The clue
You know me. Normally I’d jump at the idea of walking up a hill to see an Iron Age fort: especially one that’s suggested as the site of an epoch-defining clash between Britons and Saxons. But not today. Not in the driving rain.
Friend is, however, insistent. He says he has an important announcement to make at the top.
“Who are you, the archangel Gabriel?” I ask him as we begin the short, sharp ascent — heading north from the northeastern tip of a city. “Couldn’t you just tell me in a tea room?”
“Don’t worry about the rain,” he says, “it’ll peter out in a bit.” So on we go, climbing the hill, in the wake of one of Friend’s favourite singer-songwriters (mother, Edith).
Pity we can’t see the white horse from the top. It lies 13 miles southeast of us, carved into a west-facing escarpment. It’s also a mile and a half east of a small town. Sadly, however, the weather has drawn a veil across the view.
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A wind is blowing. Time stands still.
Eventually, I lose patience. “So, what’s the announcement?” I ask.
“From now on I’m going to take more exercise,” he tells me triumphantly.
“That’s it?”
“Yes,” he says, beaming. Then he opens his rucksack. “Fancy a piece of coconut and semolina cake? It’s a recipe from Goa.”
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“I’ll tell you what my new year’s resolution is,” I counter. “More hot baths.” And with that I march off — back down the hill. There are, after all, better ways to get wet in this part of the world.
The questions
1. What’s the name of the first-mentioned hill?
2. What’s the name of the small town?
The prize
The winner and guest will stay for two nights, B&B, at the luxury hotel and spa at the Newt in Somerset. Set on a 1,000-acre estate near Bruton, the hotel spreads through a grade II* listed Georgian mansion and on into its stables, clock house and Farmyard (the former dairy). Designed by Karen Roos, its interiors draw inspiration from the surrounding gardens, and mix sash windows and period features with a symphony of greens and blues. It’s also home to a state-of-the-art spa — complete with indoor pool, steam room and sauna — which grows its own therapeutic herbs. Nearby, guests can also visit the estate’s gardening museum and newly reconstructed Roman villa. For details, visit thenewtinsomerset.com .
The prize includes one spa treatment each for winner and guest, as well as one dinner for two (excluding drinks) in the Botanical Rooms restaurant. It must be taken before March 31, 2023, excluding February 10-12. The competition closes at the end of January 4, 2023.
How to enter
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Can’t see the competition form? Enter at thesundaytimes.co.uk/wherewasi
Last week’s prize
The answers are Stephen Fry and Cawston. Jennifer Lunn of Woking wins a Michelin-starred break for two at Leonardslee House in West Sussex.
