10 adults
On 6 December Christmas in the Queen’s House offers candlelit tours of the house, carol singers, a lecture on pageantry, wreath workshop, mulled wine and mince pies (£8). Rmg.co.uk

Festive Family Fun at London Transport Museum features a magical forest, with twinkling lights and trees, Santa’s Secret Christmas Cabin, storytelling sessions, craft workshops and a musical Christmas vintage bus tour around the lights and sights of London.
From 1 December to 6 January; £16 adults, free for children; Ltmuseum.co.uk

Escape the capital
Spend the night in the home of the creator of the first Christmas card, Sir John Calcott Horsley, who established Orestone Manor in south Devon. The 19th century Georgian Manor is now a family-run, luxurious country house hotel, set in landscaped gardens overlooking Lyme bay. It’s run by husband and wife chefs, Neil and Catherine D’Allen, who have scooped double AA Rosettes for their restaurant and double gold-wins in the Taste of the West hotel and restaurant awards.

Pictured above, the very first Christmas card was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole and drawn by John Horsley at Orestone in 1843. 1,000 cards were printed and sold, but today just under 20 are in existence – you can see one at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. But you can send your own ‘original’ card (in reproduction) from Orestone in the run up to Christmas this year, with special packages available for stays at the Manor until 23 December.
Orestone Manor was also the scene of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s National Portrait Gallery painting, created by Sir Horsley (his brother-in-law) on the Manor’s lawn.
Overnight stays from £110; Orestonemanor.com

More festive frolics

Our favourite Christmas markets in the UK and Europe for 2018

Visit a cathedral: see our top picks in London and South East England

‘The Isle of Wight is how England was 40 years ago.’

So says David Barratt, my host on the island and owner of the very beautiful Haven Hall.

Forty years ago. 1978. Labour was in power, James Callaghan was Prime Minister and people stopped hunting the otter as it became a protected species. May Day became a bank holiday, the world’s first IVF baby was born in Oldham and bakers and the BBC went on strike. The Bee Gees’ ‘Night Fever’ was number one for two months and Annie Hall won the Oscar for Best Film.

But I can’t really pass judgement on how England was back then. I was a 9-year-old in the west of Ireland, just discovering Top of the Pops but already an aficionado of Blue Peter and – previously – Play School. So I had plenty of English cultural references, but from the far side of the Irish sea.

But I can tell you how the Isle of Wight is right now.

Good. In a word.

Or in two words. Very good.

If by ‘England 40 years ago, he means a slower, steadier, calmer pace of life, then yes, that’s spot on. It’s a place where people chat to you on buses and the buses take you on scenic drives through beautiful countryside. It’s not the most efficient way to travel – my half-an-hour drive from West Cowes, where the Southampton passenger ferry docks, to Haven Hall at Shanklin beach takes almost two hours on two buses.

But if you’re happy to sit back and take in the scenery, the picture-perfect villages with thatched cottages and trailing roses, the green fields stretching away to golden beaches, and you’ve got a leisurely day to spend, then why would you rush through it? This is slow living at its best.

But you can do it faster. The total journey time from London Waterloo to Haven Hall is two and a half hours if you take the fast ferry to the island and on to Shanklin by train. A new Red Funnel passenger ferry has just been launched, which is lighter, more efficient, more manoeuvrable, quieter and smoother. It takes just 25 minutes to speed across from Southampton and if you arrive by train, a free shuttle bus will take you to the ferry terminal with ferries running every half hour. If you’re driving, the car ferry crosses every hour from Southampton to East Cowes.

If you’re coming from London or the South East, it’s a quick and easy journey – and, at the end of it, here you are on the edge of an island with cliffside walks to the beach. Two acres of beautifully planted landscaped gardens overlook the sea and local resident Alan Titchmarsh voted this the Best Commercial Garden 2017 for Isle of Wight in Bloom. The Hall’s other celebrity fans include actor Colin Firth, who has visited with his family twice, footballer Peter Crouch and his wife Abi Clancy and comedian Jimmy Carr.

There’s an outdoor swimming pool that’s solar heated to a comfortable 26 degrees on the day I visit, grass tennis courts, sunloungers on the lawns and a pergola that is more in the nature of a beautiful piece of sculpture, set in the gardens looking out to sea. And there’s a cliffside walk to the beach where you can eat at Fisherman’s Cottage, sitting at an outside table, just a few feet away from the waves lapping on the sand.

The hall has 14 bespoke bedrooms with sea views, which includes seven apartments, all individually designed by David’s wife Arielle. The couple bought the property, a run-down Edwardian mansion built as a private home in 1908 and run as a hotel since the 1950s, because of its location and their dream of what it could become. But not without a considerable amount of work. Its last incarnation, a hostel for school children in the 1970s, saw its grand spaces converted into a warren of tiny rooms stacked with bunk beds.

“The contractor said year and a half to complete it and we were reasonably happy with that and the budget that was allocated for it,” said David. The project went on to take four and a half years to finish at almost four times the original budget.

“You take the wallpaper down and the plaster falls off the wall, you discover the wiring is terrible and if you’re re-doing the wiring, you might as well re-do the plumbing. If you’re doing that, then why not add air conditioning, and soon you find you’re taking most of the roof off as well,” he explains ruefully. “I fired the first two project managers and ended up doing the job myself. At any one time we had up to 55 workmen on the site, 3 people working full time renovating period furniture and 11 shipping containers storing everything we were buying at auction to kit it all out.”

And while they might not have had to move heaven to achieve their dreams, they certainly had to move earth – several hundred tonnes of it, completely remodelling the grounds to make the most of the stunning location and its spectacular view.

The couple lived on the property through the renovations, “either in a sea of mud or a cloud of dust,” says David. But he is no stranger to complex building projects.

Originally from Newcastle, he spent all of his working life in California and Hawaii, running his own property companies. He left England, he explains, because he didn’t want to live in the shadow of his father, the man who built Britain’s largest building company, Barratt Homes. Sir Lawrie Barratt was “a hard act to follow,” says David.

“He lived through the war, built his own billion-pound company and was knighted by the Queen. He valued working for yourself, so he didn’t want me to work for him or anybody else. He gave me enough money to set myself up so I went to the US and made all of my own mistakes.”

But he still missed the UK. “I enjoyed the US but there were parts of England I was always yearning for, like Radio 4 and intelligence.”

Moving back to the UK when his father was ill, he ended up divorcing when his daughter went to university and meeting Arielle while he was living in London. An art graduate from Yale and the Slade School – whose keen eye for design is evident throughout Haven Hall – the pair wanted to find a home together, looking at various parts of the south of England and then – as he describes it – “discovering” the Isle of Wight.

Describing this period as the next stage of their lives, he explains that they had to find what they wanted to do. “I didn’t want to just be someone on the golf course who used to do something. Both of us are do-ers, we’re both creative and we love meeting new people.”

Now he’s combined his passions. An island haven that is home, where he can entertain people from all over the world. They’ve been coming since the start of the year when the hotel opened its doors – from international worlds of culture, politics, business and entertainment; CEOs, high court judges and Colin Firth. And in this picture-perfect setting perched high over the ocean, no doubt it will continue.

For more information and to book visit www.havenhall.uk, phone 07914 796 494 or email info@havenhall.co.uk

Where to go and what to do on the Isle of Wight – see our top recommendations here

Out of the North Pennines, the stunning landscape of cathedral and castle rises to meet you on the Durham approach. Few towns have such an imposing aspect from such a distance. And the power of its beauty is in keeping with its historical power. Durham has been the seat of princes and bishops for centuries.

It all started with a saint in a coffin and some very tired monks

This impressive city began life as a simple timber shrine to St Cuthbert, who was bishop of Lindisfarne, a small monastic community on an island off the north coast of England, at the end of the 7th century. Unfortunately, it was rather popular with the Vikings and the monks were forced to flee at the end of the 9th century, taking the bones of Cuthbert with them. After walking for a long time – 100 years apparently – they reached a peninsula in the River Wear past which the coffin could not be moved no further and so they laid him to rest.

Reports of many miracles attracted pilgrims to the shrine which eventually became a church, then a cathedral as Durham began to grow. And his shrine is still in the cathedral today, where a simple stone slab behind the high altar marks his final resting place. It’s also the final resting place of St Bede and the head of St Oswald of Northumbria, who sent St Aidan to Lindisfarne to found the monastery that produced Cuthbert.

As well as famous relics and a head, cathedral treasures include three copies of Magna Carta, signed by King John 1215, laying down the earliest foundations of the English constitution.

Durham: cathedral city

It’s hard to escape the cathedral’s draw in the city as the mighty Romanesque building dominates the hilly streets. Beside it, Durham Castle was built as a fort in 1072 and today forms part of the halls of residence for the university, but it’s still possible to arrange a visit.

What to do: The Durham Museum & Heritage Centre presents the story of the origins of the city under the rule of its prince bishops; outside the town the Beamish open-air museum looks at the more recent history of the 19th and 20th century and the mining and industrial workers who lived here; take a trip down the Wear on a river cruise and step off to visit the ruined abbey of Finchale Priory managed by the National Trust; get more information on all local attractions in Durham’s visitor centre, located in the 19th century almshouse World Heritage Site.

Where to stay: Treat yourself to some 5-star luxury after your tour of the city and head for the beautiful countryside, to Rockliffe Hall in the village of Hurworth, a short drive away. Opt for a room in the Old Hall to continue the historic vibe – and you can even bring your dog.

Cathedrals of Britain: North of England and Scotland by Bernadette Fallon is published by Pen and Sword books, £12.99, buy online here