The clue
From the start alarm bells should have been ringing. There I was, all set for a festive outing to a factory. But as we drove to its home town Friend suggested a couple of detours. The first was irresistible. “Never mind Christmas traditions,” Friend said. “Let’s go meat-free for a moment.” So we visited a village immediately southeast of the town. Of course it wasn’t named after a foodstuff; a kind of grinding stone for grain was its etymological root.
Then Friend drove straight through the town to a second village, just north northwest it on the main road. He wanted to see a different factory, opened in 1895 and once part of a thriving local industry. “It’s seasonal too, in its way,” he said. “I’ve just been stocking up on presents from its online shop.” OK. But my brow was now properly knitted. Time was running on.
“One more stop?” Friend said afterwards. “Come on, be a sport. We have to see the university.” Yes, I was interested, and yes, it made us very late — despite running like the clappers to catch my factory tour, it was over by the time we arrived.
“Never mind,” Friend said. “There’s another kind of festive bronze you can see.” And he took me to a statue in the town centre made by a sculptor in the 1990s. It depicts a seated man who, with the exception of one leg, is naked. He seems to be pointing with his foot. “Look, he’s showing you the way to the nearest mince pie,” Friend said, smirking.
“Why don’t you put a sock in it,” I growled, and stalked back to the car.
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The prize
The winner and guest will stay for two nights, B&B, in a Deluxe King room at the Londoner, the glittering 16-storey hotel that opened in Leicester Square in September.
With 350 rooms and suites, a giant ballroom and a 25m indoor pool, the Londoner is a significant addition to the West End scene and comes with its own 24-hour refuge, the Residence, designed in the style of a private members’ club.
Outside, central London beckons — theatres, cinemas, the National Gallery and the Royal Opera House are within easy walking distance. For more details see thelondoner.com.
The prize also includes a three-course Taste of Whitcomb’s dinner for two (excluding drinks) at the Mediterranean-flavoured Whitcomb’s, one of the Londoner’s suite of six restaurants. It must be taken before December 12, 2022, subject to availability and excluding bank holidays, Valentine’s Day weekend and some other blackout periods.
Enter the competition
Can’t see the competition form? Enter at thesundaytimes.co.uk/wherewasi.
Last week’s prize
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The answers are Ightham and Old Soar Manor. Teela Clayton of West Yorkshire wins a spectacular Highland break for two at the Pierhouse Hotel in Port Appin