This Sceptred Isle

The Unfolding Seasons in England Vol. III: July - September

by Stuart Buchanan MacWatt

Copyediting by Barbara Bell Cover Design by Bert Markgraf

© 2005 Suite101.com and Individual Authors All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 1-897199-11-2

Published June 2005 by Suite101.com

Contents

 : K D W  G R  W K H \  N Q R Z  R I  ( Q J O D Q G  Z K R  R Q O \  ( Q J O D Q G  N Q R Z "  

3 U R O R J X H 

July Hooray Henley! Her Majesty The Queen; Seigneur of the Swans Royal Feasting at Hampton Court Palace Summer festivals and Bardic Ceremonies Game Paté, Country Gardens and English Wines Travelsleuth’s Diary of Social Events

August Buckingham Palace and its Tranquil Gardens Walking in Diana’s Footsteps Far from the Madding crowds Palace, Purdey, Rod and Gibbet Travelsleuth’s Diary of Social Events

September Harvest Home Summer Butterflies and Autumn Chrysanthemums Autumn Leaves 9/11. The Queen’s Tears for America Travelsleuth’s Diary of Social Events

JULY Cherry ripe! Cherry ripe! Ripe I cry! Full and fair ones, Come and buy!

London Street Cry, July.

Hooray Henley! Filed 2000

On the first week of July I make my way up the river Thames to watch the rowing at Henley Royal Regatta. I am invited each year as a guest by Archie, my old chum from university days who once rowed for the Leander Club, the world’s oldest and most renowned rowing club.

I've been a Hoods Oarsman for many a year I've spent all my money on whisky and beer

From the Oriel College Boating Song

The Royal Regatta attracts the cream of world rowing fraternity who come to watch five days of racing between the world’s finest rowers and scullers at international, club and student level.

This is the third in the summer social season's triple crown of sporting and social events and it is unfortunate that its final day clashes with the Wimbledon finals. Most of the Royal Family have visited in recent years, and ever since Queen Victoria’s consort Prince Albert attended the racing in 1851, the reigning Monarch has served as Patron. Henley is not the most important event in the rowing calendar, but it is the surely the most fun for both participants and spectators.

Henley’s Regatta is a particularly attractive event to visit if you enjoy watching the English at play with their sunhats on. The Thames here is beautiful, and the crowd who come to watch the international teams racing on the 2300 yard long stretch of the river here are picturesque in a rather dotty way. The ladies in flimsy summer dresses and wide brimmed hats vie for attention with their men folk garbed in white pants, blazers, caps or panama hats. Leander, that most prestigious of English rowing clubs has its club house just down from the finishing line. As an old Leander blade, my friend Archie will be wearing Leander pink for the occasion - pink blazer, pink cap, pink tie, and pink socks beneath his white flannels; a distinctive and quite remarkably hideous ensemble with the club motif of a hippopotamus emblazoned upon it.. For some of the club's older members who, like Archie, can now barely ease their expansive girth into their white pants and faded blazer from lissom days of youth, the club's hippo motif is perhaps not inappropriate.

Overheard outside Leander. Elderly English lady to young blade in pink rowing blazer- "…. So why do you have a hippo as your mascot?" "It reminds one of mother-in-law2”.

Grandiose picnics in the car-park are the norm at Henley. You are likely to see finest Irish linen tablecloths, the family silver, Waterford crystal champagne goblets, and even flowers emerge from the trunks of the Rolls-Royces and Range Rovers parked there. Fortnum & Mason doubtless do a roaring trade in their exclusive wicker picnic hampers from their Food Hall at this time of the year, as they have done for 100 years or more. This is Pimms, champagne and strawberries time in England's social calendar. Prodigious quantities of Pimms are consumed each year at the Henley Regatta on the Members Champagne Lawn or at the Fawley Bar. I have been told that half the Pimms produced each year is drunk at Henley Regatta. I can believe this, and have doubtless contributed to this statistic by my own efforts, (ably assisted by Archie) in years gone by.

Oh shall I see the Thames again? The prow-promoted gems again, As beefy ATS Without their hats Come shooting through the bridge? And ‘cheerioh’ or ‘cheeri-bye’ Across the waste of waters die And low the mists of evening lie And lightly skims the midge.

Henley-on-Thames. Sir John Betjeman 1906-84.

Henley has its own uniquely strict dress regulations for the members' enclosures which pay scant regard to modern day mores or the occasional fluke heatwave. Ladies' hemlines must be lower than the knee; those showing the knee or wearing trousers or divided skirt are turned away from the Stewards' Enclosure. Gentlemen must wear lounge suits or flannels and club blazer with tie or cravat. If you do not wish to dress formally, simply find a spot close to the starting point and wear a comfortable summer boating outfit and straw hat. There are no dress restrictions in the Regatta Enclosure.

If you have not enjoyed a Pimms before, try one this summer on a warm evening. Here is Archie’s personal recipe for a hot summer’s afternoon:

Into a large jug pour 3 parts Pimms No1 and 1 part Beefeater Gin per person. Add ice. Dilute with 6 parts ice-cold Canada Dry Ginger Ale per person. Add slices of apple, orange, lemon and (ESSENTIAL ingredient X) slices of cucumber with rind. Top with sprigs of borage, (or mint) from the garden. Pour into long glasses.

Drink more than two of those and your face will be as pink as Archie’s Leander blazer.

I have discovered charming bed & breakfast accommodation in the hamlet of Warren Row, just outside Henley. Woodpecker Cottage is a rural dream set beside a bluebell wood. It has a large garden with croquet lawn and is a haven of peace and wildlife in the English countryside. Homemade bread and jams together with ‘homemade’ eggs from the Woodpecker cottage chickens are offered at breakfast. This joins my select Connoisseur Choice list of best B&B accommodation. The area boasts traditional pubs and fine restaurants galore for dining out. Check out

Places and facilities online Henley Royal Regatta: http://www.hrr.co.uk Leander Club: http://www.leander.co.uk/ Henley Festival of Music & Arts: http://www.henley-festival.co.uk/ Woodpecker Cottage: http://www.woodpeckercottage.com

Her Majesty The Queen; ‘Seigneur of the Swans’ Filed 2004

Meet David Barber. You can see him in his resplendent brass buttoned red blazer emblazoned with the royal insignia as he is rowed up the river from Sudbury to Abingdon by Thames watermen. He is The Queen's Swan Marker and each year in July he makes his annual swan census on this beautiful reach of the Thames; an 800 year old Royal custom known as Swan Upping.

Most of the swans living on Britain's waterways belong to the Crown, a status enjoyed by these graceful white birds since the 12th Century. Since that time the Sovereign has protected the graceful bird and employed a member of the royal household as Swan Master. It is his job to count the season's new cygnets and, with the Queen's Swan Warden, (a position currently held by a professor at Oxford University), to check that the swan population is being maintained in a healthy environment. Each of this season's new cygnets is ringed and tallied by the Warden

Until the turkey took its place, the swan was considered a banqueting delicacy to be served up at Royal feasts in Westminster Hall or in Henry VIII's Great Tudor Hall at Hampton Court. During these times strict medieval game laws with harsh penalties were administered by the sovereign in the preservation of the royal bird on the Thames. The swan upping performed the useful function of giving the Royal chefs at the various palaces, such as Hampton Court and Greenwich, notice of the number of birds available for the table. Swans are no longer eaten, but royal protective laws remain in force and swan upping now has conservation as its raison d’etre.

50 years ago the ancient royal privilege of swan ownership might have disappeared. Their royal status, together with the 800 year old Palace position of Swan Marker and Swan Warden and the royal ceremony of swan upping each July was scrutinised by Parliament with a view to cost cutting and leaving the birds to look after themselves. But when Parliament looked at the question of swan welfare in detail it became obvious that behind the ceremonial and royal livery lay an animal rights and welfare cause worth supporting if swans were to continue to thrive and grace the Thames with their beauty.

The Queen's Swan Marker and Warden are accompanied on their week's journey by members of the two ancient Guilds of Vintners and Dyers who, back in the 15th century, thanks to an impecunious King Edward IV, were granted charter rights of swan ownership on the Thames in return for financial loans to the Royal person.

The procession of 6 Thames skiffs with their liveried 'Swan Uppers' is rowed slowly up the Thames, as the Marker 'ups' the swans and checks them for injuries that might have been caused by vandals or angler's fish hooks and line. In recent years the birds, and particularly the young signets, have become vulnerable to wild mink, an increasing pest on the river banks.

You can see this colourful procession in the third week of July each year as it makes its way upriver from a number of vantage points, including Staines, Henley, Marlow and Eton. Full details are available on the Royal website.

In between the annual swan upping ceremony the Marker and Warden put in much work to ensure the health and safety of these birds, whose silent gliding presence adds so much to the serene beauty of the River Thames between Hampton Court and Oxford. London's Royal Parks, notably the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park and the lake in St. James's Park, also maintain swan communities.

I shall be at Windsor to see the Swan Uppers pass by and hear the Queen’s Swan Marker. As the skiffs pass beneath the towering walls of Windsor Castle he will give the time honoured loyal toast: “Her Majesty the Queen, Seigneur of the Swans.”

Places and facilities online Swan Upping: http://www.royalinsight.gov.uk/output/page384.asp River Thames: http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/

Royal Feasting at Hampton Court Palace. Filed 2004

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. When the pie was opened the birds began to sing, Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?

17th Century Nursery Rhyme

Writing about Swans and swan upping brings the subject of royal feasting to mind, and in particular the fabulous feasts set before King Henry VIII, (1509-1547), at Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court is London's sole surviving Tudor palace, bar parts of St James's Palace and its 1532 gatehouse. It became Henry VIII's favourite after Cardinal Wolsey, who built it as his residence, tactfully handed his master the keys to the front door in an unsuccessful effort to stave off political oblivion and disgrace following his debacle over the King's divorce from the hapless Catherine of Aragon.

Henry enlarged, altered and embellished the Cardinal’s palace, totally altering Wolsey’s original Italianate design, adding the magnificent hammer-beam roofed Great Hall and vast kitchens to cope with his feasting requirements. Later, Stuart sovereigns William and Mary started their baroque "modernisation" with Sir Christopher Wren's east wing in 1689, halted on Mary’s death in 1694. We must be grateful that her death probably saved the earlier Tudor buildings from being pulled down in the process of ‘modernisation’.

Early Hanoverians added valuable fixtures and fittings, leaving us a fascinating Tudor/ Stuart/Georgian mix of the intimate and grandiose that spans 11 reigns until the final visit of the Royal Court of George II in 1737. Later monarchs used the Palace as a 'grace and favour' residence for royal relations and retainers until it was passed to English Heritage to manage as a public treasure.

Wolsey's palace household had amounted to 1,000 persons in support of his lavish lifestyle and royal entertaining. Not to be outdone by his former advisor, Henry VIII enlarged the kitchen plan to 50 rooms; a vast 36,000 square feet of food-preparation capacity.

We already have a clear picture of the Royal appetite from the Eltham Statutes, a series of ordinances drawn up in 1526 by Wolsey in his capacity as the King's Chancellor, for the better running of the Royal household.

As a preamble the Statutes laid down a ruling that master cooks be paid to clothe the scullions. They had hitherto run about naked, (and slept), in the appalling heat of the open fire kitchens, or wore particularly vile and soiled garments.

We see from the Eltham ordinances that two courses should be served at the table of ‘the King's Majesty and the Queen's Grace’ for dinner. For a first remove, the kitchens served up 15 dishes from a choice of bread and soup, beef, venison, red deer, mutton, swan (alternating with goose or stork), capon, coney and carp. The remove was completed with a ‘custard’ or fritters. This was followed by the second remove of nine dishes. These were composed of jelly, spiced wine and almond cream, followed by a selection from practically every bird in the sky - pheasants, herons, bitterns, shovelards, partridges, quails, cocks, plovers, gulls, pigeons, larks, pullets, and chickens. These joined lamb, kid, or rabbit, venison, and tarts on the royal table.

Supper was a variation on dinner, with the addition of a blancmange pudding, butter, eggs and perhaps quinces or pippins.

During Lent, on Fridays and on meatless days, a lighter fare was set before the King. His first course of a meagre 15 dishes was taken from bread and soup, ling, eels or lampreys, pike, salmon, (which ran up the still unpolluted Thames in Tudor times), whiting, haddock, mullet or bass, sea-bream or sole, conger, carp, trout, crabs, lobster, porpoise or seal (counted as fish in those days), custard, tart, fritters and fruit. The second course comprised nine dishes from a menu of another soup, sturgeon, bream, tench, perch, eels, lampreys, salmon roes, crayfish, shrimps, tart, fritters, fruit, baked pippins, oranges, butter and eggs. Saltwater fish was brought upriver to the palace in barrels packed with seaweed.

The King might order everything from these menus. What was not eaten was intended for distribution to the poor at the palace gates, but often did not get that far. The King's entourage fared scarcely less expansively. The Lord Chamberlain's Hampton Court Palace table was entitled to two courses of ten and six dishes for dinner, and seven and four dishes for supper. And so the list of dish allowances carries on down to the end of the line where the maids, servants, porters and children had to exist on two meat dishes for dinner, (beef and mutton), and two for supper (beef and veal). Leftovers found their way, by custom of centuries dating back to William the Conqueror and his Great Hall at Westminster, to the poor waiting outside the gate. They must have done well during the 12 days of Christmas and the many Church Feast Days.

These Royal menus enshrined in the Wolsey’s ordinances are notable for their high- protein content and lack of green vegetables, prompting some medical historians to wonder whether Henry VIII was suffering from scurvy, (among other ailments), in his later years. Needless to say, such gargantuan royal meals in the magnificent hammer-beamed Great Hall at Hampton Court required prodigious quantities of home-brewed beer, ale, and wine from Burgundy and the Rhineland to wash down these vast quantities of food. Records show that 600 barrels of alcohol were consumed each year.

The Hampton Court kitchens have now been restored to show them as in preparation for the recorded 1542 Midsummer's Day Feast of St. John the Baptist. The menu preparation on display includes 'Peacock Royal' (the alternative to Swan as presentation dish), and stuffed boar. By this date, the 50-year-old King was obese, gout-ridden, jaundiced, limping from an ulcerated leg, paranoid and single. He had executed his 20-year-old wife Catherine Howard four months previously, accusing her of flirting, (and worse), behind his back. She had been taken from his presence and rowed down river from the Palace to the Tower of London where she was beheaded. The Defender of the Faith was to marry again for the sixth time the following year, but he died in 1547, an angry, bitter monomaniac. The Merry England and joyful feasting of his early years were long past.

The great age of royal feasting came to an end with Henry's death though it was not until the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 that servants and officers of the Royal Household finally lost their 600-year-old feudal right to the King's meat stemming from the custom begun by William the Conqueror 600 years earlier. From then on, they were paid a wage in lieu of meat at the king's table, and the Royal kitchens declined in importance. Menus for Today's Royal banquets given by The Queen at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle for visiting Heads of State are a pale shade of the gargantuan Royal feasts of yesteryear.

This Thames-side Palace was one of Henry VIII's great passions, and it is not difficult for the modern visitor to share his excitement. Hampton Court is a true gem, from the pleasing geometry of the gardens, covering 60 acres, to the glory of the State Apartments. If you have time to visit only one Royal London Palace, this should be it.

June and July are an excellent months to visit. The 60 acres of garden are then at their most lovely. In June the Palace is an impressive backdrop to a popular outdoor music festival and July sees the prestigious RHS Flower Show & Rose Festival take place within its grounds. 30 acres of grounds are given over to some 150 top horticultural nurseries and market gardeners to show off their blooms, fruits and vegetables to an estimated 185,000 visitors.

Enter the Palace by the West Gate to fully appreciate the architectural diversity of the original Tudor buildings. Arrive by 11am and join the first of the various free tours and presentations by costumed guides. They give a lively and entertaining account of contemporary Palace life and history. The tour of the vast Tudor kitchens, and the re-enactment of a celebration banquet of 30 courses for Henry VIII, is the highlight that brings us back to swans, swan upping and the gluttonous feasting habits of the Tudor court of Henry VIII.

Many events take place each year at Hampton Court. During August a promenade version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is likely to be performed. September sees the grape harvest taken from the Palace’s famed Great Vine, the oldest and largest known vine in the world. It yields between 500 and 700 bunches of grapes each year, which are sold in the Palace shops from midday, every day during the harvest. December sees a host of Christmas tide festivities and costumed pageantry as well as the annual ice rink. Call the Palace or check online in advance to discover what's on (tel: 020 8781 9500) and choose your visit accordingly.

The Palace is open to the public throughout the year bar Christmas. Check out the website for opening times, online booking of tickets, concessions and disability access and facilities. Telephone hotline at 0870 753 7777 or book online. Concessions for Senior Citizens, students, (ID), and minors apply.

Few visitors realize it, but it is possible to stay within Hampton Court Palace. The Landmark Trust runs an apartment inside the Palace built by Henry VIII for members of the Palace's kitchen staff and known as the Fish Court apartment. You can rent the apartment by the week, and reservations are taken up to two years in advance, (this is such a gem that we recommend booking at least a year ahead). Your starting point is the Landmark Trust guidebook, whose cost is refundable against your booking: contact the Trust online or write to Shottesbrooke, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3SW; tel: 01628 825 925; fax 01628 825 417; or, in the US, at 707 Kipling Road, Dummerston, VT 05301; tel: 802 254-6868

Places and facilities online Hampton Court in Photos: http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Travel/Tours/England/HamptonCourt.htm RHS Flower Show, Hampton Court: http://www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt/2004/index.asp Hampton Court Palace: http://www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/hampton_home.asp A Tudor ‘Boke of Cookrye’: http://jducoeur.org/Cookbook/Cookrye.html Hampton Court Palace Music Festival: http://www.hamptoncourtfestival.com/home.html Thames River Services: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/river/pdfdocs/Guide1103.pdf Royal Banquets Today: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page2283.asp Landmark Trust: http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk

Bardic Ceremonies in the Welsh Valleys Filed 2002, Updated 2003

We'll keep a welcome in the hillsides We'll keep a welcome in the vales This land you knew will still be singing When you come home again to Wales This land of ours will keep a welcome And with a love that never fails We'll kiss away each hour of Hiraeth When you come again to Wales

Summer is music festival time in Europe. The music comes to suit all tastes from Opera to Popera and in a variety of venues. Take your pick from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde sung beneath the midnight sun in Finland or his Ring Cycle performed behind the closed doors of a cramped Theatre in Bavarian Bayreuth. You can hear Tchaikovsky in the heat of a sun baked courtyard of prelate's palace in the South of France, see Verdi's Aida and parade of elephants in the ancient Roman amphitheatre of Romeo and Juliet's Verona, hear Puccini on a floating stage in Lake Constance, or massed voices in choral harmony in the Welsh valleys.

Britain sees a number of home grown music festivals in June, July and August, many of which, like Glastonbury, take place in some corner of a soggy field and require a crash course in camping survival techniques coupled with an optimistic faith in the British weather. The Llangollen Eisteddfod every July in Wales however is a truly international event that has attracted stars like Placido Domingo and Pavarotti during its 56 years. It is also, mercifully, a non-camping event and there are a number of attractive and comfortable hotels to welcome you in and around Llangollen.

This is a traditional annual Welsh singing competition, attracting not only local talent, (and there's plenty of that in the green valleys of Wales), but also some 2,500 overseas performers from over 40 countries, and audiences of 100,000. There are choral recitals and traditional dance displays before judges during the day and Window on the World of Song in the evenings. A young Placido Domingo made his professional debut in Britain here in 1968 and Pavarotti sang here in 1955 as a 19 year old member of his home town choir from Modena in the north of Italy, returning to sing again as a world operatic superstar 40 years later. The event’s flourishing fringe programme attracts some spectacular exotic talent. Make your way there to hear the Afghan band Ensemble Kaboul, featuring female vocalist Farida Mahwash; the Mabalu from Mozambique, New Zealand's Maori band Wai, and Katia Guerreiro, the famed Portuguese fado singer. Llangollen itself has much more to offer the visitor than soaring musical harmony of Welsh voices on a July evening. The town spans the River Dee and has a history stretching back to the 7th Century and the arrival in the valley of Saint Collen, a preacherman of the ancient Celtic Church. He built his cell here and in 1201, some six centuries later, Madog ap Gruffudd, Prince of Powys founded a Cistercian abbey nearby.

Like the nearby castle Dinas Bran overlooking Llangollen valley, the Abbey of Valle Crucis stands in ruins now. But it is a magnificent example of Britain's great architectural heritage and should be seen.

The abbey and its holy residents were victims of the iconoclasm of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in 1536. The Abbot was murdered, the monks dispersed, the abbey looted and wrecked. Its Welsh remoteness did however save it from the depredations of builders seeking easy pickings of ready dressed stone over succeeding centuries. Much still remains to inspire by its lonely beauty, including the superb west front with its richly carved doorway and the magnificent rib-vaulted Chapter House; mute and bare reminders of the glories of medieval ecclesiastical gothic architecture lost to us thanks to the turbulent events of the Henry's reign.

Castle Dinas Bran, aptly translated as "Crow City", has been less fortunate and has suffered from its lofty exposed position. If however you can summon up the energy to climb up to the gaunt wind-battered stumps of the castle walls, your exertions will be rewarded by an unrivalled view of the spectacular Welsh countryside stretching out beneath you.

The Abbey Grange Hotel, a carefully converted manor house with stables set in 8 acres of unspoilt countryside, is just five minutes walk from the ruined mediaeval abbey and a few minutes drive from Llangollen. This is a perfect base for both the Eisteddfod and for touring this most beautiful area of Wales or for a more relaxed vacation angling for trout and salmon on the River Dee nearby. Enjoy dinner, bed and breakfast with four poster en-suite bedrooms for a remarkably reasonable £30 per person.

"Bring me my harp," was David's sad sigh, "I would play one more tune before I die. Help me, dear wife, put the hands to the strings, I wish my loved ones the blessing God brings."

The July Llangollen Eisteddfod should not be confused with the week long Royal National Eisteddfod which takes place each year in August. This latter event is run by the National Eisteddfod Association with significant input from the Gorsedd of Bards, an association of distinguished Welsh poets, writers, musicians, artists and honoured individuals who have made a notable contribution to the Welsh nation's, language and culture. Headed by an elected Archdruid, the Gorsedd was founded in 1792 in London under the inspired leadership of the eccentric Welsh scholar Iolo Morganwg who wished to vaunt the Celtic heritage, culture and language of a people overcome a millennium ago by the Normans and their successor rulers in London.

The Gorsedd first made its appearance in its native Wales at the annual Carmarthen Eisteddfod in 1819 and has been associated with the country's National Eisteddfod since its modern inception in the mid 19th century. Its colourful ceremonies to honour Welsh literary achievements are a solemn and revered if sometimes controversial part of the Eisteddfod which has grown from esoteric beginnings in the 12th century to become the country's most important international folk and cultural festival, drawing Welsh expatriates from as far away as the Welsh enclave in Patagonia.

"Last night an angel called with heaven's breath: David, play, and come through the gates of death! Farewell, faithful harp, farewell to your strings, I wish my loved ones the blessing God brings."

Traditional Welsh air for a Bardic funeral.

Dr. Rowan Williams, the Church of England's controversial Primate designate, plunged enthusiastically into new areas of dispute in 2002 by becoming a Druid at the National Eisteddfod prior to his elevation to the See of Canterbury. Despite the absence of a bronze sickle and mistletoe garnered in a sacred oaken grove at the rising of a full moon, the bearded prelate looked every inch the bardic druid of Victorian myth and magic in his long white robe and headdress at his induction at an initiation ceremony performed before onlookers at the Welsh National Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire.

His induction provoked immediate reaction from outspoken evangelical Christians who associate Druidry with paganism. Dr. Williams, or to call him by his new druidic name ap Aneurin, was unrepentant. He described his elevation into the rarefied bardic circles of the Gorsedd as "one of the greatest honours that Wales can bestow on her citizens", adding for good measure: "the suggestion that the Gorsedd is even remotely associated with paganism is deeply offensive."

Places and facilities online Llangollen Town: http://www.llangollen.org.uk Royal National Eisteddfod: http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/ Wales Calling: http://www.wales-calling.com/index.htm Mid Wales Tourism: http://www.mid-wales-tourism.org.uk Neodruidry: http://www.bretagne-celtic.com/an/accueil_an.htm

Game paté, Country Gardens and English Wines Filed 2002

If you have any interest in fish, fowl, horse or garden, chances are you will be heading off to the annual Country Landowners Association Game Fair on Saturday. It is the weekend when we rural folk celebrate the countryside with likeminded friends at a rural jamboree attended by over 700 exhibitors and trade stands catering to all the varied rural interests of the countryside, be they fishing, ferreting or falconry; bee-keeping or butterfly watching. It is held each year at a different venue and this Jubilee year it is the turn of Lord Romsey to host the occasion at his Broadlands estate on the River Test near the picturesque old Hampshire town of Romsey.

The Fair is a particular favourite with anglers - it is their biggest and best outdoor event of the year, with all the big names in fishing tackle demonstrating their rods, reels and lures to a critical public in the event's fishing village on the banks of the Test. There is an emphasis on the ‘Family’ this year at the Broadlands show. Grandpapa and grandmamma can try their perhaps near forgotten talents with a fly rod in the mixed open-casting championship, while the latest edition to their family dynasty can enter the casting competition for Juniors.

There is also an added emphasis on equestrian interests at Broadlands, with a feature ‘Hooked on Horses’ designed to give the expected 125,000 visitors a better insight into field sports and equestrian pastimes. As well as the attraction of the elegant sport of carriage driving, so ably promoted by the Duke of Edinburgh, and the appearance of heavy horses like the beautiful Clydesdale and the Suffolk Punch, there are experts on hand to give advice on equine dentistry, alternative healing, and horse care.

The English love affair with their garden, be it My Lord’s broad landscaped vistas laid down by Capability Brown, a picturesque cottage garden of climbing roses, lupines and hollyhocks, or urban window boxes and geranium tubs decorating the apartment fire escape, continues unabated. It is fueled by BBC’s preoccupation with all things horticultural, (BBC runs gardening programmes back to back on prime TV time), and a summer-long schedule of major flower shows across Britain which must have the nurseries stretched to their happy limits to cope with demands on their time and stock. Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants and Hillier Nurseries, two of the most famous gold medal exhibitors from the annual Royal Horticultural Society extravaganzas, the Chelsea and the Hampton Court Flower Shows, are at Broadlands this year. They have created demo gardens stocked with trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and exotica for viewing and buying - though it will be difficult to cart the demo croquet lawn away.

I am presently attempting to remove a couple of inches from around my midriff, (writing about fine food and restaurants takes its toll), so I must be more sparing in my sampling of the goodies at the Fair's ever popular Fine Foods pavilion than in previous years. My mouth waters just thinking of the cookery demonstrations and displays of the gourmet patés and game pies, home-cured hams and haunches of boar and venison, heather honeys, homemade chutneys and jams, English country cheeses and local wines that will be on show for sampling. But I shall grit my teeth and stand firm against temptation ...well, maybe I shall fast the day before or the day after instead!

Game such as boar, venison, hare, pheasant and partridge is becoming ever more popular in England. People used to be put off by the strong ‘gamey’ flavours associated with such meat. This a hangover from late Victorian and Edwardian days when ‘gaminess’ in flavour was nurtured by hanging meat until what today would be considered well past its ‘eat by’ date. Tastes have changed and while some purists may still insist on hanging a brace of pheasants until the maggots are visibly in residence, most prefer a more delicate flavour and independent butchers now hang their meat accordingly. Today’s supermarket meat from factory farms tends by contrast to be quite tasteless, (they don’t have time or inclination to hang it at all), and, in the case of plastic-wrapped chicken, of dubious provenance.

Many of England's most noted vineyards grow their vintage wines on the South Coast; in Hampshire, neighbouring Sussex and on the Isle of Wight. I shall be interested to talk with these vintners at the show. There are now no less than 250 vineyards registered with the United Kingdom Vineyards Association. Members have been the forefront of reintroducing viticulture to England and in the past 50 years they have raised English wines from a quixotic oddity to award winning quality. These new vineyards that have returned to England's southern shores after a lapse of half a millennium have time on their side as England's climate responds to global warming. With a significant temperature rise, our vintners can not only look forward to enlarging their vineyards and producing better, fuller bodied vintages but also consider planting other varieties of grape that would not previously have ripened sufficiently in such northern latitudes. By the same token, viticulturists are beginning to suffer problems in warmer areas such as Mediterranean Europe and California, where retaining acidity and developing flavour are becoming an issue.

Broadlands is well worth visiting on its own account. It is the seat of Lord Romsey, grandson and heir of the late Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Prince Charles’s paternal uncle. It has been in the family since 1736 when it was bought by the 1st Viscount Palmerston, forbear of Queen Victoria's Prime Minister of imperial times Lord Palmerston. It is a magnificent Palladian palace featuring the work of William Kent, architect of the Horse Guards and Treasury buildings overlooking London’s St. James's Park, and Capability Brown who was instrumental in creating the masterpiece we see today and continued with Kent's garden landscaping.

The house has been open to the public since Lord Mountbatten's great nephew opened it officially in 1979. It contains a magnificent collection of furniture made specifically to complement the classical Greek and Roman antiquities acquired in Rome in 1765 by the 2nd Lord Palmerston during his grand tour. There is also a renowned porcelain collection of Sevres and Vincennes, together with a remarkable collection of early Wedgwood black and white, oriental Lowestoft, Chelsea, and pieces from Vienna and Meissen arranged by the late King Gustav of Sweden, the late Lord Mountbatten’s brother-in-law.

Places and facilities online CLA Game Fair: http://www.gamefair.co.uk/ Broadlands: http://www.broadlands.net/ Basic Horse Care on Suite101: http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/17304/overview/33864 Travelsleuth’s Diary of July Events The Royal Month. The Queen is normally in residence at Buckingham Palace for much of July, prior to her annual state visit to Scotland where she will reside at the Palace of Holyrood House, Edinburgh, where she will hold Scottish investitures, garden parties and other functions. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will host the annual summer Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace and Holyrood House. Members of the Royal Family may be prominent at various summer events such as Henley Royal regatta, the Great Yorkshire Show, the Polo International Day and the Sandringham Flower Show which the late Queen Mother made her own.

Royal Summer Garden Parties Date: Three afternoons in July between 4pm – 6pm. Venue: BuckinghamPalace. Description: Some 8,000 people receive a Palace invitation to attend each of these parties hosted jointly by The Queen and Her Consort, the Duke of Edinburgh. They arrive from 3pm, entering through the inner quadrangle of Buckingham Palace and walking through the Marble Hall and Bow Room to the Queen’s private gardens. Two military bands play as guests walk through the Queen’s lawns and tea, iced coffee, sandwiches and cakes are served. At 4pm promptly the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh lead other members of the Royal Family out towards their guests and the National Anthem is played. Guests are shepherded towards a number of lines so the Royals can meet as many as possible of those honoured with an invitation. The Royal party moves toward the Royal tea tent, and at 6pm returns to the Palace. The National Anthem is again played and guests are expected to depart. They will typically have consumed 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 pieces of cake from the buffet. Further Information: Invitations are sent out by the Lord Chamberlain’s office at Buckingham Palace. It may also be useful to contact the office of your local Lord- Lieutenant. Invitations: These are organised months in advance, beginning in January. Guests come from every walk of life. Suggestions for names to invite are solicited from a variety of organisations with royal connections as well as individuals holding a royal position. These include Lord-Lieutenants, professional associations, government departments, local government, charities, the Armed Forces, Churches, etc., in order to reflect the largest possible cross section of the community throughout the country. Invitations are seen as individuals’ contribution to the nation’s life over recent years. Invitations - which begin with the words; ‘The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by Her Majesty to invite…’- are sent out one month in advance. Only those unable to attend are expected to reply. Website: http://www.royal.gov.uk Getting There: Chauffeurs and taxis may drop guests off near to the main entrance to Buckingham Palace, in one of the streets near Buckingham Gate. Dress: There is a strict dress code. Men wear morning dress or uniforms, lounge suits or formal ethnic dress. Ladies must wear a hat and are expected to wear conservative summer dress. Parties continue in all weathers so umbrellas may be useful.

The Polo Season Date: The season lasts from beginning of May until September but July marks the sport’s most important month. Venue: Matches take place across England. The major clubs include the Beaufort, Cowdray Park, Cirencester Park, Epsom, Guards, Ham, Stoneliegh, Park and Tidworth. Description: Polo is, apart from horse racing, the most favoured of the Royal Family’s sporting pastimes. Their support is reflected in the social composition of clubs across the country. The Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have both been active players and more recently Prince William and Prince Harry have been active on the polo field both in England and abroad. Prince Charles still manages to captain a Highgrove side, playing charity matches. July is the high-goal Polo month of the year. It includes the British Open Championship played at Cowdray Park for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup and the year’s biggest match, the Coronation Cup, sponsored by Cartier and played at the Guards Polo Club, Windsor Great Park on the Cartier International Polo Day in aid of the Polo Charity Trust, the season’s biggest and most colourful celebrity event. Further Information & tickets: Hurlingham Polo Association, the sport’s governing body), at Manor Farm, Little Coxwell, Faringdon, Oxon, SN7 7LW., maintains a most comprehensive website details over 50 clubs, members with their handicaps, fixtures and information about the sport. Tickets for the Cartier International Day can be booked online at http://www.guardspoloclub.com. For other fixtures contact the relevant club through the HPA website. Websites: Hurlingham Polo Association http://www.hpa-polo.co.uk/ Cowdray Park Polo Club: http://www.cowdraypolo.co.uk Guards Polo Club: http://www.guardspoloclub.co.uk Dress: Smart casual. Depending on the venue, it is wise for men to wear jacket and tie. Accommodation: Ask local clubs for their recommendation.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed Date: Early July or end of June for three days Venue: Goodwood Park, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0PX Description: Motor sport’s equivalent of Royal Ascot! Billed as the world’s biggest and most diverse celebration of the history of motor sport featuring the greatest competition cars and star drivers from all eras: from 19th century steam carriages to current Formula One; racing motorcycles; 2500bhp Land Speed Record cars, engineless soapbox racers; plus motor sport legends like Moss, Surtees, Brabham and Andretti rubbing shoulders with today's hottest properties such as Jenson Button and Colin McRae. Further Information & Tickets: Go to the website. Online booking for all Goodwood events under ‘Retail’ Excellent disabled access at all events. Website: http://www.goodwood.co.uk/fos/ Getting there: Road. Goodwood is situated just outside Chichester, 60 miles south of London, 30 miles from Brighton and Southampton. From London take the A3.At Milford Roundabout take A286 via Haslemere and Midhurst. Before Chichester on leaving Singleton village take left turn over Downs past Goodwood Racecourse then follow brown tourist board signs for Goodwood House (approx 4 miles). Dress: The organisers expect visitors to wear smart casual clothing. Accommodation: Three of Travelsleuth’s Connoisseur Choice hotels vie for your custom! In nearby Midhurst the Angel Hotel, Tel: 01903 723511, (website and contact: http://www.theangelmidhurst.co.uk/index.htm), is a lovingly restored Tudor coaching inn. The 15th century Spread Eagle hotel & Health Spa, Tel: 01730 816911; is much favoured, as is the sybaritic Bailiffscourt, Tel:01903 723511 further afield on the Sussex coast. Both these latter hotels are a part of the privately run Historic Sussex Hotels Group; website and contact: http://www.hshotels.co.uk/ All are perennial favourites with visitors to Goodwood events.

Henley Royal Regatta Date: First week July. Venue: Henley Reach, Regatta Headquarters, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 2LY Description: The Royal Regatta attracts the cream of world rowing fraternity, members of the Royal Family as well as London and Home Counties spectators. This is the third in the summer social season's triple crown of sporting and social events. It is unfortunate that its final day clashes with the Wimbledon finals. Henley is not the most important rowing event but it is the most fun for both participants and spectators. The Thames at Henley is beautiful and the crowd who come to watch the racing on the 2,300-yard-long course are picturesque in a rather dotty way: the ladies in flimsy summer dresses and Gainsborough hats vie for attention with their menfolk in white flannels and rowing-club blazers. Grandiose picnics in the car-park are the norm for the spectators. Fine linen tablecloths, the family silver, crystal champagne goblets, and even flowers emerge from the trunk of the Rolls. The only accessory missing is Jeeves, the butler, but perhaps the chauffeur will do his job on this occasion. This is Pimms or champagne-and- strawberries time. Prodigious quantities are consumed each day on the Champagne Lawn, the Fawley Bar and in the Phillis Court Club Enclosure. Best rowing day for spectators: Thursday. Social highlight of the week: The Leander Club Ball. Further Information: Online or contact the Secretary, Henley Royal Regatta, Regatta Headquarters, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 2LY; tel: 01491 572153; fax: 01491 575509. No email. Websites: Regatta organizers: http://www.hrr.co.uk; Henley tourist information: http://www.henley-on-thames.com Getting There: Air. Nearest airport: Heathrow. Train. London Paddington – Henley. For details of any special trains, Tel: 08457 484950 from June onwards. Road. Drivers should leave the M4 motorway at Junction 8/9 for the A404, and then the A4130. The Regatta Committee warns drivers never to underestimate the time it will take to reach Henley by road. Tickets: Try to gain entry to the Stewards' Enclosure (for members and their guests) to mix with interesting people. Write to the Regatta Secretary requesting an application form, preferably citing some rowing experience in the past 50 years. Contact: Henley Royal Regatta, Regatta Headquarters, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 2LY; tel: 01491 572153; fax: 01491 575509. Email is not accepted. Otherwise, choose the Regatta Enclosure.

Dress: Henley has its own unique and strict dress regulations for the members enclosures which pay scant regard to modern day mores or the occasional fluke heatwave. Ladies' hemlines must be lower than the knee; those showing the knee or wearing trousers or divided skirt are turned away from the Stewards' Enclosure. Gentlemen must wear lounge suits or flannels and club blazer with tie or cravat. If you do not wish to dress formally and think ties are for strangulation, simply find a riverbank spot close to the starting point and wear a comfortable summer boating outfit and straw hat. For ladies who wish to show off their shapely knees, there are no dress restrictions in the Regatta Enclosure

Accommodation: The Thames Valley has a plethora of superb hotels, restaurants and pubs. One of the best bed & breakfast accommodation to be found anywhere in the UK is Woodpecker Cottage in the hamlet of Warren Row, off the A4130 just outside Henley. Set in a bluebell wood, it has a large garden and croquet lawn and is a haven of peace in the English countryside. Early booking is essential. Check this Connoisseur Choice out at http://www.woodpeckercottage.com. Write to Michael and Joanna Power, Woodpecker cottage, Warren Row, Nr. Maidenhead, Berkshire RG10 8QS; tel: 01628 822772; fax: 01628 822125; Email: [email protected]

The Royal Show Date: Four days in early July Venue: Stoneleigh Park, Nr. Coventry, Warwickshire CV8 2LZ Description: England’s ultimate country lifestyle exhibition now in its 165th year showing the best of British food, farming and country living. Organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England, (chartered by Queen Victoria in 1840, Patron is the Queen and the Duke of Gloucester the current President), ‘the Royal’ opens a window on the English countryside and rural life, enabling visitors to see the country’s finest display of livestock, enjoy country shopping and regional crafts, sample rural food specialities and produce from some 700 stands. The show also offers an opportunity to meet a variety of specialists who are household names for their expertise in cookery, horticulture and rural activities such as falconry. This is an opportunity for hands-on experience of countryside activities and sports such as archery, angling, clay pigeon shooting and even polo! Foodies will enjoy sampling and buying the best of British produce; oak-smoked fish and game, traditional seafood, sweet and savoury pies, breads, fruit cordials and presses, award-winning malt whiskies, English wines and home made traditional mustards, chutneys and conserves. And they can watch cookery demonstrations by their favourite TV cookery presenter. Further Information & Tickets: Contact Royal Agricultural Society of England Stoneleigh Park Nr Coventry Warwickshire CV8 2LZ; Tel: 024 7685 8283; Fax: 024 7669 6900; Email: [email protected] Advance tickets can be bought online at discount, otherwise at the gate on day of visit. Good disabled access and facilities. Website: http://www.royalshow.org.uk Getting There: Air. Nearest airports: Birmingham, Coventry. Rail. Mainline InterCity connections from London Euston, Birmingham Airport and the north to Coventry, (5 miles away). A regular bus and taxi service operates between Coventry railway station and Stoneleigh Park during the Royal Show. Road. Stoneleigh Park, is close to the main motorway network with the M1, M40, M42, M45, M6 and M69 all nearby. There is ample free car parking at the showground which also has a caravan park. See website for additional directions and interactive Route Planner facility. Dress: There is no dress code. Accommodation: Nearby Warwick, with its magnificent castle is your obvious venue for accommodation. While you are in the area, be sure to take time to visit this remarkable heritage site and the nearby ruins of Kenilworth Castle where Henry V stayed after Agincourt. The Warwick Town Council maintains a good guide with some interesting options and online booking facility. For B&B choose the attractive award-winning Tudor Charter House with its charming oak beamed bedrooms. There is modern, reasonably priced, disability accessible accommodation at Express by Holiday Inn. For more see: http://www.warwick-uk.co.uk

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show Date: Second week of July Venue: Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey ,KT8 9AU. Description: The perfect setting for the world’s largest horticultural show, featuring an exciting range of flowers, plants and gardening accessories; a stunning landscaped show and water gardens with displays from over 150 specialist nurseries and market gardeners from around the country together with a Rose Festival - one of the greatest annual gatherings of roses in full bloom in the world. This is very much a fun day out as well as serious horticulture, courtesy the Royal horticultural Society. Good restaurant, snack and bar facilities. A smart charity Gala preview evening, (always sold out early), with champagne, music and firework display, precedes the opening day. Further Information & Tickets: RHS members only on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday – Sunday are public days, numbers unrestricted. Getting there: Rail. The Palace is in outer London. Twice-hourly trains run from Waterloo to Hampton Court, (30 minutes). The Palace is a short walk from the station. Road. Situated on the A308 near the A3, M3 and M25. Parking is available. From the M25, take exit 12 (then the A308), or exit 15 (then the A312). Tube & Bus. Richmond, the nearest Underground station, is some way away, but is connected to the Palace by bus R68. Buses 111, 216, 411, 416, 451, 461, 513 and 727 also stop nearby. River. In the summer, if you are staying in London and are physically mobile, we suggest you take the river launch for the delightful trip up river from Westminster Pier to the Palace. Dress: Casual, unless you are attending the Gala Preview when you will wish to dress accordingly. Accommodation: Book far enough ahead and you can live like royalty in Hampton Court Palace itself at the Landmark Trust’s Fish Court apartment, available on a weekly basis. Book early online: http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk

The Country Landowner’s Association Game Fair Venue: A different stately home each year. Date: Three days in mid or late July Description: Annual Fair organised by the Country Landowners Association to promote countryside sports, pastimes and rural crafts. The Prince of Wales, who is passionately interested in maintaining the Britain’s rural life, is a frequent visitor. Sponsored by the Daily Telegraph the event is described as the world's most extensive event catering for the interests of all country sport enthusiasts and everyone who lives, works or simply enjoys the pleasures of the countryside. It acts as an umbrella to many major shows each of which stand alone as the most comprehensive in their field - shooting, fishing, gundogs, gamekeepers/estate management and falconry. Expect some 900 exhibitors covering all these interests, horticulture, food and wine. 

Further Information, Tickets, Getting there, Accommodation: Check out the CLA Game Fair website for up-to-date details, online booking for tickets and local accommodation. Website: http://www.gamefair.co.uk/

Royal International Horse Show Date: Third week July. Venue: The All England Jumping Course, London Road, Hickstead, West Sussex. RH17 5NU. Description: Britain’s oldest horse show, dating from 1907, the show attracts show- jumping’s greatest riders with their horses. The Queen is patron and members of the Royal Family are often in attendance. In 2004, the Samsung Nations Cup becomes part of the new Super League - just one of eight events worldwide and prize money totaling £85,000. This show is the flagship of the British Horse Society and is the show where titles matter – show-jumping and showing. Victories in the King George V Gold Cup and the Queen Elizabeth II Cup are highly sought after. Further Information & tickets: Contact the Administration Office, The All England Jumping Course, London Road, Hickstead, West Sussex. RH17 5NU Tel: (44) 01273 834315 Fax: (44) 01273 834452; email: [email protected]; Information Line: 09001 600229 or check online. Book tickets online. Website: http://www.hickstead.co.uk/RIhs.htm Getting there: Air. Nearest airport is Gatwick. Rail. London Victoria– Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill or Hassocks. Road. Hickstead is on the main A23 road 10 miles north of Brighton, 15 miles south of Gatwick Coaches arrive from London, Brighton, Gatwick and Crawley. Dress: Smart. Those dining in the restaurant overlooking the arena wear formal dress. Accommodation: Nearby hotels include the 3-star Hickstead Hotel, Tel: 01444 248023, (1 mile away); the 4-star Stakis Metropole Hotel, Tel:01273 775432, (11 miles away); and the elegant 5-star Grand Hotel in Brighton.Tel: 01273 321188.

The Great Yorkshire Show Date: Tuesday – Thursday, mid July. Venue: The great Yorkshire Showground, Wetherby Road, Harrogate, HG3 1TZ, Description: Yorkshire’s main agricultural summer event is very much a Royal occasion. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are regular visitors and the Prince of Wales is Patron of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. More than 120,000 turn out for what is the north of England’s largest annual event, organised by the Society. Expect dozens of displays, parades, demonstrations and show contests for some 8,000 animals. There are hundreds of trade and leisure stands. Further Information & Tickets: Contact the YAS, Great Yorkshire Showground, Wetherby, Harrogate, HG3 1TZ; Tel: 01423 541000; Fax: 01423541414; email: [email protected]; Show’s website has full show details and online booking with advance booking discounts. Good wheelchair accessibility and disability concessions. Membership of the YAS allows free entry and parking. Website: http://greatyorkshireshow.org Getting there: The showground is a 450 acres site on A661 just south of the centre of Spa town Harrogate. Air. Nearest airport: Bradford. Rail. Trains run to Harrogate Station from where a short bus or taxi ride will bring you to the showground. Road. Easy access to the M1 and M62, the A59 to York and A61 to Leeds. Dress: No dress code, but the local Yorkshire gentry take a certain pride in their turnout. Accommodation: Harrogate has a wide range of hotels of all categories and a number of good B&B establishments as well as many excellent restaurants. They know how to live well in Yorkshire. Travelsleuth’s Connoisseur Choice is the famed award winning Ruskin Hotel, 1 Swan Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2SS; Tel: 01423 502045; email: [email protected] website: http://www.ruskinhotel.co.uk/ Named after its illustrious visitor, the eminent Victorian art critic, author and artist, this small private luxury hotel with gourmet restaurant is beautifully furnished in late 19th century decor and stocked with antiques. Outside Harrogate, the Boar's Head , Ripley Castle Estate Ripley Nr Harrogate HG3 3AY; Tel: 01423 771888; Fax: 01423 771509, at Ripley Castle is one of my Top 10 UK Connoisseur Choices. It boasts a clutch of awards for courtesy, comfort and memorable cuisine in quintessentially English setting and figures with honours in the Earl of Bradford’s choices in the area. While staying there, enjoy visiting the historic Ripley Castle and its deer park. Details and online booking at http://www.boarsheadripley.co.uk/

Sandringham Flower Show Date: Last weekend July. Venue: Sandringham Park, Sandringham, Norfolk, PE35 6EN Description: An increasingly important annual summer flower show in the grounds of the Queen’s favoured English country retreat. Members of the Royal Family, (notably the late Queen mother), enjoy visiting this charming show to support their neighbours and local charities. If it is open do visit the house, built in 1870 by the Prince and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. There are 247 rooms and 60 acres of grounds on the estate which recommend themselves to a longer visit. Do see the museum with displays of Royal life and estate history. House and facilities are totally accessible for wheelchair users. You may follow two nature trails and make use of a visitor’s centre, restaurants and shop. Further Information & Tickets: Contact Sandringham Estate Cottage Horticultural Society Trust, York stables Cottage, Sandringham, Norfolk, PE35 6EB; Tel: 01485 540860. Tickets are sold at the gate. Show proceeds to charity. For general information about the estate contact the Estate Office on 01553 772675; email: [email protected] Website: http://www.sandringhamestate.co.uk Getting there: In Norfolk just north of King’s Lynn. Check out directions on the Estate’s website at: http://www.sandringhamestate.co.uk/howtofindus.html Dress: Smart country clothing. Accommodation: Few realise that you may stay actually in one of the Queen’s cottages on her estate. Church Cottage sleeps five and lies at the western edge of Sandringham Estate, with its own garden and parking. Rental from upwards of about $400 per week. More impressive is Garden House, once the Head Gardener’s abode, overlooking the ornamental garden beside Sandringham House. The house has four bedrooms and an AGA stove. Rental from upwards of about $550 per week. Details, photos and booking enquiries online.

British Open Golf Championship Date: Late July Venue: Various courses. 2004: Royal Troon, Scotland. Description: The British Open attracts the world’s top golfers and tickets are prized. The event is steeped in history. The first British Open tournament was played over three rounds of Prestwick’s 12 hole course in 1860 at the initiative of the earl of Eglinton and Colonel James Fairlie. By 1894 other courses were added to the rota. Further Information & Tickets: Check out the official website, contact the club hosting the tournament for the year or write to The Open Championship, Royal and ancient golf Club, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JD, Scotland. Tel: 01334 472 112. Fax: 01334 475 483. Tickets can be purchased online at the official website. Website: http://www.opengolf.com Getting there: Details on the website. Dress: No dress code unless you have a member’s badge for a private enclosure. Accommodation: Contact the host club for recommendations.

Travelsleuth’s Diary Memo Book now for Glorious Goodwood festival, (August); Gatcombe Horse Trials,(August); Buckingham Palace Summer tour, Clarence House Summer Tour, (August/September).

AUGUST

In summertime on Bredon The bells they sound so clear; Round both the shires they ring them In steeples far and near, A happy noise to hear.

Here of a Sunday morning My love and I would lie, And see the coloured counties, And hear the larks so high About us in the sky.

A Shropshire Lad. A.E.Housman. 1859-1936

Buckingham Palace and its Tranquil Gardens. Filed 2001

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? ‘ I've been to London to see the Queen.’

Old Nursery Rhyme

One of London’s hidden garden treasures was opened to the public for the first time on 4 August [2001]. It was a glorious summer day and many visitors who had earlier thronged the entrance to Clarence House down the Mall to wish Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother well on her 101st birthday, visited Buckingham Palace’s newly opened gardens to discover for themselves London's hidden Royal oasis of tranquillity.

The 40 acres of gardens and lake behind Buckingham Palace have been a private Royal sanctuary since Princess Victoria moved Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace when she was proclaimed Queen in 1837 following the death of her uncle William IV. Until this summer the Palace garden has been seen only by the 30,000 guests honoured with a Royal invitation to the three Royal Summer Garden Parties hosted by the Queen and Consort each July. This year however, a part of the garden went on show when the Buckingham Palace State Rooms were opened for August and September while The Queen and Her consort, the Duke of Edinburgh enjoy a well earned break from their gruelling schedule of public duties in the Highland seclusion of Balmoral.

A 500 yard walk along the southern perimeter of the garden has been added to the Palace State Rooms that are open for public viewing. The picturesque walk in fact becomes the exit route from the Palace’s Bow Room, with its remarkable, (and unique), collection of Chelsea Porcelain, to Grosvenor Place which leads up to Hyde Park Corner, Decimus Burton’s newly refurbished triumphal Wellington Arch, (1828), now a museum, and his elegant 1825 Ionic Screen leading into Hyde Park and Park Lane.

The garden walk skirts the Palace’s peaceful lake, a 3 acre stretch of fish-stocked water created for George IV in 1825 by joining up two existing ponds. It is fed by the overflow of Hyde Park’s Serpentine Lake and is safe home and nesting ground to a magical variety of water birds. A Palace aide informs me that some 30 different bird species are residents or regular visitors to the lake and its environs.

Over 200 trees border the lake and a rich variety of lilies, hostas, wild flowers and grasses grow on its banks. The Queen introduced a ‘long grass’ policy at the lakeside some years ago to encourage the propagation and proliferation of over 350 species of wild flower as well as to provide a friendly cat and rat-free wildlife habitat for ground-nesting wildfowl.

In 1825 George IV commissioned William Townsend Aiton, head of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew to transform the original formal garden design into the natural landscaping of the present 19th century gardens. His design owes much in inspiration to Capability Brown whose concepts of a classical landscape idyll changed the look of English stately homes garden landscaping from the formal rigidity of Versailles to the more natural pastoral vistas we so admire today.

Much of the dense shrubbery that grew up around the lake during Queen Victoria’s reign was cleared between 1945 and 1952 by The Queen’s parents, the late King George VI and our beloved Queen Mother. The Queen Mum, an ardent and green- fingered gardener, introduced a vibrant selection of choice decorative flowering shrubs and trees. Now, half a century later they are mature and in their colourful prime. The result is a walled oasis in the middle of London; a wildlife haven screened from the roar of urban traffic.

The view of Aston Webb’s 1912 Neo-Classical east facade of Buckingham Palace from St. James’s Park is one of London's most photographed landmarks. It is best seen walking though St. James's Park. It presents a stately backdrop to the lake in this most beautiful and historic Royal Park. John Nash’s less grandiose but visually more pleasing west frontage onto the garden designed and built between 1825-30 for his patron George IV, is less well known. Its Neo-Classical lines are seen to best advantage from the lakeside walk, half screened by overhanging trees and reflected in the lake's still waters.

Visitors need not fear that on leaving the Palace Bow Room and descending the steps to the immaculately manicured Palace lawn they will be ‘encouraged’ to move on rapidly to the exit. Head gardener Mark Lane and some of his gardening team are there to talk to interested visitors about the garden and their work. He told us at a press briefing: “Visitors will be able to talk to us about the wildlife and there will be benches to sit on and enjoy the scene.” This mirrors the helpful attitude that I met when exploring the Palace State Rooms. See them at leisure, un-marshalled by a dragooning guide. My Lady and I took our time in each room admiring the decor and the remarkable stucco ceiling work before turning our attention to the furniture, paintings and artifacts.

We spent at least an hour in the 155 ft long Picture Gallery admiring the paintings by Canaletto, Van Dyck, Rubens, Vermeer and other artists that had caught the fancy of earlier Monarchs. We were able to discuss points and raise questions about these with the attendant and very knowledgeable wardens. We paused again at length in the Bow Room to admire the porcelain and learn of its history from the most helpful warden there before stepping out into the garden.

This year [2001], we have the bonus of an exhibition of memorabilia of Queen Victoria's joyful family and social life at the Palace before the death of her beloved Albert in 1861 sent her into permanent mourning. A very different profile from the doughty lady in widow's weeds emerges. We see a Queen and Consort who loved to dance and entertain in regal splendour, give colourful costume balls, (note the marble of Albert dressed as a Roman Centurion in the ‘Guardroom’) and enjoy the pageantry of Royal banquets and State visits by oriental potentates.

The garden began its long history as a mulberry tree plantation in the early 17th century. Stuart King James I planted 10,000 of the trees there to feed silkworms, hoping to kick start a silk industry to rival the long established English wool trade. Unfortunately he chose a tree variety that was unpalatable to the silkworm and the gardens fell into disuse. In 1633 Lord Goring bought the land and built there ‘a fair house and other convenient buildings and outhouses.’

In 1702-5 soldier-turned-architect William Winde rebuilt it as Buckingham House for John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham. George III bought it from the Buckingham family in 1761, simplified the east facade and added north and south wings. This charming Georgian building is pictured in the superb Palace guide, which is essential reading for visitors. His son George IV turned it into the ebulliently furnished and decorated Palace and gardens that we know today. Queen Victoria extended the Palace, adding the great ballroom in the process. We can thank the present Queen and Consort and her parents for the beauty and tranquillity of today's Palace gardens. Unless you are a ‘sprint viewer’ with a plane to catch, give yourself at least four hours to fully appreciate Palace and garden, (no cameras or mobile phones). Give yourself time to browse in the Buckingham Palace gift shop before leaving. I understand that designs for the limited edition crystal and porcelain tableware and giftware on display are personally approved by Her Majesty. I bought an elegant set of teacups and saucers in a primrose yellow design for use at teatime and a boxed and gift-wrapped porcelain pillbox for a Christmas gift…Buckingham Palace gift- wrap has that certain cachet.

Some exquisite facsimiles of interesting silver items from the Royal Collection are also on sale. I noted with interest the copy of a rare silver case for visiting cards by the great Victorian silversmith Nathaniel Mills. It has a scene of Windsor Castle finely beaten out in detail. The original belonged to the late Queen Mary. I sold an exactly similar Mills case with this subject in auction at Sotheby’s in the early 1980s.

For access details to Buckingham Palace and its gardens see my August Diary.

Places & facilities online Buckingham Palace online booking: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page594.asp The Royal Collection Shop: http://www.the-royal-collection.com/ Goring Hotel: http://www.goringhotel.co.uk/

Cowes Regatta and the America's Cup Jubilee Filed 2001

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking, And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life, To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Sea Fever by John Masefield (1878-1967)

From 4th August the Isle of Wight takes centre stage in England's summer calendar. Yachtsmen with their world class ocean racers converge on the island and the racing waters of the Solent for the week of the annual Cowes Regatta. Founded in 1826 under the patronage of King George IV, the Regatta has been the crest of the social wave in England's yachting season since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built nearby Osborne House in 1841-45 as a country retreat and their son Bertie, Prince of Wales, (the future King Edward VII), took up yacht racing. In the days when the fate of nations might be seriously discussed over afternoon tea in the presence of the "Grandmother of Europe" such figures as Czar Nicholas II of Russia, (married to the Queen's granddaughter Alix), and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, (the Queen's grandson), were Queen Victoria’s house guests at Osborne House near Cowes during the Royal Regatta.

Until decommissioned in 1997, the Royal Yacht Britannia anchored each year off Cowes during Regatta Week and Royal Family males disembarked from this floating hotel to enjoy the international racing and the social whirl of the yachting fraternity after the day’s racing on the Solent. The Royals' watering hole ashore is the Royal Yacht Squadron, founded in 1833 under the patronage of nautical King William IV. The Squadron gives a very select invitation ball each year on Cowes Week Monday. This year the Cowes season has been extended for the America’s Cup. On August 22nd 1851 a gun fired from the embattled waterside frontage of the RYS signalled the start of a challenge race round the island that changed the history of yachting. The winner was a sleek black schooner from New York called 'America'. Her victory heralded the beginning of the modern age of yacht racing. The schooner's legacy, the America's Cup, is claimed to be the world's oldest and most famous sporting trophy.

The RYS and the New York Yacht Club are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the 1851 race this year with a joint week-long America’s Cup Jubilee Regatta. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Commodore of the RYS, opens the Regatta on 18th August and Anne, the Princess Royal, closes it a week later. It will be an unparalleled opportunity to see a spectacular display of sail and floating elegance. When the RYS starting gun fires on Tuesday 21 August, 200 yachts crewed by 2800 yachtsmen will cross the starting line to race round the island. The fleet hoisting their spinnakers then will represent the entire history of the America's Cup Challenges. It includes original yachts or replicas, elegant vintage pre-war J-Class big boats,, classic post-war yachts, 65 ft 12-metre Class and modern International America's Cup Class boats; a memorable race and a glorious sight for onlookers as this magnificent fleet sails down the Solent and around the island; a unique moment in sailing history.

A packed Jubilee Regatta week includes the 12M Class Prada World championships and races and parades for boats of all classes. The organisers tell us that they have arranged a “dazzling” social calendar to entertain all the visiting owners, their crews and spectators that will “echo the great days of 1851”. Highlight will be the gala ball given in a grand marquee on the spacious lawns of Osborne House, a glittering reminder of the era when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert delighted in hosting balls and banquets before his premature death.

The RYC is socially la crème of Cowes, (they say that Prince Philip speaks only to the Squadron and the Squadron speaks only to God). Sedately suited Members may be seen upon the Squadron's sloping lawns overlooking the starting line, sipping champagne or tea. Entry is strictly for members and guests only, though ownership of a yacht competing in the America's Cup will gain you temporary membership and welcome.

The Royal London Yacht Club is socially less rarefied and allows visiting members of the Royal Thames Yacht Club to use its facilities. The Steward of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club tells me that he will be pleased to hear from overseas yachtsmen wishing temporary membership while visiting Cowes. The Island Sailing Club grants temporary membership to bona fide visiting yachtsmen and are playing hosts to the New Zealand yachtsmen during America’s Cup Jubilee week. All the racing at Cowes can be seen from the shore with the start and finish line opposite the RYS steps. I have appended full details of the Cowes Yacht Clubs in my Travelsleuth’s Diary for August Cowes social life percolates down from the sedate privileges of the RYS to the nightly ‘après-sea’ parties, noisy discos and pub drinking of fruity voiced young crew members, their thirsty friends and mere onlookers. Dress during regatta weeks is casually nautical outside the strict confines of the RYS and the formal Club balls and cocktail parties. A number of High street boutiques sell colourful and trendy nautical gear to adorn the lissom but unsalted limbs of wannabe mermaids. But genuine mariners and their mermaids stand out from the landlubbers. They sport ‘nautigear’ as salt-bleached as their hair.

I shall be taking advantage of a most creative all-inclusive package put together for Tuesday’s big race by my old friends The Train Chartering Company. Together with Topsail Charters they offer luxury travel in the Orient Express, leaving London Victoria station at 7.30AM for Southampton Docks, with champagne breakfast en route. At 9.45AM we embark on a chartered Schooner and sail out into the Solent to cruise the Cowes waterfront and watch the day’s nautical spectacle while enjoying a buffet lunch. A complimentary copy of the 100 page Jubilee commemorative brochure will help us to identify many of the magnificent boats under sail or moored at Cowes, among them the Danish Royal Yacht Danebrog and the Aga Khan’s Shergar. We return to Southampton that evening for the Orient Express trip back to London; a two hour journey travelling like a 19th century aristocrat and enjoying a superb 4-course dinner with wine and liqueurs that will bring back nostalgic memories of the great days of rail.

Osborne House is open daily to the public. Built in Italian Renaissance style favoured by Prince Albert, it is one of the gems of English Heritage and stocked with a magnificent display of furniture, art and artefacts from the Royal Collection together with unique personal memorabilia of Queen Victoria and her family. The Durbar Room, with its priceless collection of gifts from India to Empress Queen Victoria to mark her Golden and Diamond Jubilees of 1887 and 1897, was recently opened by Prince Charles as Chairman of the Royal Collection. No stay on the Isle of Wight is complete without a visit to Victoria's "dear beautiful Osborne" and its spacious gardens. The Empress Queen’s presence remains very much alive here.

Places and facilities online Train Chartering Company: http://www.trainchartering.com/html/grand_tour.html Orient Express: http://www.orient-express.com/ Topsail Charters: http://www.top-sail.co.uk/ Osborne House: http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/ Cowes: http://www.cowes.co.uk/ Skandia Cowes Week: http://www.cowesweek3.co.uk/ Yacht Clubs and Associations: http://www.cowes.co.uk/marin41.html

Walking in Diana’s Footsteps Filed 2000. Updated 2002, 2004.

Goodbye England's rose May you ever grow in our hearts You were the grace that placed itself Where lives were torn apart

From Candle in the Wind by Sir Elton John 1997

Diana died tragically on 31 August in 1997. It was a brutally abrupt end to a fairytale that went dreadfully wrong; the story of a Princess who did not live happily ever after. Since her death in the gloomy echoing concrete of that infamous Paris underpass, many attempts have been made to carve out a fitting memorial to her in London. The projects have foundered on the rocks of acrimonious controversy and wrangling in the fog of endless committee meetings.

Each year, the anniversary of the passing of the ‘People's Princess’ has reminded us of this sorry history of official incompetence and apathy. And lest we forget her, a tacky new book on Diana's troubled life is usually published at about this time each year by some once trusted retainer now prepared to peddle his questionable memories and besmirch her name for a Judas purse of silver.

The Diana memorial committee's long overdue final design choice for a public memorial in Hyde Park was finally unveiled five years after her death, only to be spurned by most commentators as ‘a typical product of committee thinking, banal and bereft of inspiration’.

There is however one London memorial to Diana that I love; the Diana Memorial Walkway though the Royal Parks which was opened in June 2000 nearly three years after her death. It is a floral route that links the London Diana loved to Kensington Palace, where she first lived as a Princess and ends for me at the adjacent Peter Pan themed playground. The joyful cries of children at play are surely the most fitting memorial to a Princess who cared and did so much for children in need.

The Walk, which is completely accessible, leads us on a fascinating trail through 500 years of Royal history; from Tudor King Henry VIII, (1509-47), to Diana's son, Prince William of Wales. He is destined to be the 60th Monarch to occupy the throne of Alfred the Great, England's 'Charlemagne'; the warrior King who united Saxon England against the Danish Vikings and founded the British Navy in the process during his rule from 871-899.

The route traces a figure-of-eight through seven miles of London's Royal Parks. 89 plaques on the walkway lead us along flower-bordered paths in a green urban paradise teeming with bird and half-tame wildlife in a loop through St James's Park and Green Park to Hyde Park Corner. Another loop to the west takes us through Hyde Park and Kensington Palace Gardens and back beside Hyde Park’s Serpentine lake past the Diana Memorial fountain, (finally opened by the Queen on 6 July 2004), to Hyde Park Corner.

The Walk encompasses many of London's historic landmarks. We see King Henry VIII's St James's Palace, once a medieval nuns' hospice for lepers and former London home of Prince Charles and sons William and Harry. Next door is Clarence House, the late Queen Mother's home, where Diana spent the night before her wedding in St. Paul's Cathedral. Prince Charles and his sons have recently moved in after its refurbishment and the ground floor rooms are open to the public for guided tours in the summer.

We pass Buckingham Palace, built by George IV in 1826 over the shell of an earlier mansion and further enlarged, enriched and embellished by Queen Victoria and succeeding monarchs. The State Rooms and Palace gardens are opened to the public during August and September each year while the Royal Family are in residence at Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands. See my August jottings for a description of my visit to the Palace.

West of Hyde Park Corner with its Constitution Arch, WWI memorials to the Fallen and the Apsley House museum of Waterloo’s victor, the Duke of Wellington, we pass Queen Victoria's grand Albert Memorial opposite the equally grand Royal Albert Hall and reach the gates of Kensington Palace from whence Diana's funeral cortege emerged in solemn state for the procession through a strangely silent London to Westminster Abbey.

Seven miles is a long walk. If, like mine, your limbs suffer from a surfeit of years, you will break your walk into two stages over a couple of days; first day: St James's and Green Park; second day: Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Use Hyde Park Corner, if you will, as your convenient start and end to both stages. You can access it by the London Underground or bus from all directions.

The first stage is visually and historically the most interesting. St James's Park is beautiful at any time of year, though it is perhaps at its most stunning in spring and early summer when some 500,000 bulbs bloom to complement the year-long succession of colourful border displays. Its lake teems with waterfowl; European and oriental ducks, geese and the Queen's swans, including descendants of the pair of black swans presented by the people of Australia after WWII.

The many Royal legacies of marbled grandeur and poignant memory in bronze that we see on our walk are softened throughout the year by a background of spring parkland blossom, summer birdsong, the falling leaves of autumn and the winter mists. It was a warm sunny August afternoon when my Lady and I traced the Memorial Walk. We joined it at the Horse Guards building in Whitehall rather than at Hyde Park Corner, having spent the morning visiting Westminster Abbey. We walked past the two mounted Household Cavalry guards resplendent in their gleaming breastplates and plumed helms, and through the archway onto 'Horse Guards Parade'.

The impressive buildings facing onto the Parade were designed by William Kent, the foremost architect of his era. They have a Palladian grandeur that so distinguishes the 18th century reign of King George II.

This is London's centre for great occasions of pageantry and history. I have a faded monochrome photograph taken by my mother on her primitive box camera. It shows King George VI reviewing the ship's companies of HMS Achilles, Ajax and Exeter here on their return from the South Atlantic sinking of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee in the 1939 Battle of the River Plate.

The Household Guards' Sovereign's Birthday Parade for Trooping the Colour takes place here each June. In November, the Queen takes the Remembrance Sunday salute here from a march past by an ever-dwindling band of WWII Veteran heroes.

Horse Guards Parade faces onto St. James’s Park, its entrance guarded by an uncompromisingly stark WWI memorial to the officers and men of the Royal Household Regiments of Foot who died in the trenches of Flanders.

Henry VIII created the park by draining a marsh and stocking the area with deer for his private stag-hunts. Charles I walked through it from St James's Palace to his public execution at the Mansion House in Whitehall in 1649. His son Charles II enjoyed walking his spaniels in the park here after the restoration of his throne in 1688. We are told that his quiet walks soon became something of a ‘Royal Progress’, with hopeful petitioners waylaying him with pleas and wayward damsels desiring to catch the roving Royal eye prior to warming the Royal bed. It was claimed by the infamous Titus Oates to have been the proposed venue for the King's assassination "with a silver bullet" in the alleged Popish Plot of 1678.

Crossing into St. James’s Park we took the path bordering its lake to the bridge in the centre. We paused there to enjoy London's finest view of Buckingham Palace at the lake's western head before crossing over and heading north to the impressive wrought iron park gates leading on to The Mall. At this time of year the park's shrubs, plane and chestnut trees were alive with birdsong and the grass full of scampering grey squirrels.

We crossed over the Mall, where Princess Diana rode first in open carriage as a blushing bride past cheering crowds and later in sombre hearse past weeping mourners, into Marlborough Street and St James's Palace. Once a nun's hospice for leprous maidens, it was commandeered by Henry VIII and converted into a Royal hunting lodge. The Tudor turreted gatehouse of 1532 still remains. The accession of each new Monarch is heralded from here on the Sovereign's death. Princess Diana had her office and secretariat in this Palace during her marriage.

On the right, hidden behind a wall, is Marlborough House, home of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra when, as Prince of Wales, Edward led fashionable London society in the 'Naughty 90s', which he personified. A poignantly beautiful bronze memorial by Sir Alfred Gilbert to Queen Alexandra, Edward’s longsuffering consort, stands facing the Palace. It is reminiscent of a Pieta, and is an eloquent testament to the love that the people of the British Empire had for the great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth.

Returning to The Mall the Diana plaques led us west to Stable Yard Road, with its guarded entrance to Clarence House, which takes its name from King William IV, for whom it was built in 1825 when he was Duke of Clarence. Our present Queen and Prince Philip lived there following their marriage in 1947 and it was Prince Charles's early childhood home. The late Queen Mother took up residence here following the death of her husband King George VI in 1952 and lived here until her death in 2002, appearing outside the entrance each year on her birthday to greet her thousands of well-wishers. Princess Diana spent her wedding eve here with her and watched the spectacular celebration firework display over Buckingham Palace from its windows.

Now refurbished as the town residence of the Prince of Wales and family, its five ground floor rooms are open escorted tours, (pre-booking essential), during August and September. The arrangement of the rooms and the grouping of their contents remain recognisably as they were in The Queen Mother’s time, with much of her collection of works of art, artefacts and furniture in their former positions.

Our walk continued on to Green Park and turned north into Queen's Walk towards Piccadilly. Here, facing onto the Park, is London's finest row of Royal and noble mansions. They include Lancaster House, built for the Duke of York by Benjamin Wyatt in 1839; Lord Ellesmere's Bridgewater House, built in 1849 by Sir Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament; and Spencer House. This Palladian masterpiece completed by John Vardy in 1766 for Diana's forebear the 1st Earl Spencer, is London’s only surviving eighteenth-century private palace and surely one of London’s most beautiful architectural treasures. Its State Rooms and its restored 18th century garden originally designed by Holland, are open to the public throughout year except in January and August. The gardens are open on specific days during spring and summer. are well worth a visit.

At the top of Queen's Walk, facing into Piccadilly, stands the Belle Epoque Ritz Hotel, patronised by Royalty and nobility since it opened in 1906. My Lady and I patronised it that June afternoon, taking afternoon tea in the hotel's renowned Palm Court. Had we begun our walk earlier we might, perhaps, have chosen the Ritz as a convenient and elegant venue for lunch. Another luncheon option is Le Caprice Restaurant, (telephone for bookings: 020 7629 2239), just around the corner in Arlington Street. Le Caprice has been a favoured show business luncheon rendezvous since it first opened in 1947. Diana was a frequent visitor.

After our Darjeeling tea and smoked salmon sandwiches at the Ritz. (book the 3.30 pm tea sitting rather than the 5.30 pm sitting, unless you intend to go straight from the Palm Court to the adjoining Rivoli Bar for cocktail hour), my Lady and I continued down Piccadilly to Hyde Park Corner, with its dramatic Ionic Screen by Decimus Burton.

In the 18th century, when the famous Exeter Fly stagecoach was the fastest transport to the West Country, London ended at this spot. Setting out on its weekly journey from the city at 5 o'clock in the morning from the Bull and Gate coaching inn at Aldersgate in the City, The Exeter Fly jolted its way down a then rutted Piccadilly until it reached the turnpike at what is now Hyde Park Corner. The coachman alighted here for a drink at an inn called Hercules' Pillars where Apsley House now stands. The travellers in the Exeter Fly of 1773 would have noticed the guard at the inn's doorway ostentatiously handling his blunderbuss and, fearfully putting themselves into a posture of defence, felt for their own pistols. For although the sophisticated Knightsbridge that we now associate with Harrods and Harvey Nichols, smart fashion boutiques and expensive restaurants is but a short step away, it was then a place of sometimes impassable muddy bogs - and infested by highwaymen intent on relieving stranded passengers of their purses.

Facing Burton's Screen, erected in 1825 after rail and steam engine had displaced turnpike and stagecoach, is his triumphal arch, (1828), and the 5-star Lanesborough Hotel, a recent conversion from St. George’s hospital built in 1829. With its severe lines and giant Doric columns, it is a fine example of the work of architect William Wilkins, England’s pre-eminent exponent of the early 19th century classical Greek revival in northern Europe.

George IV originally commissioned Burton’s triumphal arch as an entrance into the grounds of Buckingham Palace in celebration of Wellington’s victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Before it was later moved to its present position facing down Constitution Hill, (where it has now become known as Wellington Arch), it was topped by a colossal equestrian statue of the emperor's victor. The statue was later removed to a more appropriately military venue at Aldershot, the garrison town, and the arch moved to its present position. A chariot-born winged Angel was put in its place in 1912 as a memorial to King Edward VII and the arch is now dramatically lit at night, the angel standing triumphant against the London sky.

Next to the Ionic Screen is the Duke of Wellington's before mentioned Apsley House, its 1829 exterior another fine example of the Benjamin Wyatt's work. This was the Iron Duke's London residence and known as No 1 London. It is a treasure trove of fine china and silver donated to him by the thankful Royals of Europe, whose thrones he saved from Napoleon. If you have any energy left after completing the first part of the Diana Memorial Walk, pay a visit to Apsley House or to the Arch. Both are now museums.

We ended our Diana Walk for the day at this convenient point and paused here to refresh ourselves at The Grenadier, a cosy pub in Wilton Mews behind the Lanesborough. Built in the 1830s alongside the then Foot Guards barracks, the pub has historic associations with the Duke of Wellington and his Grenadier Guards who used it as their mess. It became notorious as a gambling haunt and is said to be haunted by a guardsman who was flogged to death after being caught cheating at cards there. It is a favourite watering hole of today’s Knightsbridge and Belgravia set who swear by its barman’s Sunday morning Bloody Mary cocktail therapy!

The western loop of the designated Diana Memorial Walk begins at Burton's Ionic Screen. It leads along the south side of Hyde Park, to Kensington Gardens, taking us up past Kensington Palace and the Diana Memorial Playground to the remarkably peaceful classical temple and fountains of the Italian Gardens at the head of the Serpentine, before returning along the lake's north side to Hyde Park Corner.

We joined this stage of the Diana walk on the following morning at Alexandra Gate, (named after King Edward VII's beautiful Danish Queen). It leads into the park from Exhibition Road with its complex of stately buildings inspired by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's beloved Prince Consort, and his Great Exhibition of 1851.

The Queen's flamboyant Albert Memorial, designed by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1872, stands on the site of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and dominates the park here. Scott's creation which won him his knighthood from a mourning Queen is best described by Alastair Service, London's chronicler of Royal architecture, in his definitive book The Architects of London (now sadly out of print but you may be lucky enough to find a copy in a second hand book shop or on the internet): ‘It is a realisation on a monumental architectural scale of the type of medieval shrine of metal and jewels used to contain the relics of saints’.

Writing nearly a century earlier in 1895, a critic described it as ‘Noble in its plan and dimensions, built of varied and valuable material, and enriched with appropriate statuary, it is at once an adornment to the great city, and a national memento of a good and wise man’. Both critiques fail to mention the heady whiff of self-righteous Victorian imperialism that surrounds this bronze gilt statue and its canopy. You will find a close inspection is rewarding. I gain endless pleasure from its powerful, self- confident, (though now politically incorrect), symbolism of the Victorian era.

Seated in his memorial and holding a copy of the exhibition catalogue in his hands, Albert faces the classically inspired Royal Albert Hall designed by Captain Fowke, (1867), to emulate the Roman Pantheon. It is now venue for many of London's major musical events including the annual cycle of Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, the world’s most famous music festival.

We walked from here through the beautifully kept and always flower-bedecked Kensington Gardens to Kensington Palace, created for Dutch William III by Sir Christopher Wren and his disciple, Nicholas Hawksmoor, between 1689 and 1702. Queen Victoria lived here with her controversial mother, the Duchess of Kent, until she ascended the Throne in 1837. This is still a working Royal residential palace, (Princess Margaret lived here and some members of the Royal Family have ‘Grace and Favour’ apartments here), but the State Rooms are open to the public. The ever- changing exhibition of Royal State robes is well worth seeing as are Diana’s dresses. Charles and Diana lived in the Palace in the early years of their marriage, and Diana had her post-divorce apartment here. Diana is remembered here each year by many who bring their floral tributes and children's mementos to garland the ornate wrought iron gates during the anniversary week of her death and funeral.

It is just a short walk from the Palace Gates to Diana's Memorial Playground built on an original playground donated by J.M.Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. You will find your way to it simply by walking in the direction of the joyful shouts of children at play there on a sunny day. George Frampton's richly patinated bronze of Barrie's fictional child who never grew up stands nearby, overlooking the Serpentine. It was placed there in 1912 and remains one of London's best loved and most visited monuments. I have revisited it many times since my mother first brought me to wonder at it and feed breadcrumbs to the sparrows as a small boy over 60 years ago.

On our next visit to Hyde Park we shall be able to see the controversial Diana Memorial Fountain designed by American landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson and finally opened in July, 2004. Described as ‘a necklace of water’, it is considered by many as a featureless nonentity borne of seven years of committee haggling, (under the chairmanship of Gordon Brown, Labour Government’s Chancellor of the Exchequer), and acrimonious controversy in the political corridors of Westminster and Whitehall. Others see it as a near perfect metaphor for the life of Diana. It is certainly a belated epilogue to a tragic tale. I leave the final word on the subject of the Memorial Fountain to Sir Elton John. “It’s purely ugly. It looks like a sewer …it’s hideous. Hideous. Disgraceful!”

Places and facilities online Diana Memorial Walkway:http://www.transportforlondon.gov.uk/ Spencer House: http://www.spencerhouse.co.uk Clarence House: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page2262.asp Buckingham Palace: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page555.asp Sir Alfred Gilbert R.A: http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/gilbert/gilbertov.html Wellington Arch: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/ Apsley House: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/ Albert Memorial: http://www.speel.demon.co.uk/other/albmem.htm Royal Albert Hall: http://www.royalalberthall.com/ Henry Wood Proms: http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/ Kensington Palace: http://www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/kensington_home.asp The Royal Parks: http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/ Diana Memorial Fountain: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3866863.stm#graphic

Far from the Madding Crowd Filed 2004

Don’t let it be forgot That once there was a spot For one brief shining moment That was known as Camelot.

Camelot. Lyric by Alan Jay Lerner 1960

High summer in Cornwall is best enjoyed inland, away from the coast. In August the coastal resorts are packed to bursting with family holidaymakers. Inland, on empty Bodmin Moor, there is tranquillity and peace.

The high stone hedgerows of the picturesque narrow lanes on the moorland edge are bedecked in their summer glory of wild flowers, dancing buttercup and daisy, blackberry and fern, and are relatively free of cars. Marked by ancient Celtic crosses, witness to a bygone age of myth and miracle, they wind their leisurely way to small sleepy hamlets like St. Kew - granite cottages roofed in the local Delabole slate, and to ancient towns dominated by weather-beaten medieval churches with embattled, square-towered belfries. Campanology, the ancient art of bellringing, is alive and well here, as is the social activity in the local pub after the pealing! Pulling bell ropes on a summer's evening is thirsty work!

You are in moorland Cornwall; a land of narrow valleys filled with oak and rhododendron, where babbling leats of crystal water run off the windblown granite moorland. Some say this was Camelot.

It is an enchanted land of timeless stone circles, dolmens and quoits. They stand stark against an Atlantic-blue summer sky, sacred memories of half forgotten Ancient Ways and holy mysteries.

The rugged wayside Celtic Crosses bear weathered granite witness to a new Faith that blossomed here 1500 years ago with the coming of Petroc, ascetic Welsh missionary and fabled miracle worker of the early saintly Celtic Church, who set up his cell next to a holy well at Bodmin.

They say that the heroic King Arthur, whose memory spawned a thousand legends, was born in these parts. Tintagel, his legendary castle, stands here upon a windswept cliff top overlooking the Atlantic waves which thunder and spume into Merlin's Cave hidden in the granite cliffs below. A silent ruin now, his castle gathers mystery, as ravens circle its fallen ramparts. Perhaps it was here at Slaughterbridge by the River Camel that Arthur fought his last battle. It was to nearby Dozmary Pool, the bottomless lake on Bodmin Moor that Excalibur, his magickal sword, was returned by Sir Bedivere to the Lady of the Lake.

Then Sir Bedivere departed, and went to the sword, and lightly took it up, and went to the water side; and there he bound the girdle about the hilts, and then he threw the sword as far into the water as he might; and there came an arm and an hand above the water and met it, and caught it, and so shook it thrice and brandished, and then vanished away the hand with the sword in the water.

Le Morte d'Arthur. Sir Thomas Malory ca 1405 - 1471

The Knights Templar, ill-starred medieval Chivalric Order of Hospitalers, once maintained a sanctuary near Dozmary Pool for wayfarers crossing the then trackless and inhospitable Bodmin Moor.

The Templars were harried, tortured, and suppressed 700 years ago on trumped up charges of satanistic practices. The church of St. Catherine of Alexandria sited on their ancient mission chapel is deserted now, a hallowed nesting place for blackbirds and sparrows. But it is a peaceful sanctuary still for today's wayfarer who stumbles upon Temple, the tiny moorland hamlet that grew up around the Knights' Hospice.

Sir John Betjeman, the British Poet Laureate, lived, wrote, and died in North Cornwall. He is buried in St. Enodoc, the tiny medieval church dedicated to a 6th century Celtic missionary follower of St. Petroc. It was once lost beneath the encroaching sands of the Camel estuary, and is now encircled by the ocean-side golf course of the same name.

The seagulls plane and circle out of sight Below this thirsty, thrift-encrusted height, The veined sea-campion buds burst into white

And gorse turns tawny orange, seen beside Pale drifts of primroses cascading wide To where the slate falls sheer into the tide.

From Cornish Cliffs by John Betjeman

When I lived on the edge of Bodmin Moor, my son and I would sometimes take a picnic up to the ancient Stone Age hill settlement above our house. With Kelpie our Labrador bounding on ahead, we would take with us a simple feast of a pork pie and pickled onions, and slices of Cornish saffron cake. The stunning views to the Atlantic in the northwest and the English Channel to the southeast were ample reward for the climb through tumbled, blackberry-covered hedgerows, hawthorn, sloe and broom. High up, overlooking the windswept vistas of our Camelot, we were alone beneath the sky, with none but the shrill warble of a soaring Skylark singing to the sun and the drowsy hum of wild bees for company. Cornwall is truly magical at such moments.

Moorland Cornwall, my particular Camelot, has been the muse for many poets and painters. Today, the Brotherhood of Ruralists pursue their Pre-Raphaelite romantic dream here, meeting each summer to paint and write. Two of their number, Graham and Annie Ovenden, have built their own Camelot Castle on the edge of Bodmin Moor at the quaintly named Barley Splatt near Warleggan.

Annie’s delightful paintings and prints are on show for sale during August in Plymouth at Saltram House, (National Trust), a remarkable survival of a George II mansion, (modelled around a Tudor core), complete with its original contents and set in an attractive landscape park.

Choose Bodmin, Wadebridge or Camelford, on the southern and western fringes of Bodmin Moor as your touring base. Or stay in the middle of the moor itself at the 250 year old Jamaica Inn, scene of Daphne du Maurier's evocative novel of Cornwall’s smuggling days of yore. The late author is the inspiration for a charming annual festival of arts and literature which takes place in her beloved Fowey each May.

Jamaica Inn is not the only accommodation option on Bodmin Moor. There are a number of interesting hotel, B&B and self-catering accommodation possibilities to choose from. I particularly like the comfortable Mount Pleasant Farmhouse & Cottages run by Colette Capper at Mount, the small moorland village enshrined in Annie Ovenden's book Completing The Picture.

Places and facilities online Arthurian Cornwall: http://www1.king-arthur.co.uk/ North Cornwall District: http://www.north-cornwall.com Temple: http://www.kingmere.f9.co.uk/Templarpictures/tempcorn.html Sir John Betjeman: http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/betjeman.htm The Brotherhood of Ruralists: http://aznet.co.uk/ruralists/ Ruralist Fine Art Portfolio: http://ruralistfineart.co.uk/ Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/ The Romance of King Arthur, (Arthur Rackham): http://camelot.celtic- twilight.com/illustrators/rackham11.htm National Trust: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ Daphne du Maurier Festival: http://www.dumaurier.org/index.html Mount Pleasant Farmhouse: http://www.colettecapper.freeuk.com/

Palace, Purdey, Rod and Gibbet Filed 2000.Updated 2004.

London is bursting at its seams in August and September as the world comes to visit. There was a time when I would caution anyone from visiting Europe's most thrilling city at such a time. However few can choose their vacation dates, and the Queen has changed London's summer visiting scene by opening up Buckingham Palace during August and September while she and the Royal Family are enjoying a Highland respite at Balmoral Castle.

Palace. Buckingham Palace is a lived-in working residence for Britain's Head of State. Its State Rooms are in constant use for what they were designed and decorated for by George IV and succeeding monarchs; Occasions of State. Unlike museums which so often have the dead feel of a flyblown case of decaying butterfly specimens, the Palace is vibrant with the energy of use.

I like to pay a visit to the Palace each summer now to admire the works of art; paintings, sculpture, porcelain and furniture that are on display in the State Rooms and Queens Gallery and make up part of Britain's remarkable Royal Collection heritage. Each year Her Majesty authorises an added bonus: a themed exhibition mounted in the hugely opulent State Ballroom, now used for Palace investitures and State banquets. Previous exhibitions have featured memorabilia pertaining to the late Queen Mother’s time at the Palace from 1937 – 1953. Jubilee Year saw an exhibition devoted to the coronation and the Queen’s coronation robes.

This year, 2004, sees an exhibition of royal ball gowns worn by Queen Victoria, a reminder that as a young Queen she was very much the belle of the ball, frequently dancing till 4 am with her beloved Albert! Among the gowns on display is one worn by Victoria’s daughter-in-law, who later became Queen Alexandra as Edward VII’s Consort. There will be few who can match her 20 inch waist in this era of Big Macs.

Kings and queens and guillotines Taking lives denied Starch and parchments laid the laws When bishops took the ride

Lyric from Kings and Queens by Aerosmith

Purdey. Those who can get away for a weekend’s shooting will pack their Purdey and head north to the purple heather-covered Yorkshire moors or further north over Hadrian’s Wall into Scotland for the grouse shooting. The season starts on 12th August and the big landowners let out their keepers and the shooting, not to mention their castle, butler and cook, to parties of Americans and Europeans for the first few weeks. During this time grouse shooting is big business - and you need to be big in business to afford the big bucks you must pay per week per gun to blast luckless birds out of the sky.

Bang! Bang! a bunch of plumage gory. Five hundred francs they cost to slay And few there live to tell the story . . . Yet look! there's one so swift to fly, Despite the shots a course he's steering . . . Brave little bird! he's winging high, He's gained the trees - I feel like cheering.

Robert W. Service 1874-1958

Rod. My shooting days ended when I completed my military service half a century ago. I prefer the gurgling waters of a Cornish stream, the peaceful pleasure of a day with rod and line on the River Fowey or Camel below the Bodmin Moor where I once rambled, followed by an evening game of skittles over a pint of ale in a moorland or quayside pub. There is nothing to beat the simple pleasure of a freshly caught trout, smoke-cooked that same evening on the barbecue and served with minted peas and Cornish potatoes, washed down perhaps with a bottle of chilled white wine from the local Camel Valley. And when day is done, an evening visit to the pub in the moorland village of Blisland finds me some good company and a fine brew of Real Ale drawn from the wood by a jovial landlord.

You can waste a whole lifetime Trying to be What you think is expected of you But you’ll never be free - May as well go fishing

Lyric from Gone Fishing by Chris Rea

Gibbet. Bodmin is Cornwall’s oldest town, having received its borough charter from Alfred the Great’s grandson King Athelstan some 1100 years ago. When William the conqueror ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, Bodmin was the only market town in Cornwall. In its turbulent history, Cornwall’s old Assize Town has seen rebellion against taxation in mediaeval times, when the unsuspecting Town Mayor was invited to erect a gibbet and then forced to put his head into the noose!

In Victorian times people would take a trip into Bodmin from nearby Wadebridge on the newly built railway line to watch the public hangings outside Bodmin Gaol. They hanged a total of 51 felons there as a public spectacle before the prison was finally closed. Things were less bloodthirsty I am glad to say when I was Bodmin’s Town Mayor in 1975. The old gaol had been turned into a night club. It and the Assize Court, where the visiting judge donned the black cap and pronounced the sentence of death by hanging, are now a museum.

Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while I think I see my friends coming Ridin' many mile So friends, you get some silver Did you get a little gold What did you bring me, my dear friends To keep me from the gallows pole What did you bring me to keep me from the gallows pole

Gallows Pole Lyric by Page and Plant

They closed the rail line some years ago but a thriving society of enthusiasts maintains the Victorian station, track, rolling stock and a 126 year old steam engine on a stretch of line patronised by the Duke of Edinburgh on a recent visit.

Day, week or season Angling permits for trout and salmon fishing are available in Bodmin. There are pleasant and profitable stretches of public fishing on both the River Fowey, which rises high on Bodmin Moor and winds its way south to the sea at the historic town of Fowey, and on the River Camel which flows off the Moor, beneath Slaughterbridge at Camelford and into the Atlantic at picturesque old Padstow.

Bodmin now has really high quality privately run B&B accommodation, (AA 4 Diamonds), run by Gill Jenkins and her husband at Bedknobs, a supremely comfortable Victorian mansion set in pleasant woodland gardens with mature rhododendrons that provide a blaze of exotic colour in early summer. The owners are busy renovating the original Victorian conservatory which will doubtless prove an added attraction in due course. I remember an earlier owner, the late Joyce Foster J.P, telling me back in the early 1960s that she was the first lady to drive a car up the town’s main street at the turn of the last century. The Bedknobs website is also full of interesting reasons for making Bodmin and Bedknobs a vacation touring centre. Check it out.

Places and facilities online Buckingham Palace: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page555.asp Field Sports Lettings: http://www.smithsgore.co.uk/ Bedknobs at Bodmin: http://www.bedknobs.co.uk/  Angling Permits, Fowey River: http://www.southeastcornwall.co.uk/ Camel Valley Vineyard, Cornwall: http://www.camelvalley.com/ Blisland Inn: http://www.bodminmoor.co.uk/blislandinn/ Angling on Suite101.com: http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/fishing

Travelsleuth’s Diary of August Events The Royal Month: The Royal Family and court are based in Holyrood House, Edinburgh this month. The Queen is resident at Balmoral Castle, the Royal Family's private Scottish home. During the month she will be joined by various members of her family who traditionally spend time at Balmoral during the summer. The social season follows the Royal Family from London to Scotland during this time. Prince Philip and Prince Charles wear Highland dress when at Balmoral and are most likely to be seen sporting the Balmoral tartan, a plaid exclusive to the Royal Family and Balmoral Estate residents. Some important engagements take place this month in Scotland. Elsewhere, the Duke of Edinburgh may be seen at the Cowes Regatta in his capacity as Commodore of the Royal Yacht squadron. The State Rooms of Buckingham Palace are open to the public during the Queen’s absence from London.

Buckingham Palace State Rooms & Gardens Opening Date: End of July – end of September Venue: Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA Description: The annual opening of the State Rooms and Gardens to the public. Further Information & Tickets: Check up-to-date details on the official website. Book your tickets in advance on the credit card hotline 020 7766 7300; Email: [email protected]. This will save you valuable time and possible disappointment otherwise spent queuing at the special kiosk opposite the palace in Green Park. Tickets are date and time sensitive and last entry is at 4.15pm which, in the Travelsleuth’s opinion, does not give adequate time to see much. We recommend morning entry if available. Plan to spend 2 – 3 hours inside and leave time to enjoy the gardens and browse in the Palace gift shop. Once inside the palace buy the beautifully illustrated and informative official palace guidebook and do not be afraid to ask the helpful wardens who are available at all points of the designated route through the State Rooms any questions you may have. Combine a Palace visit with a visit to the Queen’s Gallery to see other art and artefacts from the Royal Collection. You can also visit the Royal Mews to see the Queen’s horses and state carriages. Ticket proceeds go to the upkeep of the Royal Collection. Website: http://www.royal.gov.uk/ Getting There: Entry from Buckingham Gate on the south side next to the Queen’s Gallery. Nearest Underground: Green Park, Hyde Park Corner, Victoria. Dress: Cameras, umbrellas and bags must be left at the entrance vestibule. Accommodation: European Royals and official visitors who are popping in to the Palace for a State banquet, investiture or similar function like to stay at the nearby Goring Hotel just behind the Palace at Beeston Place, Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1 OJW; Tel: 020 7396 9000; fax: 020 7834 4393; Email: [email protected]. The Goring recently gained a well deserved 5 Red Star rating from Britain’s Automobile Association and is the Travelsleuth’s top Connoisseur Choice in London. The Crown Prince of Norway wrote in the hotel guestbook: “I much prefer to stay at the Goring. I don’t have a bathroom to myself at Buckingham Palace” The Palace bathrooms are in fact unlikely to equal the marble splendour of the hotel’s en-suite ‘throne rooms’. The Goring’s excellent restaurant offers a leisurely old fashioned silver service and ‘Roast beef of old England’ fare to a dedicated clientele of regulars and Palace visitors. You will enjoy relaxing in the hotel’s pleasant bar and lounge after walking around the Palace and its grounds. The photographic gallery of Royal and celebrity patrons that graces the hotel foyer is diverting.

The Scandia Cowes Regatta Date: First or second week August, Saturday - Saturday Venue: The Solent, Cowes, Isle of Wight Description: International sailing week drawing yachtsmen and their crews to the select environs of the Royal Yacht Squadron, and other yacht clubs open to lesser mortals. A multitude of races organised by the Combined Yacht Clubs take place over the week under the aegis of the RYC. Evenings are a social whirl of invitation cocktail parties and balls at the various yacht clubs. The RYS Member’s Ball is the social highlight of Cowes Week, (Mess kit or tails and white tie preferred, dinner jacket and black tie accepted). The rest of us enter into riotously noisy and alcoholic après-sea nightlife in the discos and pubs. Further Information: Temporary membership is available from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club; Tel: 01983 293581, or the Island Sailing Club; Tel: 01983 216621, both of which have excellent vantage points for race viewing, facilities for those racing, bars and restaurant. All racing can be seen from Cowes esplanade. A dramatic firework display takes place on the Friday night. Websites: RYS.http://www.rys.com Combined Cowes clubs.http://www.cowesweek.co.uk Tourist Office. http://www.islandbreaks.co.uk Getting There: Serious yachtsmen sail in on the high tide. Otherwise take car and passenger ferry or catamaran from Southampton to Cowes. Dress: Outside the strict confines of the RYS, dress is nautical casual. If you don’t have the gear, some excellent nautical shops will fit you out in the latest fashion for mermen and their mermaids. Accommodation: Cowes is overwhelmed by numbers during this week and accommodation should be booked months in advance in Cowes or neighbouring sailing villages Seaview, Bembridge and Yarmouth. Inland at Newport, the picturesque county town, the attractive 17th century Wheatsheaf Hotel offers good food, good beer and hospitality. Visitors in distress can call the tourist board’s accommodation hotline; Tel: 01983 813813. Best of all worm your way onto a friend’s ocean racing yacht berthed in Cowes marina. But expect to be asked to crew.

Gatcombe International Horse Trials Date: First weekend in August over three days. Venue: Gatcombe Park, Minchinhampton, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 9AT Description: The renowned festival of British Eventing at the Princess Royal’s home incorporates the British Open, Intermediate and novice Championships. This is an informal, family orientated event and the Princess Royal is to be seen very much enjoying herself. Her former husband, Capt. Mark Phillips, is closely involved in the organisation and course layout. The normal ingredients of a country horse trials are on offer; dressage, show-jumping, cross-country plus dog events. Further Information & Tickets: Contact the Estate Office at the venue address. Email: [email protected] One or three-day tickets available online at discount, (book by mid July), or pay at the gate. Website: http://www.gatcombe-horse.co.uk/ Getting There: Road. 100 miles from London. Take the M4 to Swindon, from there the A417. At Driffield follow the A419 towards Stroud and look for event signs. Dress: Tweed. Binoculars. Shooting Stick. Accommodation: This is beautiful Cotswolds country with a plethora of fine hotel and B&B accommodation to choose from. Check out the official Stroud tourism website for illustrated details on: http://www.visitthecotswolds.org.uk/ Travelsleuth’s personal favourite is Calcot Manor, a large and beautifully converted farmstead near Tetbury, with swimming pool, whirlpool baths, and good food served in the conservatory restaurant and Gumstool bar/brasserie. Check it out on: http://www.calcotmanor.co.uk

Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales Date: First or second week in August. Venue: South and North Wales alternating. 2004: Newport. 2005: Eryri. 2006: Swansea. See website. Description: The largest annual cultural festival in Wales that brings together the nation’s poets and musicians – around 6,000 competitors watched by some 175,000 spectators. This event, which is in Welsh, has considerable pedigree. The first Eisteddfod was held in 1176 at Lord Rhys’s castle in Cardigan when the best poet and musician were honoured with a chair at the Lord’s table. Wales’s gentry and noblemen continued to support the event over the centuries until 1880 the National Eisteddfod Association was formed to organise the now large annual event. Today the Prince of Wales is, naturally enough, a prominent supporter. Further Information & Tickets: Contact the organisation’s headquarters at: Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru, 40 Parc Ty Glas, Llanisien, Cardiff, CF4 5WU; Tel: 01222 763 777; Fax: 01222 763 737. Contacts for South and North Wales can be found on the website. Tickets can be purchased online. Website: http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk Accommodation: Check with local tourist board or website contact for South or North Wales. The Best Bed & Breakfast have a good selection of reasonably priced accommodation on http://www.bestbandb.co.uk/

Traelsleuth’s Diary Memo Book tickets for the BurghleyHorse Trials, (September) by mid-August

SEPTEMBER

The golden-rod is yellow, The corn is turning brown; The trees in apple orchards With fruit are bending down Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885).

Harvest Home Filed 2003 I love the days of late summer. Here in the September countryside the heat of summer has given way to mellower days and cooler, starry nights. Each day the morning sun takes a few minutes longer to burn off those early morning mists that now linger in the valleys. They remind us that autumn is almost upon us. Meanwhile, it is still warm down on the now deserted beach. The tourist throng of August has left, the children are back in school and I have the empty strand to myself once again as I take my early morning stroll.

The brambles in the hedgerows lining the country lane that meanders past my old cottage are presenting the last of a bumper crop of blackberries that has been remarkable for its abundance and sweet lusciousness of fruit. I picked the first blackberry in the last week of June and have been cropping every week since. My garden shed now harbours 16 gallons of blackberry wine that I have made during the summer. I shall leave it to mature and bottle it next summer when I begin next year's blackberry winemaking.

All indications are that this will prove to be a striking ‘vintage’; full-bodied, smooth but strong in flavour and rich in colour. I am still picking blackberries, though the fruit is less luscious than the first crop, reflecting the dryness of this past summer. Now that it is apple-picking time, I shall make use the last of the blackberries and the first of the apples to make a lighter Blackberry & Apple wine.

Down at the end of the lane, where it peters out into dense prickly copses of sloe shrubs and rough downland, I have discovered a solitary crab-apple tree, its branches heavy with bright red fruit. I spotted it the other evening when I was collecting sloes to make up a Christmas bottle of sloe liqueur to my grandmother’s old recipe. My grandmother used to make a crab apple wine each autumn and I am about to embark on making a batch myself. As with rhubarb, it is best to use the fruit to produce a dry, rather than sweet, wine. Crab apples, like rhubarb, blend superbly with other fruits like apricots, blackberries or prunes for wine making. Used on their own however, their astringency makes them eminently suitable for the production of a delightful dry aperitif.

Summer Butterflies and Autumn Planting Filed 2003

The long hot summer has had some interesting effects upon Britain’s wildlife. The house martins, which provide such spectacular aerial displays above my cottage at dusk during the summer, have found supplies of insect food so plentiful that they have been able to rear three broods.

My garden has seen more butterflies and moths than ever. They feed on nectar from the mauve, white and red buddleia, and the many different varieties of lavender that I planted three years ago when I came to live on this peaceful island. I have particularly enjoyed watching a humming bird moth which came every day to feed on the lavender, darting and hovering among the slower drowsy bumblebees.

The heat wave has in fact helped a number of butterflies on the endangered list to thrive this year. Rarities such as the Adonis Blue, the Wood White, the High Brown Fritillary, the Silver Studded Blue and the Silver-spotted Skipper, (this latter not seen in these parts for 35 years), have been seen in sometimes spectacular numbers. Those like the Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell that do not migrate to warmer climes but hibernate here, are taking advantage of the warm September days to feed longer before winter finally sets in. Peacock butterflies love the buddleia and lavender in my garden and I have seen many vying with the bees to feed on the nectar of the blossoms. We shall see the bonus next year when ever-greater numbers of butterflies and moths flutter into our gardens to delight us with their colourful pollinating presence.

It is clean-up and bulb planting time for we gardeners, galvanised by the calm sunny days of late summer into an orgy of planting. I have been busy clearing away the debris of perennials to dig in hundreds of snowdrops that will brighten the grey days of February with their delicate blooms. I shall spend time this weekend raising the turf to plant in crocuses and dwarf daffodils. Early flowering pink Crocus tommasinianus with provide a carpet of warming colour and a promise of warmer days to come. They will happily colonize the whole patch of lawn in due course. I shall plant narcissus bulbs from the Scilly Isles in my small apple orchard at the back of the cottage, where they will be shielded from the rain and winds off the Atlantic. They will give golden colour in late February and early March.

’daffodils That come before the swallow dares, and take The winds of March with beauty’

The daffodils’ dance in the March sunshine will herald the return of our swallows and house martins. These beautiful birds of summer have enlivened our long warm evenings with their overhead aerobatics at day's end before the bats ventured forth from my neighbour’s barn to feed in the gathering dusk. As Shakespeare, the supreme Tudor ornithologist noted in Timon of Athens, they are among the first to flee south to warmer climes. The swallow follows not summer more willingly than we your lordship, nor more willingly leaves winter…

The evenings draw in now. I have much to clear in my cottage garden, grown blowsy from a summer excess of floral colour and foliage, and I am enjoying now the fruits of my vegetable garden husbandry during the summer. I have already picked a massive crop of ripe and aromatically juicy tomatoes. Will a kind autumn encourage those late burgeoning bunches of green fruit to ripen on the stem before the wintry north-east winds strip the leaves from the trees? Or shall I be spending my October evenings potting up batches of spicy green tomato chutney from the old Mrs. Beeton recipe to add to the jars of home-made zucchini and corn relish, pickled walnuts, and assorted jams stocked away in the larder? The relish is witness to an overabundant harvest of zucchini from the five seedlings I planted out after the swallows returned to bring enchantment to our summer sky. I have left one baby marrow to expand to its full size and girth as an offering for our local Harvest Home festival.

‘Hip, hip, hip, harvest home, A good plum pudding and a bacon bone, And that's a right good harvest home’

I appreciate vegetables that are decorative as well as edible. The Cucurbita family of squash admirably fulfill this role for me. Their bright orange or yellow male and female flowers and large broad leaves also hide a multitude of sins! Like their oriental cousins the ornamental gourds, they can be easily trained over fences and up walls and, more importantly for me in my confined garden space, do yeoman service in covering an unsightly but essential garden compost heap.

I am still picking the last handfuls of runner beans from the green tendrils of Phaseolus multiflorus that have screened the south wall of my cottage since June. My grandmother, who never owned a fridge, used to pickle them in vinegary brine in the continental European fashion to make what is known, and still enjoyed in parts of rural Germany, as saure Bohnen. My beans however are destined for the freezer.

The beans' scarlet flowers and leafy runners have given life to the otherwise bare cottage wall. It is said that the Elizabethans first cultivated the runner bean in England over 400 years ago as an ornamental climber. My battered 1930's gardening encyclopaedia is more cautious, suggesting its arrival from Mexico, ‘where it may be found growing freely in the wild state’, 200 or more years later in early Hanoverian times. I shall leave the roots in the ground over winter when I cut down the tendrils. They are reservoirs of nitrogen.

Autumn Chrysanthemums September is a great month for national flower shows. The National Amateur Gardening Show takes place early in the month at the Bath & West Showground at Shepton Mallet in Somerset. The following weekend Harrogate, Yorkshire's proud and beautiful Spa Town, hosts its renowned North of England Horticultural Society Autumn Show at the Great Yorkshire Showground. This is undoubtedly the premier autumn flower show in the country. For thirteen national societies, among them the British National Carnation Society and the Royal National Rose Society this is the highlight of the year. Florally this is a great show for grand displays of chrysanthemums, dahlias, gladioli, geraniums, and fuchsias, all of which are on show in profusion.

Harrogate also presides over the culmination of one of the North Countryman's favourite garden pastimes; growing monster vegetables. It is venue for the annual National Vegetable Society Championship and the National Carrot, Leek, Onion & Potato Championships. And, believe me; they take their giant leek and onion growing very seriously indeed up in the Yorkshire dales. I cannot compete with such dedicated expertise and shall content myself with my baby sized monster marrow for the Harvest Festival!

Places and Facilities online Thoughts from the Garden. A Suite101.com Anthology: http://www.suite101.com/topic_page.cfm/4651/4380 Come for a Stroll in my Garden. A Suite101.com Anthology: http://www.suite101.com/topic_page.cfm/4651/4419 Harrogate Autumn Flower Show: http://www.flowershow.org.uk. Autumn Leaves Filed 1999

I love London in the Autumn. The summer tourist season is over and Londoners can get down to the serious business of enjoying their 300 museums, free art galleries, West End theatres, the excellent restaurants of every nationality, the local pub hidden away down a picturesque mews, and our peaceful Royal Parks.

The weather at this time of year is invariably benign. As I write, Londoners are enjoying Autumnal temperatures in the high 60's which is comfortable for walking in Kensington Palace Gardens, (have a look at the Palace, the Albert Memorial and the Albert Hall, or St.James Park, enjoy the magnificent views of Whitehall and Buckingham Palace and feed the birds and squirrels).

This is a pleasant time to browse among the elegant shops and galleries in Bond Street, the Royal Arcade and Burlington Arcade in Mayfair, or Beauchamp Place and Halkin Street in Knightsbridge.

I cannot pass down Bond Street without pausing within the portals of The Fine Art Society's Gallery at 148 New Bond Street. At a time when art dealers have become narrowly specialist in their vision, the 125 year old Society remains firmly pluralist in its stock of pictures, sculpture, art nouveau designer furniture, glass, silver, ceramics and textiles. Their contribution to the appreciation of art and design of the 19th and 20th centuries has been impressive. My own personal collection of 19th century watercolours began here with the acquisition of The Blackberry Pickers, a fine Welsh scene by David Cox, and Scottish scene by Sir William MacTaggart forty years ago, and I have enjoyed and aesthetically profited from the informed advice of its directors ever since.

At the Piccadilly end of Old Bond Street stands the Ritz Hotel, which together with the Connaught off Berkeley Square, and Claridge's in Duke Street, remains unrivalled for discreet, old fashioned quality service. It used to be the pleasure of my late grandfather, General Sir Charles, to entertain my mother and me to tea in the Palm Court at the Ritz during the dark days of World War II. The Ritz still serves the best Afternoon Tea in the West End, though the String Ensemble has been replaced by a piano accompaniment as you pour the Darjeeling from a silver teapot.

A short walk across Green Park from the Ritz brings you to Buckingham Palace. The Queen's Gallery, is open throughout the year, (book your tickets online and avoid the queues). It is currently exhibiting a magnificent collection of seventy drawings by Raphael, (1483 - 1520), and his circle of artists, from the Royal Collection. These include his father Giovanni Santi, his teacher Perugino, and his assistants. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the collected work of perhaps the single most influential painter in the history of Western art.

The exhibition ends on 10th October, when the Gallery and the Gallery shop closes for a major architectural facelift that will take a year to complete. The Palace State Rooms remain open to the public until 3rd October, when the Queen returns from her summer stay at Balmoral in Scotland. The 10 Pounds entrance fee is worth every penny.

Places and Facilities online Fine Art Society, London: http://www.faslondon.com/ David Cox, Artist: http://www.antiquemapsandprints.com/david- cox.htm Sir William MacTaggart, Artist: http://www.theo- zimmerman.freeserve.co.uk/mactaggart.htm Bond Street: http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/ The Queen’s Gallery: http://www.albemarle- london.com/thequeensgallery.html Raphael: http://www.globalgallery.com/artist.bio.asp?nm=raphael 9/11. The Queen’s Tears for America Filed 9/14. 2001

London, 14 September. St. Paul's Cathedral, 2001 Two rivers ran through London on Friday. The serene Thames, guardian of the ancient city's 2000 year history, glided silently past the Palaces of Hampton Court, Westminster and Greenwich on its way to the sea. From St. Paul's Cathedral, the dome of which adds such splendour to London's skyline, another river flowed; a river of tears and emotion.

It welled up with the first chord from the Cathedral's great organ. It bubbled over the beautiful Grinling Gibbons choir stalls as the Cathedral choristers in white ruffs and surplices began to sing the American National Anthem. It rippled down the long nave and engulfed Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she led 2700 mourners in singing The Star Spangled Banner. It flowed out though the open doors of the twin-towered west portico of Sir Christopher Wren's monumental Baroque Cathedral and down Ludgate Hill, enveloping, as it went, the 13,000 worshippers who stood outside in the pale Autumn sunshine.

It was midday. London was mourning the innocents of the Manhattan massacre with The Queen and proclaiming the bravery and dedication unto death of the New York Fire Service. It was a moment of unity with America in a shared grief and anger that was watched on TV by millions at home. Britain paused in silence at that moment.

The Queen does not sing National Anthems. As Head of State, she stands with lips firmly closed on such occasions. Nor does The Queen show emotion in public. As Britain's Head of State, she maintains a legendary 'stiff upper lip'.

People are not encouraged to wave National flags during worship in St. Paul's Cathedral. Friday changed all that. The Queen sang America's National Anthem and later when she led the congregation in singing the rousing Battle Hymn of the Republic, (last heard beneath the dome of St. Paul's at the 1965 funeral of our great Anglo-American Knight of the Garter, Sir Winston Churchill), she wept. Earlier, the Stars and Stripes waved proud as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, described from the pulpit the sight of the Statue of Liberty torch rising triumphant above the smoke of Wednesday's dawn in Manhattan; a symbol of "hope and inspiration" in the dark aftermath of horror and suffering.

There are few in the Kingdom who have heard their Sovereign sing. This is a pity. Her Majesty is blessed with a melodious soprano voice, rarely heard beyond the ears of her family and the royal household.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, read the first of the two lessons and Mr.William Farish, the newly appointed US Ambassador to Britain, the second. The Ambassador's position has been high profile during this past week of tragedy. He attended the 'Star Spangled' Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace on Thursday with the Duke of York and his personal presence has been noticeable in Grosvenor Square where thousands queue each day to sign the US Embassy Books of Condolence and leave a floral tribute to the slain at the foot of the Roosevelt memorial. His bronze statue dominates the centre of this stately old Square which was laid out in about 1725 and has been affectionately known as 'Little America' for considerably longer than my 67 years.

Mr.Farish has brought quiet dignity and considerable charm with him to his ambassadorial office at this traumatic time. He and his wife Sarah are no strangers to England. He has played polo with Prince Charles and shares a close interest in racehorse breeding and training with the Queen. It has brought her to the Farish Kentucky stables on a number of occasions and the Farishes to Windsor Castle as guests of the Queen.

London, 15 September, Royal Albert Hall We saw the Ambassador again on Saturday evening. He was a special guest at Saturday's 'Last Night of the Proms' at the Royal Albert Hall which was televised live on giant screens in a number of city parks across the country. The traditionally rumbustious abandon of the last concert of the Henry Wood Promenade Concert season was altered to become a most moving 'Requiem for Manhattan'; a musical memorial to the slain. Among the pieces played was American Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings introduced by Los Angeles born conductor Leonard Slatkin as "our music of grief". In an unscheduled show of solidarity at the end of the performance a surprised and, I suspect, overwhelmed Mr Farish found himself linked in arms with 5,500 promenaders in the Albert Hall singing Auld Lang Syne.

We in Britain have been deeply moved by the caring community concern displayed by New Yorkers in their distress. The stories of heroism and unflinching devotion to duty displayed by the city's firemen and rescue workers and the support given to them by a thankful community in the face of terror, sorrow and uncertainty have been uplifting. Citizens of all Faiths have united as one. In such a climate of caring commitment the Torch of Freedom atop the Statue of Liberty is truly a 'Pharos'. Its light of democracy provides present inspiration and future hope in darkest moments of infamy.

They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the evening we shall remember them.”

Our thoughts are with those that mourn and the 10,000 or more innocent children who have been orphaned in this atrocity. The Twin Towers Orphans Fund has a daunting task ahead and deserves all the support we can give. Our prayers are with those who must soon venture forth on our behalf into war zone danger in the name of Justice and Freedom.

Places and Facilities online St.Paul’s Cathedral Official Website: http://www.stpauls.co.uk/ Twin Towers Orphan Fund: http://ttof.org

Travelsleuth’s Diary of September Events Royal Month: The Queen is normally resident this month in Scotland at Balmoral Castle, the Royal Family's private Scottish home. During the month she will be joined by various members of her family who traditionally spend time at Balmoral during the summer. Prince Philip and Prince Charles wear Highland dress when at Balmoral and are most likely to be seen sporting the Balmoral tartan, a plaid exclusive to the Royal Family and Balmoral Estate residents. The State Rooms of Buckingham Palace are open to the public during the Queen’s absence from London.

The Braemar Gathering, Scottish Highlands Date: The first Saturday in September Venue: The Princess Royal and Duke of York Memorial Park, Braemar, Ballater AB35 5YA, Scotland Description: Scotland is host to some 70 Highland Gatherings & Games every summer. The granddaddy and most prestigious of them all takes place each September near Balmoral at Braemar and there gains an honorary place in this diary of events in England. This international gathering has a long history of royal connections dating back to its first beginnings during the reign of King Malcolm Canmore. He camped here with his army prior to engaging and defeating MacBeth of later Shakespearean fame at a battle near Lumphanon in 1057. Malcolm III ruled Scotland until 1093 and is reputed to have called together the Scottish Clans to the Braes O' Mar that he might 'by keen and fair contest' select his hardiest soldiers and fleetest messengers. His Queen, the pious Margaret, was unusually well educated for a lady of her times and is thought to have been in part responsible for this contest which she had based upon her readings about the classical Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. The grandest of the Highland gatherings held in Scotland each summer. The Queen is Patron of the Gathering and the event has traditionally attracted members of the Royal Family from nearby Balmoral since Queen Victoria patronised the event. Highlights include traditional Highland dancing, piping, tossing the caber, putting the stone and throwing the hammer. Expect to see an impressive display of pipe bands and international athletes of Scottish descent participating in the track events. Most of all, admire the cream of Scottish society as they pay tribute to the Royal Family. Information & Tickets: Seats always sell out, so book early. The box office opens in February. Write to: Braemar Royal Highland Society, Coilacriech, Ballater, Aberdeenshire AB35 5UH; tel: 01339 755377; email: [email protected]. Website: http://www.braemargathering.org Dress: Smart outdoor clothing. This is the occasion to wear the family tartan it you have one. Accommodation: Contact the Aberdeen and Grampian Tourist Board, South Area Office, Bridge Street, Banchory, Scotland AB31 5SX. Email: [email protected]. website: http://www.agtb.org.

Burghley Horse Trials, Lincolnshire Date: First weekend in September over four days. Venue: Burghley Park, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2LH. Description: This is one of the best-respected international three-day events, bringing together dressage, show-jumping and cross-country competitions on the Marquis of Exeter's estate. The event has strong Royal links: Capt. Mark Phillips, former husband of the Princess Royal, was course designer ' here from 1989 to 1996 and from 1998 to 2000. The trials have been held here since 1961 and attract entrants of international calibre. It is worth visiting merely to enjoy the grounds which, together with the park's lake, were landscaped by Capability Brown in 1775-80; and also the Tudor palace built by William Cecil, 1st Lord Burghley, who became Queen Elizabeth I's most powerful minister. You may visit 16th-century house; Tel: 01780 752451. A number of interesting events take place at Burghley during the year. See the comprehensive house website for details: http://www.burghley.co.uk/Burghley_Home.html Further Information: Contact the Burghley Horse Trials Office, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2LH; Tel: 01780 752 131/2; Fax: 01780 752 982. See also the website of the British Horse Trials Association, the sport's national body at www.bhta.co.uk. Getting There: Stamford is approximately 90 miles north-east of London up the Al. Trains run to Stamford station from Birmingham, Leicester, Nuneaton or Peterborough; take a taxi from the station. For rail inquiries, Tel: 0345 484950. You may land a helicopter at the event with prior arrangement; Tel: 01780 752131. If you wish to arrive by small aircraft, contact the nearest airfields: Klingair Ltd., Conington, Peterborough; Tel: 01487 832022; and Sibson Airfield, Wansford, Peterborough: Tel: 01832 280289. Tickets: Book early. Tickets are on sale from May 1. Book online or apply for advance tickets by mid-August to the Box Office, Burghley Horse Trials, Sanders Road, Wellingborough, Northants NN8 4BX; tel: 01933 304744; fax: 01933 270300. Membership, caravan membership, four-day admission tickets/car park passes, Saturday Saver admission and accompanying car pass, reserved car parking space and covered/uncovered grandstand seats can be booked online in advance. On some days you may be able to buy day tickets at the gate. Website: http://www.burghley-horse.co.uk/ Dress: Smart country outfits; tweeds and Barbours Accommodation: The 1,000-year-old George Hotel ,71 St. Martins, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2LB; Tel: 01780 750750; Fax: 01780 750701, is the Travelsleuth's Connoisseur’s Choice. A history dating back to Saxon King Edred (946-955), comfortable old-world ambiance, and mouth-watering cuisine backed by finely chosen wines have brought this ancient coaching inn fame over the centuries. It lies on the ancient east coast coaching road from London to Edinburgh. Charles I stayed in 1641 and 1645, William III in 1696, and the infamous Duke of Cumberland in 1745. The 18th- century novelist Sir Walter Scott was a regular here on his travels. Dine in the oak- panelled London Room or outside in the picturesque cobbled courtyard. Sink a pint or two of real ale in the old York Bar. Your stay at this ancient hostelry will be memorable. Early booking is essential for this event. For other local options, contact the Tourist Information Centre, 27 St Mary's Street Stamford, Lincolnshire PE7 2DL; Tel/fax: 01780 755611.

Blenheim Horse Trials, Oxfordshire Date: Mid to late September: Venue: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxon, OX20 1PS. Description: Another in the season's series of British horse trials, this has the benefit of being held in the splendid grounds of the Duke of Marlborough's Blenheim Palace. Enjoy the sporting action - the usual combination of dressage, show-jumping and cross-country - and also the atmosphere among the county's top families. Further Information & Tickets: You will need a ticket to watch the dressage and show- jumping. Contact the Horse Trials Office, Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxon, OX20 1PS. Tel: 01993 813335 or Box Office 01993 813255; Fax: 01993 813337. If you are not familiar with this magnificent 18th century palace built as a national thank you to the Duke of Marlborough for defeating the French, I recommend a visit. Entry includes an exhibition devoted to Sir Winston Churchill who was born and lived his early life here, access to the park and palace gardens, and rides on the estate's own train. To book tickets, tel: 01993 811091; fax: 01993 813527. A number of interesting events take place here during the year. See the comprehensive website for details. Website: http://www.blenheimpalace.com/ Getting There: Blenheim Palace is on the A44 Evesham Road just outside Woodstock, at the start of the Cotswolds. It should take about 90 minutes to drive from London; leave the M40 motorway at Junction 9, before Oxford, and follow signs to Blenheim. The nearest railway station is Oxford; a taxi will add a good £10 to your travel bill. Dress: Smart country clothes. Accommodation: Good nearby accommodation is offered by the Bear Hotel, Park Street, Woodstock, Oxon 0X20 1SZ; Tel: 0870 400 8202; Fax: 01993 813380; a comfortable and traditional coaching inn a short walk away in central Woodstock. Consider also the Blenheim Guesthouse and Tea Rooms, 17 Park Street, Woodstock, Oxon 0X20 1SJ; Tel: 01993 813814; Fax: 01993 813810; email: [email protected]; a small, friendly establishment. For something grander, enjoy Oxford's sumptuous Randolph Hotel, Beaumont Street, Oxford 0X1 2LN; Tel: 01865 203286; Fax: 01865 790940.

Flat Racing: The St. Leger Stakes, South Yorkshire Date: September. Venue: Doncaster Racecourse, Leger Way, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN2 6BB. Description: The great St Leger Stakes is the feature race of a four-day event. It has been run at Doncaster since 1778 and is a major English Classic race. The September meeting also includes four other important races, including the Doncaster Cup. The meeting attracts the top social set. Historically, Monarchs and aristocrats, notably the Duke of Devonshire and the Duke of Portland, have been celebrated participants. The Queen has enjoyed some of her best racing days here, especially in her Jubilee year of 1977, when her horse Dumfermline won both the St Leger and the Oaks. Further Information & Tickets: Write to Doncaster Racecourse, Grand Stand, Leger Way, Doncaster South Yorkshire DN2 6BB; Tel: 01302 320066; Fax: 01302 323271; email: [email protected]. For the best views, take a private box in the St Leger Stand, offering a glimpse into the Winners' Enclosure as well as the finishing post. Each box has a private bar, closed- circuit television, and two-level viewing balcony, together with a dedicated bar attendant. The Royal Box has spectacular views of the course and the Winners' Enclosure, and its own lift. Getting There: The racecourse is in the South Yorkshire town of Doncaster, close to the Ml 8 motorway, off the A638 route (leave the motorway at Junctions 3 or 4). Helicopters may land at the course by prior arrangement. Trains link Doncaster with London King's Cross. Accommodation: Race-goers favour the Grand St. Leger Hotel (tel: 01302 364111; fax: 01302 329865), conveniently opposite the course. It offers comfortable or superior rooms, restaurant and lounge bar. In Doncaster, Hamilton's Hotel & Restaurant, Carr House Road, Doncaster DN4 5HP; tel: 01302 760770; fax: 01302 768101/760720; email: [email protected] offers more luxurious accommodation and dining in elegant surroundings. To the South, off the M18, the 17th-century Hellaby Hall Hotel, Old Hellaby Lane, Hellaby, Rotherham S66 8SN; tel: 01709 702701; fax: 01709 700979; email: [email protected] provides well-furnished comfort with formal dining in the Attic Restaurant or more informal fare in Rizzio's restaurant and bar.

The Harrogate Autumn Flower Show Date: Three days mid September. Venue: The great Yorkshire Showground, Wetherby Road, Harrogate, HG3 1TZ, Description: The North of England Horticultural Society’s famed Autumn flower show at Harrogate marks the end of the British horticultural season that started with the Chelsea Flower Show in May. As well as some 90 leading horticultural nursery exhibitors this premier show is venue for spectacular displays by a plethora of specialist societies such as the National Chrysanthemum Society, the National Dahlia Society and the National Vegetable Society to name just three out of 14. This is also a perfect opportunity to sample the best in Yorkshire cheeses and delicatessen in the Fine Country Foods marquee and start Christmas shopping in the Arts & Crafts marquee. Further Information & Tickets: Contact the NEHS at 4a South Park Road Harrogate North Yorkshire HG1 5QU United Kingdom Phone:01423 561049 Fax: 01423 536880 Email: [email protected]. Website has full details of both this and their Spring Show together with advance discount booking facilities. Good disabled access and concessions. Website: http://www.flowershow.org.uk/ Getting there: The showground is a 450 acres site on A661 just south of the centre of Spa town Harrogate. Air. Nearest airport: Bradford. Rail. Trains run to Harrogate Station from where a short bus or taxi ride will bring you to the showground. Road. Easy access to the M1 and M62, the A59 to York and A61 to Leeds. Dress: No dress code, but the local Yorkshire gentry take a certain pride in their turnout. Accommodation: Harrogate has a wide range of hotels of all categories and a number of good B&B establishments as well as many excellent restaurants. They know how to live well in Yorkshire. Travelsleuth’s Connoisseur Choice is the famed award winning Ruskin Hotel, 1 Swan Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2SS; Tel: 01423 502045; [email protected]; http://www.ruskinhotel.co.uk/. Named after its illustrious visitor, the eminent Victorian art critic, author and artist, this small private luxury hotel with gourmet restaurant is beautifully furnished in late 19th century decor and stocked with antiques. Outside Harrogate, the Boar's Head , Ripley Castle Estate Ripley Nr Harrogate HG3 3AY; Tel: 01423 771888; Fax: 01423 771509. at Ripley Castle is one of my Top 10 UK Connoisseur Choices. It boasts a clutch of awards for courtesy, comfort and memorable cuisine in quintessentially English setting. While staying there, enjoy visiting the historic Ripley Castle and its deer park. Details and online booking at http://www.boarsheadripley.co.uk/

Travelsleuth’s Diary Memo The salmon and trout season closes 30 September on all rivers. Book now for next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, (March); Badminton Horse Trials, (May); RHS Chelsea Flower Show, (May); Wimbledon's ballot opens for Centre Court seats, (June/July).