58 | New Year 2017Yours to keepYours to keep

EASTERN AIRWAYS IN-FLIGHT

ALSO IN THIS MAGAZINE:FOOD AND DRINK

‘BILBAO’ COMES TO DURHAM

HULL’S BRIGHT NEW YEAR

UK City of Culture 2017

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FÀILTETha Eastern Airways a’ cur fàilte air ar luchd-cleachdaidh gu lèir bho Bhreatainn agus an Roinn Eòrp.

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CROESOCroeso gan Eastern Airways magazine, i bob un o’n cwsmeriaid ym mhob rhan o Brydain Fawr ac Ewrop.

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Eastern Airways er et av Storbritannias ledende ruteflyselskap. Vi håper at du vil være fornøyd med servicen vår – og at den tilbyr deg det lille ekstra som er prikken over i-en. Vi setter alltid pris på å motta dine kommentarer om både servicen og magasinet.

EASTERN-TEAMET

BIENVENUEBienvenue à tous nos clients de Grande-Bretagne et d’Europe de la part de Eastern Airways magazine.

Eastern Airways figure parmi les principales compagnies aériennes britan niques offrant un service de vols réguliers. Nous espérons que vous nous trouverez attentifs à vos besoins, avec ce petit plus qui fait la différence, et sommes toujours heureux de recevoir vos comment aires sur notre service et notre magazine.

L’ÉQUIPE EASTERN

Welcome on board your Eastern Airways flight and welcome to this Christmas and New Year issue of Eastern Airways Magazine.

At this festive time of year, and with Burns Night on the near horizon, we’re taking a look at a couple of distinctively Scottish products. Scotch whisky of course needs no introduction, so we’ve invited Conal Gregory – who knows his malts – to give us his personal run-down.

Less historically rooted in Scots tradition is the new kid on the brewing block – Aberdeen’s “punk” craft brewer, Brewdog. Janice Hopper tells the company’s story and we tell you where to find a Brewdog pub in your neighbourhood.

Autumn saw the publication of the latest list of Michelin Starred restaurants, so our Essential Guide this issue features the best of British dining near our destinations.

We also focus this time on the themes of philanthropy and culture-led regeneration. One place where these come together in perfect harmony is in the County Durham town of Bishop Auckland, where Stan Abbott meets Jonathan Ruffer, the investment manager whose millions are turning the town

into a major centre for the study of Spanish art.

Of course the big story about cultural regeneration is being told in 2017 in Hull and we’re happy to help raise the curtain on a year of celebration that will see the best of art and drama in the East Yorkshire city, which is – naturally – the subject of our Exploration Express.

In other features, Janice Hopper visits Moness resort, while Stan Abbott refreshes happy memories of the Isle of Wight and wonders whether a bridge or tunnel to this wonderful island would be a good or a bad thing.

The last time we ran a competition to win a break at the luxury Blue Reef Cottages, on Harris, it attracted our biggest ever entry. So, by popular demand, as they say, we bring you another chance to win a stay in these idyllic cottages.

We hope you enjoy your flight with Eastern Airways and encourage you to take your magazine home for family and friends to read.

THE EASTERN TEAM

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REGULARS

07 NEWS What’s happening around Eastern

Airways destinations

11 NEWS FEATURE Newcastle exhibitions past and

future

18 HOSPITALITY NEWS What's happening in the world of

food, drink and hotels

26 EXPLORATION EXPRESS Stan Abbott visits the 2017 culture

capital, Hull

36 BARE ESSENTIALS Eastern Airways’ network map, passenger information, essential goings-on and destination guides

46 ESSENTIAL GUIDE: MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS

All within easy reach of Eastern Airways destinations

50 THE LAST WORD A mutton pie gives Harry Pearson food for thought

COMPETITION

10 WELCOME BACK… Another chance to WIN a

fantastic break at Blue Reef Cottages on the beautiful Isle of Harris

FEATURES

12 UK CITY OF CULTURE Kingston upon Hull takes up the

mantle in 2017

14 SEASONAL SPIRIT Conal Gregory gives a short guide

to the Scotch whisky industry

16 REBEL WITH A CAUSE The rise of Aberdeen legend,

Brewdog

21 READ ON… The National Centre for the

Written Word opens in South Shields

22 BILBAO OF THE NORTH One man's mission to regenerate

Bishop Auckland

30 THE ISLE OF WIGHT Stan Abbott unearths more of the

island’s treasures, and looks at a proposed link to the mainland which is dividing opinion

38 PERFECTLY PLACED The Perthshire resort of Moness

Eastern Airways in-flight magazine is published for Eastern Airways by Gravity Magazines, Arch Workspace, Abbey Road, Pity Me, Durham, DH1 5JZ www.gravity-consulting.com e-mail: e-magazine@gravity-consulting.com Tel: +44 (0)191 383 2838

Publisher: Stan AbbottDesign: Barbara Allen Print: Buxton Press

© December 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any means, without prior written permission of the copyright owners.Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this magazine, neither the publisher, nor Eastern Airways can accept any liability for errors or omissions.

ISSN: 2044-7124Previously known as e-magazine, ISSN 1477-3031.

Eastern Airways, Schiphol House, Humberside International Airport, Kirmington, North Lincolnshire DN39 6YH

Communications Manager: Darren Roberts

Telephone: + 44 (0)8703 669669 Reservations: + 44 (0)8703 669100 www.easternairways.com For magazine comments: e-magazine@gravity-consulting.com

To advertise in Eastern Airways Magazine, call Liz Reekie on +44 (0) 7563 796103 / +44 (0) 1434 240947 or email advertising@gravitymagazines.com

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n Production levels in the North Sea’s oil and gas industry are experiencing a recovery following the recent fall in oil prices. However, Oil & Gas UK has called for major investment to secure the industry’s future. The industry body reports a rise of ten per cent in production levels since 2014, with extraction costs reduced by a dramatic 45 per cent over the same time. But Chief Executive Deirdre Michie said: “The UK Continental Shelf is in urgent need of fresh investment to boost exploration and drive activity, particularly for the supply chain.”

n Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest employment in North East England is increasing faster than in any other region. There are now 1.2 million people in work in the region – an increase of 52,000 over the year. At the same time, the region’s unemployment rate has fallen below seven per cent for the first time since 2008.  

n The opening of the Victoria Gate shopping centre – with its flagship John Lewis store – has taken investment in the Leeds City Region’s retail sector to more than £1bn in just five years according to the city’s Local Enterprise Partnership.

The £165m scheme opened in October and, besides John Lewis, features 30 high-end retail outlets from British and international brands.

n Bosses at Leeds Bradford Airport are preparing the final draft of the airport’s Masterplan, for publication around the turn of the year. The plan follows a major pubic consultation on the draft plan, which sets out the airport’s ambition to increase annual passenger numbers to more than seven million by 2030.

n Eastern Airways Magazine’s printer, Buxton Press, has been named Printing Company of the Year for a fourth time in the PrintWeek Awards.

EASTERN AIRWAYS MAGAZINE COMPETITION WINNERSThe winner of our competition for a night, with dinner and paired wines, at Hampton Manor country house hotel, in Warwickshire, was Dawn Smith, from Bridge of Don, Aberdeen.

Newcastle City Council and business improvement district NE1 are working with businesses to transform flagship Northumberland Street, and its surrounding area, into a Europe-leading retail destination.

One of the government’s high street tzars, Mark Williams, who was former Chairman of the Retail Property Taskforce, and a Director of the Hark Group, has agreed to support the partners by independently chairing the partner working group, and providing expert advice on how its ambitions can be realised and funded.

Councillor Ged Bell, Cabinet Member for Investment and Development at Newcastle City Council, said:

“Newcastle was voted favourite UK city by readers of the Guardian in 2014 – let’s build on that accolade to become the best European city.

“We’re confident that by investing in the transformation of Northumberland Street we can become a vibrant and attractive central retail district, which will act as a catalyst for wider economic regeneration.”

The planned improvements are part of the council’s programme of renewal, Re-newcastle, delivering the biggest transformation of the city’s infrastructure in a generation.

Sean Bullick, Chief Executive of NE1, added: “Northumberland Street is the premier shopping street in the North East of England and the challenges it faces are echoed both nationally and internationally. Due to the unprecedented and permanent changes in consumer behaviour and demand, it is imperative that Northumberland Street remains the spine of the city and continues to compete with Europe’s best.”

Partnership invites retailers to be part of city’s growth

n Eastern Airways has taken delivery of two modern Embraer 170 jets. The 76-seat aircraft expand the airline’s charter product by bringing a larger aircraft into the fleet, which is also equipped for both long-range operations and with a steep approach capability for airports such as London City. The new aircraft are now available for charter flights to destinations throughout the UK, Western and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean as far as Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, as well as the Canary Islands.

Fenwick, Northumberland Street

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OUTSTANDING AWARDThe visionary behind two County Durham charities – Auckland Castle Trust and Eleven Arches – has been named Philanthropist of the Year at the prestigious Spear’s Wealth Management Awards. The awards – billed as “the Oscars of the private banking world” – honour entrepreneurs and philanthropists for their innovation, success and outstanding contribution. Jonathan Ruffer, pictured, whose background is in investment management, received the Award for his outstanding contribution to the regeneration of Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

He was initially drawn to the town by a series of paintings by Spanish master Francisco de Zurbarán, which have hung in Auckland Castle for more than 250 years. In 2012, he bought both the paintings and the Castle and opened it to the public on a daily basis for the very first time. Now, Auckland Castle Trust is working to transform the 900-year-old Bishop’s palace into a world-class art, faith and heritage destination and reinvigorate Bishop Auckland and the wider area through social and economic regeneration. In 2014, the Trust’s sister charity, Eleven Arches, was founded to enhance this mission by producing a spectacular live show, Kynren – an epic tale of England, which attracted more than 100,000 visitors during its first season in 2016.

£100 million is now being invested across the two charities Jonathan chairs to establish Bishop Auckland as a national and international tourist destination, with the aim of attracting around 430,000 visitors and boosting the local economy by around £20m a year by 2020.

One man’s millions transform a town – page 22

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SIEMENS LAUNCHES MAJOR RECRUITMENT DRIVE AIMED AT HULL WORKFORCEEngineering giant Siemens is engaged in a major recruitment drive as part of its £310m investment in Hull to serve offshore renewable energy production.

Some 140 new roles have been created in packing, finishing and services at the company’s site on Alexandra Dock.

Jason Speedy, Siemens’ Hull blade factory director, said: “This is our next big recruitment push, with these roles scheduled to be filled from December up to the end of March 2017. We’re also pleased to be delivering on our pledge to employ overwhelmingly from the local area and that focus will be maintained as we continue our recruitment.”

Carolyn Woolway, the company’s Hull-based Head of Human Resources, said: “The number of applications and quality of candidates has been excellent and we’re aiming to maintain the standard as we continue the recruitment process.”

Siemens is spearheading efforts to address the shortage of workers with technical and engineering skills and to attract more women into manufacturing and engineering.

With partner Associated British Ports, Siemens is creating a centre for offshore wind manufacturing, assembly and logistics in Hull’s largest ever inward investment.

The centrepiece of the investment, the wind turbine blade factory, is now partly operational with further production areas coming on stream by the end of the year. Development of the full Alexandra Dock site, including a new harbour for pre-assembly and load out of wind turbine components, will continue into 2017.

About 650 people will have been employed by Siemens in Hull by the turn of the year. Hundreds more jobs have been created during construction and in the supply chain.

A specialist business centre on the site of the former Swan Hunter shipyard, at Wallsend, has been opened, following a near £2 million investment by North Tyneside Council. 

Attracting companies from as far away as Aberdeen, the Centre for Innovation is now home to a range of businesses.

The centre is part of a wider £100million project, led by the

council, to transform the former shipyard into a hub for the renewable energy and marine sectors.

Kier Property is the development partner for the project, and in keeping with the site’s designation as a Low Carbon Enterprise Zone, the work has been carried out to prioritise energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

www.investnorthtyneside.co.uk

Ben proves a knock out with the judgesBen Rees, an 18-year-old Workshop Apprentice at HTL Group, has been representing England in St Petersburg, in the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships.

Following a bronze medal win at the EUBC European Youth Championships earlier in 2016, Ben – who is sponsored by his employer – continued to impress coaches with the skills and attitude he has relentlessly demonstrated during world selection camps.

HTL Group is a leading provider of controlled bolting, flange working and portable machines to the offshore industry. The company is based in Cramlington, Northumberland and now has divisions in Europe, the Far East and Australasia.

Former shipyard becomes attractive hub for renewable energy and marine sectors

Siemens’ Hull manufacturing facility will produce class-leading 75 metre blades

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WIN an exclusive off-season break on the wonderful Isle of Harris

Eastern Airways flies to Stornoway from Aberdeen

Picture yourself in a cosy traditional cottage, with only golden sand and the Atlantic Ocean for company! Following the popularity of our last competition with Blue Reef Cottages, on the Isle of Harris, Eastern Airways Magazine is teaming up once again with our friends on the Hebridean Isle of Harris, to offer one lucky reader and guest an exclusive off-season break.

During your two-night break you will be able to enjoy a fresh seafood meal at home, courtesy of Croft 36.

Built to accommodate two people, the luxury cottages are just an hour’s drive from Stornoway Airport and are of very special design, with turf- roofs blending into the hillside. The idea is based on Neolithic housing, which was built underground. Combined with a touch of traditional Hebridean building techniques, this has resulted in some exclusive features. The area surrounding the cottages is “machair land” and its sandy soil is a carpet of wild flowers during spring and summer.

Linen and towels are provided, and each cottage is equipped with bicycles, picnic backpacks, beach towels and a set of golf clubs. Wheelchair access is included.

A long curved bay window gives spectacular views and the under-floor heated stone flooring and solid fuel-burning

stove give a Hebridean warmth. There’s also Sky TV, a DVD player and a Bose music centre and iPod docking station, as well as broadband internet, WiFi and Skype. There is also a rowing machine, while the bathroom includes a Jacuzzi bath and sauna for two.

Our prize includes a two-night stay for two at the Blue Reef Cottages, return Eastern Airways flights to Stornoway, via Aberdeen, and a seafood meal delivered to your door by Croft 36, which uses locally caught fresh fish and other locally sourced ingredients. Our prize also includes two days’ car hire from Stornoway Airport, courtesy of our car hire partners, Isle of Harris Car Hire.

The prize can be redeemed between November 2017 and March 2018 only (excluding Christmas and New Year period).

For your chance to win, just answer this easy question:

On which Hebridean island are the luxurious Blue Reef Cottages?

Send your answer to competitions@gravity-consulting.com with “Harris competition” in the subject field. Please provide name, address and ’phone number and the flight number and date of your last flight with Eastern Airways.

Prize to be taken by March 31, 2018, subject to availability of accommodation and flights. Public holidays and peak periods (such as Christmas and New Year) are excluded. Ground transfer is NOT included. Closing date for entries, February 28, 2017.

www.stay-hebrides.com www.scaristahouse.com www.croft36.com

Isle of Harris Car Hire are the people to choose if your are looking for a friendly convenient company during your stay on the Isles of Harris and Lewis. www.isleofharris-carhire.comIsle of Harris Car Hire

Newcastle and Gateshead have been chosen to host the Great Exhibition of the North in summer 2018.

The exhibition is the brainchild of former chancellor George Osborne and forms part of his Northern Powerhouse initiative. NewcastleGateshead was chosen from a shortlist of four, also including Bradford, Sheffield and Blackpool, and will receive £5 million towards costs from the Government. A £15 million legacy fund will aim to attract further investment.

The project has rekindled memories of another exhibition in Newcastle, which attracted a remarkable 4.3 million visitors at the start of the Great Depression.

The North East Coast Exhibition ran from May to October 1929 and attracted 30,000 visitors every day, and 120,000 on the last day. Every millionth visitor received a gold watch. With the Depression looming, its aim was to showcase the best of North East England’s industry and talents.

There were three great art deco buildings, designed by W and T Milburn, of Sunderland, who were theatre and cinema designers – the Palaces of Engineering, Industries and Arts.

The exhibition’s legacy 85 years on is Exhibition Park with it its lake, and the one surviving palace, the Palace of Arts. The attractive domed building enjoyed a slightly mottled life after the exhibition, housing the city’s science museum in the 60s, including part of the pioneering steam turbine ship, Turbinia, now in the Discovery Museum, in the city centre. It

housed a collection of military vehicles from 1983 but was closed over fears for its structural safety in 2006.

Now the Grade II listed building is enjoying a new lease of life as headquarters of the Wylam Brewery.

The Great Exhibition of the North will return to Exhibition Park, with an educational “summer camp”. The event’s hub will be at the nearby Great North Museum, which will host an exhibition on northern pioneers and inventors.

The Great Exhbition will showcase creativity, innovation, culture and design from NewcastleGateshead and the entire North of England and will start with a spectacular opening ceremony on Newcastle Quayside, featuring “a bridge of illuminating drones” over the river. A projection beamed onto the Sage Gateshead building will chronicle the inventive heritage of the North of England.

The festival theme, Blazing World – The

Fires of Invention, will celebrate the region’s transition from a world leader in hard engineering to a digital trailblazer.

Three themed walking circuits will focus on arts, design and innovation, while pop-up galleries will exhibit art works from across the North.

There are hopes that Robert Stephenson’s pioneering steam locomotive, Rocket, could return home on loan from London’s Science Museum.

A group of 50 writers are being commissioned to write “narratives of the North”, while other northern cities will put forward ideas for what should be included in the exhibition.

The exhibition will open on Thursday, June 21, 2018, and last for 77 days, with its closing ceremony coinciding with the start of the 2018 Great North Run.

n Meanwhile, golfer Lee Westwood will host the 2017 British Masters at Close House Newcastle, from September 28 to October 1.

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TIME TO PUT ON A SHOW

The Palace of Arts is now home to Wylam Brewery

Contemporary postcard of the boating lake and Palace

of Arts at the North East Coast Exhibition, 1929

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It was another in a succession of balmy September days as the great and good in the world of the arts and culture descended on the city of Hull to mark the formal launch of its 2017 stint as UK City of Culture.

As they filled Hull Truck Theatre for the revelation of a number of well-kept secrets about the year-long programme, there was a distinct feeling that the city was once again finding its voice, recalling its prominent place in so many British histories, while at the same time underscoring the point that this will be very much an inclusive celebration for the citizens of Hull.

So, on the one hand, we heard

Nicholas Serota, outgoing boss at the Tate, reminding us that the Turner Prize will be awarded in the city’s refurbished Ferens Art Gallery later in the year, and Hull Truck unveiling an ambitious cooperation with the Royal Shakespeare, while, on the other, the core message of Hull 2017 is: “Everyone back to ours!”

The celebrations have attracted funding of £32 million – more than double that spent by the last City of Culture, Derry, and representing a ninefold return on investment for the city’s own contribution. The benefits to the city in terms of visitor spending and improved profile are estimated at at least £60 million.

The year will be divided into four three-month seasons opening with Made in Hull – celebrating the inspiring story of the city’s “revolutionaries”.

The Ferens Art Gallery reopens in January, with the complete redisplay of the gallery’s outstanding permanent collection, which includes works by artists from Frans Hals and Canaletto to Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Mark Wallinger. A major new 14th century acquisition, Pietro Lorenzetti’s Christ Between Saints Paul and Peter, will be revealed for the first time following four years of extensive conservation and research at the National Gallery, London.

The Humber Street Gallery, a brand new contemporary art space for the city showcasing the best contemporary art, will open in January 2017 in the heart of the Fruit Market cultural quarter. From February 3 to March 22 it will host the first major show to explore the work and legacy of COUM Transmissions, which was founded in Hull by artists Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti, a subversive collective that took the art world by storm in the late 1960s.

Look Up is a year-long programme of newly commissioned works by artists

UK CITY OF CULTURE 2017

EVERYONE BACK TO HULL

Back to Ours Festival

Freedom Festival 2016

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made specifically for Hull’s public spaces.

Nayan Kulkarni has been commissioned to create a series of light installations across the city centre in 2017. The council has also commissioned The City Speaks, a series of installations by artist Michael Pinsky, award-winning architects Tonkin Liu and Hull poet Shane Rhodes, which invite people to contemplate their surroundings and what it means to be made in Hull.

The Brynmor Jones Library at the University of Hull will from January 3 to February 28 host the exhibition, Lines of Thought – Drawing from Michelangelo to Now which features extraordinary drawings from the British Museum’s collection, including works by Dürer, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Matisse and Degas.

From February 24 to March 18, Hull Truck Theatre will stage in cooperation with the Royal Shakespeare Company the world première of The Hypocrite by award-winning Hull playwright Richard Bean (of One Man, Two Guvnors fame), inspired by the life of Sir John Hotham, an historic Hull

figure, who in 1642 played an important role as Hull became pivotal to the start of the English Civil War.

In a partnership with Aarhus, European Capital of Culture 2017, Blast Theory will be inviting residents and visitors to Hull to re-imagine the city 80 years into the future as part of 2097:We Made Ourselves Over. Blast Theory has been making interactive artworks for over 25 years, bringing together film, installation, gaming and technology.

Mind on the Run: The Basil Kirchin Story is a fascinating journey through the life and work of Hull-born musician Basil Kirchin, who has been called the founder of ambient music. The three-day February festival at City Hall, features new commissions and an all-star line-up of today’s sonic visionaries, including Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory with members of the BBC Concert Orchestra; jazz legend Evan Parker; the founder of the Specials, Jerry Dammers; Hull-born Fila Brasilia founder Steve Cobby; and St Étienne’s Bob Stanley.

The Spiders from Mars saw local heroes

Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick “Woody” Woodmansey join forces with David Bowie to become one of Hull’s most important musical exports. The band Holy Holy, featuring the original Spiders drummer Woody Woodmansey, long-time Bowie collaborator and producer Tony Visconti and Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory, will perform the first ever live rendition of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars at City Hall on March 25.

Reflecting Hull’s links to northern Europe, acclaimed musician and long-time resident of Reykjavík, John Grant, has created a brand new festival for the city. North Atlantic Flux: Sounds From Smoky Bay is a four-day festival celebrating contemporary Nordic arts and culture, which plays in venues across the city from April 28 to May 1 as the year moves into its second season, Roots & Routes. The final two seasons feature the themes of Freedom and Tell the World.  

www.hull2017.co.uk

Tunick’s Hull nudes to be unveiled at Ferens – page 41

Eastern Airways flies to Humberside Airport from Aberdeen

Clockwise from top: Light projection on Hull Maritime Museum - part of Made in Hull; Pietro Lorenzetti, Christ between Saints Paul and Peter c.1320, Tempera and gilding on panel; Hull Truck Theatre; Hull Fair

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Scotch whisky continues to enjoy a leading role in the world of spirits. With its long heritage but innovative flair, Scotch continues to be in global demand, with exports earning £125 every second. The 115 licensed distilleries generate £3.95 billion annually for the UK balance of trade – a quarter of all food and drinks exports – from an industry employing over 10,000. The emphasis on quality, backed up by strong legal controls, has given consumers confidence. Despite the ups and downs of the world economy, distillers have to plan years in advance to create Scotch, producing the equivalent of three billion bottles last year. By law, it has to spend at least three years ageing and much is far older. Despite the anti-luxury campaign in China and currency devaluations in emerging markets, notably in South America, Scotch shows healthy sales. Brands like Johnnie Walker, Bell’s and J&B Rare (Diageo), Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal (Pernod Ricard), Dewar’s (Bacardi), Grant’s (William Grant & Sons) and The Famous Grouse (Edrington) are seen worldwide. The demand in recent years has been for more malt Scotch, as opposed to grain, less label emphasis on age and a focus on heritage. In practice this has meant that some distilleries have increased production,

a few have been mothballed but with the possibility of recommencing production, and a small number actually closed. A few brave entrepreneurs have even started new boutique-sized plants: Isle of Harris, touted as having the potential to open up an entirely new whisky region for Scotland, is the first commercial distillery to be built on the island. Established by musicologist Anderson Bakewell, it is only the second one to be based in the Outer Hebrides. After lying dormant for six years, Scotland’s most southerly distillery, Bladnoch, in Wigtownshire, restarted production after being purchased by Australian entrepreneur David Prior, who has engaged a top-level team. A master blender uses decades of experience to place grain Scotch with different single malt whiskies. The latter not only shows its distinctive style, such as the water and still used, but a variation based on the woods selected and length of ageing. Such alchemy largely depends on nosing, contrasting lightness with richness, and delicacy with smokiness in character. Grain Scotch forms a major part in any blend but few have tasted it on its own. It has a lightness in its sweet, accessible taste and no need for long maturation. Diageo launched Haig Club, sourced from a Cameronbridge

distiller in 2014 to show how appealing and floral a single grain Scotch can be, followed this year by Haig Club Clubman, designed to be mixed with cola. Single malts can show real character. The leaders are Glenfiddich and Chivas Brothers’ The Glenlivet. Often limited editions are made, such as the Smugglers series from the Isle of Arran distillery – a nod to the illicit whisky trade that once operated from Arran to Glasgow. In keeping with the hiding places used in the 18th and 19th centuries, this Scotch is concealed in a compartment of what appears to be a hardback book. Its heavy peat flavour balances with the sweetness obtained from older Bourbon barrels and fruity notes from Port casks. Shetland now has a distillery at the former RAF Saxa Vord site, on Unst. Initially it is taking Scotch, which has been distilled and matured at Glenglassaugh, near Portsoy, and bottling it, using the appealing name of Shetland Reel. Visitors to Wick must not miss Old Pulteney distillery, founded in 1826. It has endured a checkered history, with closure from 1930 to 1951 and many changes of ownership. Yet it remains the most northerly distillery on the mainland. Its Scotch has a peppery and apple vanilla aroma and a long dry taste.14

TIME TO GET THE DRINKS IN…With an eye on cold winter nights, Conal Gregory presents a run-down of the Scotch whisky industry as he helps you choose your perfect tipple…

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BLEND IT LIKE BECKHAM Following the successful launch of Haig Club,

Diego – along with its brand partners David Beckham and Simon Fuller – have introduced Haig Club Clubman, a new Single Grain Scotch Whisky

created to be drunk specifically with cola.

Not far from Wick, at Brora, lies Clynelish distillery. It was originally a brewery, taking cheap barley from crofters who had been evicted. The current distillery was built nearby in 1967. The Scotch has a spicy, warming character and is greatly in demand for blends but can also be found as a single malt. Just 20 miles south-west of Stornoway, at Carnish, on Uig (which is a Norse word for bay), is the Abhainn Dearg distillery, which means red river in English. Its Scotch, called The Spirit of Lewis, is matured in former Sherry and Bourbon barrels, imparting a slightly sweet appealing finish. The district has enjoyed a tradition of spirit-making with an Elizabethan traveller noting that three whiskies were produced. Tours with a

tasting are available Monday to Saturday. Around Aberdeen there are many fine sources of Scotch. Strathisla, formerly known as Milton Distillery, at Keith, used to be the centre of the Scottish linen industry. It dates from 1786 and can claim to be the oldest working distillery in the Highlands. It yields a robust fruity style with a nutty finish. Close to Balmoral, Royal Lochnagar gained its royal warrant when the farmer-owner invited Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1848. The couple called in the very next day as the Queen reputedly liked Scotch and the consort was fascinated by any new technology. It operates at Crathie, in a lovely part of Deeside, and hosts a visitor centre. Local school children often ask tourists to guess the depth of

Lochnagar, which is a trick as it is not a loch but a mountain of over 1,100m. If a rounded Scotch malt with light peaty tones appeals, then seek Glendronach, made not far from Aberdeen in the valley of Forgue, outside Huntly. Because of its remote site on the edge of Speyside, illicit distilling was carried on for a long time before a licence was applied for in 1826 – only the second in Scotland. It is claimed that rooks among the tall trees close to the site would have made sufficient noise to warn of strangers, particularly excise officers, approaching. The market town of Oldmeldrum, in Aberdeenshire, is home to Glen Garioch, founded in 1786, and therefore one of the country’s oldest distilleries. It creates a light smoky style for easy drinking.

GRAIN SCOTCH FORMS A MAJOR PART IN ANY BLEND BUT FEW HAVE TASTED IT ON ITS OWN

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16 Brewdog Aberdeen

BREWDOG HAS ITS DAYJanice Hopper tells the story of James Watt and Martin Dickie, as she charts the rise and rise of Scottish brewing rebel, Brewdog…

The name is legendary, especially in the Aberdeen area, where Brewdog has its roots, its brewery, and opened its first bar.

What began in 2007 as two blokes, a dog and a dream has, in less than a decade, spiralled into around 30 UK bars and at least 15 more overseas. A new Berlin pub has just opened, the Southampton branch started trading in September and dog bars in York and Dalston, London, are in the pipeline.  Renowned brews include Dead Pony Club, Punk IPA and the mind-blowing Tactical Nuclear Penguin. This is a phenomenal business success story and with each component, each piece of the jigsaw, these men have got right.

Part of it is down to their highly distinctive brand of marketing and attitude. Who else would launch a beer called Born to Die which came with its very own organ donation card? The beer itself is a terminally hoppy IPA and as such has a very brief shelf life of 35 days, hence its title. But launching it with a campaign to increase organ donation is not only novel but worthwhile.

In terms of attitude the guys’ reaction to a fake Brewdog opened in Changzhou, China sums it up. James Watt wrote in an open letter to the bar’s manager: “There’s something that says ‘you’ve made it’ when a weird replica of your craft beer brand is peddling beers through counterfeit taps somewhere in the world’s biggest country. I honestly cannot wait to visit (fake) BrewDog China.” He signs off “(real) James”.  Sections of the letter make you laugh out loud: James and Martin know how to create great stories around their products and their business.

The Brewdog business model and its finances firmly stand out in the traditional business world. Initially the men got scary bank loans like anyone else would but in 2009 Brewdog launched Equity for Punks, offering the public the opportunity to buy shares online. Back then it was the talk of Aberdeen and North East Scotland. More than 1,300 people invested and Brewdog’s anti-business business model was born. In

2011 Equity for Punks II was launched, raising more than £2.2m and welcoming more than 5,000 new shareholders. In both years the business grew by 200 per cent.  

James explains: “It was a risk creating a whole new business model back in 2009, but we’re all about taking risks to make sure we’re doing things our way, the punk way, and not bowing to stuffy industry formality. It’s paid off.” 

One massive investment for Brewdog was moving from its original brewery in Fraserburgh to a new state-of-the-art site in nearby Ellon. This was a game-changer in enabling supply to meet increasing demand.

The most recent Equity for Punks crowd-funding scheme closed in early 2016 with £19m under its belt. The AGMs, usually held in Aberdeen, are rock and roll events where the Punks hear the latest news – this year’s meeting welcomed Idlewild to perform at what was clearly not your traditional AGM. The brand has successfully bred loyalty and created its own fan-base, whose members aren’t simply looking for dividends or returns.

Another clincher in the Brewdog story is the bars themselves. The vibe and décor (exposed brickwork, iron, wood and naked bulbs) have created a modern, chilled-out environment. It wasn’t long ago when going for a pint meant choosing between spit and sawdust or a sports bar. Brewdog pounced on a gap in the market combining craft beers (suddenly with a cool new reputation)

with atmospheric surroundings that don’t tip too far into trendy.

And what about the beer? No marketing, clever finances or welcoming bars will work if people don’t believe in the product. James and Martin started Brewdog because they were disillusioned with what was on offer. They also disliked the stuffy reputation of many craft beers when they felt it could all be very exciting – rebellious even. Aged 24, they started brewing tiny batches of beer, filling bottles by hand and selling them at local markets. In only its second year Brewdog became Scotland’s largest independent brewery. As well as the beers that grab the media headlines, their bestsellers are the ones that simply taste good. Punk IPA is the flagship brew, described as “full-on, full-flavour; at full-throttle” – they never do things by halves.

And who exactly is the dog? Brewdog’s first canine was called Bracken, but he moved on to the giant beer festival in the sky (which only serves craft beer) in 2012, to be succeeded a year later by Simcoe, named after the American pale ale hop.

Brewdog’s next dream is breaking America. With a new brewery in Canal Winchester, Ohio, the plan is to build US offices, a visitor centre, a craft beer-inspired restaurant and a taproom called DogTap Columbus, on the site. For a company with its first bar in the Granite City it’s wonderful to ask the question, when will Brewdog be Top Dog Stateside?

BREWDOG POUNCED ON A GAP IN THE MARKET COMBINING CRAFT BEERS (SUDDENLY WITH A COOL NEW REPUTATION) WITH

ATMOSPHERIC SURROUNDINGS THAT DON’T TIP TOO FAR INTO TRENDY.

James and Martin

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Ardanaiseig – which earned a rave review in this magazine recently – has been selected by the Editors of the UK Good Hotel Guide as their favourite Scottish Romantic and Country House Hotel for next year.

The 16-bedroom Grade 2 listed house, on the banks of Loch Awe, in Argyll, is the only hotel in Scotland included in either of these categories in the Editor’s Choice section of the independent book’s 2017 edition.

The judges commented: “There’s a joyous mix of grand and eccentric pieces... Dinner is an elegant affair, with fine cooking.”

Ardanaiseig Front of House Manager, David Bryce, commented: “To have been chosen by widely respected experts as the best in Scotland in both these categories represents an exceptional achievement by our staff and demonstrates the high standards they consistently set.”

Restaurateur David Whitehead has secured a top chef at his newly opened Newcastle Quayside restaurant, the Jolly Fisherman.

Adam Hegarty will oversee the restaurant’s two kitchens, creating seasonal dishes from fresh seafood and locally sourced produce.

Originally from Devon, Hegarty has headed up some of the region’s most well-known eateries, including Wynyard Hall and The Baltic’s Six Restaurant, and has also enjoyed a stint at Claridge’s in London.

The restaurant, on the site of the former Waterline pub, is the result of an ongoing £700,000 investment, in partnership with Star Pubs and Bars.

David Whitehead, formerly a rugby player with Newcastle Falcons, also owns the Jolly Fisherman, at Craster, on the Northumberland coast.

A few hundred yards inland on the Quayside, plans to convert the former Newcastle offices of BT into

a 120-bedroom Travelodge hotel, more than 41,000 sq ft of office and retail space, and a restaurant and bar have been submitted by Union Retail Properties.

Plans for the development were initially approved in 2013 to transform the entire development into a 160-bedroom hotel.

Meanwhile, one of Newcastle’s most popular bars has expanded its offering by signing up to a new partnership with Sunderland-based distiller Poetic License.

The Botanist, in Monument Mall, has added Northern Dry Gin to its New World Gin List.

Poetic License was launched in autumn 2015 by entrepreneur and managing director of Tavistock Hospitality, Mark Hird. He said: “The Botanist brand is very in-keeping with ours – bold and conceptual – so this partnership has been the perfect fit for us and in turn, really beneficial.”

“JOYOUS AND ROMANTIC” AWARD-WINNING ARDANAISEIG

New chef and restaurants on menu in Newcastle

New hotel for Humberside AirportTravellers through Humberside Airport will soon be able to enjoy a brand new Hampton by Hilton Hotel when it opens in 2017.

Presently accepting reservations for April, 2017 and beyond, the 100-bedroomed hotel is within walking distance of the airport and will offer a secure car park and free baggage storage, free WiFi and a 24-hour fitness centre. There will also be two meeting rooms accommodating up to 40 guests.

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Bournemouth now boasts a brand new Hilton hotel, offering 24-hour room service, a full gym and 20-metre swimming pool in its spa.

The hotel, just by the Winter Garden, and a very short walk from the main shopping area, comes as the town is enjoying a strong renaissance following major infrastructure investment, and the Premier League success of its football team.

The LEVEL8IGHT Sky Bar, with panoramic views over the town offers a vast range of cocktails and traditional British ales on tap. Schpoons & Forx is chef and broadcaster Matt Tebbutt’s modern British eatery, featuring a very lively open kitchen.  There is also a dedicated event floor, eight meeting rooms and one of the biggest ballrooms in Bournemouth

www.hilton.com/Bournemouth

The value of collectable bottles of Scotch whisky traded within a half-year period has broke the £5 million mark for the first time since records began in 2008.

So says whisky analyst, broker and investment expert, Rare Whisky 101.

The value of collectable bottles sold in the UK on the open market rose more than 25 per cent to £5,771,000 in the first six months of 2016, compared with the same period last year. The volume of collectable bottles experienced an even bigger rise – up 28.5 per cent to 26,527 bottles.

Based on current trends, Rare Whisky 101 is predicting the UK auction market for rare Scotch to reach 55,000 bottles for the full year, ten times the volumes sold in 2010 and to exceed a total value of £12 million.

For more on whisky see Get the Drinks In, page 14

RAISE A GLASS TO RECORD BUSTING SCOTCH

New Hilton for Bournemouth’s renaissance

n The rise and rise of Newcastle-based hotel and bar operator, Cairn Group, continues apace, with the acquisition of five properties across the UK.

Redworth Hall Hotel, near Newton Aycliffe; the Angel Hotel, Cardiff; the Majestic Hotel, Harrogate; the Stirling Highland Hotel; and the Old Ship Hotel, Brighton, made up the £75 million shopping basket and bring the group’s total rooms offer to 3,000.

The family-owned company now has a staff of 3,000 staff on its books and counts the Doubletree by Hilton, Newcastle Airport, and the Holiday Inn, Scotch Corner, among its other prestige properties.

Cairn Group finance director Richard Warren said: “This is an incredibly exciting move for us. We are continuing to break into new territories and penetrate new customer bases.”

n Norfolk Gin is among the latest handcrafted small still spirits to hit the market and boasts “a delicate green tint”, thanks to the particular choice of local botanicals by makers “Jonathan and Alison”. www.norfolkgin.co.uk Collectors’ rankings

Andy Simpson, left, and David Robertson, co-founders of Rare Whisky 101

Angel Hotel, Cardiff

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In a drinker’s world defined by the rise and rise of craft gins, just how do you differentiate your brand new gin from all the others at the bar.

Well, using African botanicals might just be one way… the founders of Elephant Gin have dedicated themselves to combining a great passion for gin with a love for African wildlife. In 2013, they developed the award-winning Elephant London Dry Gin that uses 14 botanicals, including rare African plants, and focuses on resolutely artisan production methods.

Since December 2015, the company has complemented its portfolio with an aromatic Elephant Sloe Gin. Elephant Gin also gives back to the continent that inspired the brand in the first place: the company donates 15 per cent of all proceeds from every bottle of Elephant London Dry Gin and Elephant Sloe Gin to two African foundations that are committed to save the African elephant from extinction – the Big Life Foundation and Space for Elephants.

Big Life Foundation is an anti-poaching organisation, which protects two million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem of East Africa (www.biglife.org). Elephant Gin’s contributions go toward one outpost to fund eight rangers’

salaries, rations and equipment. 

Space For Elephants is focused on restoring the old migratory routes that were lost when game reserves were fenced, and aims to give freedom to thousands of elephants to range freely across Africa (www.space4elephants.org). 

The team behind Elephant Gin is former City worker Robin Gerlach and his wife, Tessa, who believe that the first step towards changing the world is having the “right spirit”.

Elephant Gin is produced in small batches using a traditional copper still. The botanicals include baobab, buchu plant (with a flavour similar to blackcurrant), and the African wormwood, introducing a sharp floral note. Tasting notes say the gin’s distinctive nose first yields a subtle juniper aroma, with an undertone of mountain pine and other herbaceous notes. The taste is complex but strikingly smooth, encompassing floral, fruity and spicy flavours, which can be enjoyed both straight and in a cocktail. Among awards it has earned is Best Contemporary Gin in the 2016 World Gin Awards.

Elephant Sloe Gin is limited to batches of 999 bottles.

www.elephant-gin.com

IN THE SPIRIT OF CONSERVATION n Judges have shortlisted the ten fish and chip shops that will vie for the crown of the UK’s best, in January. The ten regional winners, shortlisted in the “chip shop Oscars”, organised by Seafish are:

• Fochabers Fish Bar, Fochabers, Moray • Hennighan’s Top Shop, Machynlleth• The Dolphin Takeaway, Dungannon,

County Tyrone • Miller’s Fish and Chips, Haxby, York• Hodgson’s Chippy, Lancaster• Oldswinford Fish & Chips, Dudley• Burton Road Chippy, Lincoln• Henley’s of Wivenhoe, Colchester • Godfrey’s Fish and Chips, Harpenden,

Hertfordshire • Kingfisher Fish and Chips, Plymouth  

Contenders have to fry at the top of their game, facing appraisal by industry experts across a variety of criteria including menu development and innovation, sustainable sourcing policies, staff training processes, and marketing and promotional activities. They also received mystery shopping assessments.

n Graham Riley, pictured below, has been appointed Executive Chef at Slaley Hall, the luxury hotel and golf resort, near Hexham, Northumberland. He brings more than 30 years of hospitality industry experience, having worked in restaurant kitchens in Bermuda, France and South Africa – as well as Aviemore Resort and Spey Valley Golf & Country Club, in Scotland.

The hotel, which has just enjoyed a £1 million upgrade, boasts three on-site restaurants: The Dukes, Hadrian’s Brasserie and Claret Jug.

The Word, National Centre for the Written Word forms the cornerstone of the town’s £100m regeneration programme being delivered by South Tyneside Council and its development partner, Muse Developments Ltd.

The centre pays homage to the written word in all its different forms. The striking, landmark building features:• exhibition space hosting a rolling

programme of exhibitions• a computer gaming area• a FabLab with 3D printers and vinyl and

laser cutters• a library• digitised archives• a children’s immersive storytelling area• an OpenZone IT suite, and a caféThe first major exhibition focuses on one of South Tyneside most famous sons – film director Sir Ridley Scott. The fascinating display showcases six of his most well-known movies: Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Robin Hood, Thelma and Louise, and The Martian. A 7ft high alien is just one of the iconic props that have been commissioned by South Tyneside Council for the exhibition, which also features interactive experiences, kids’ activities, movie trivia and a dedicated mobile app.A smaller exhibition takes a fond look at the lost dialects of North East England, celebrating the region’s rich heritage and culture through local words and phrases that are at risk of disappearing forever. Do you know the difference between a spelk and a spuggie? You can visit The Word and

test your knowledge with the centre’s fun, interactive quiz.

Councillor Iain Malcolm, Leader of South Tyneside Council: “The Word heralds a new lease of life for South Shields town centre, which will be transformed over the next 10 to 15 years as part of our 365 masterplan. The Word will act as a

catalyst for private sector investment.”

The Word is open Monday to Thursday between 9am and 7pm, Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am – 4pm.

www.theworduk.org

Eastern Airways flies to Newcastle from Aberdeen and Cardiff

THE WORD IS OUT…

• Sir ridley Scott exhibition

• immerSive StoryWorld• eventS and performanceS

• loSt dialectS exhibition • family fun

www.theworduk.org

Market Place, South Shields

now open

Supported by

As part of our focus on culture-led regeneration, we look at the new National Centre for the Written Word, which has just opened in South Shields

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JONATHAN RUFFER

Stan Abbott meets the investment manager who is spending tens of millions of

pounds on turning Bishop Auckland into the Bilbao of

the North – and all in the name of God…

22 Jonathan Ruffer. Photo by Barry Pells

“It would never have happened had the paintings been in St Albans,” asserts Jonathan Ruffer, the disarmingly unassuming benefactor who seems to have embarked on a single-handed mission to transform the County Durham town of Bishop Auckland.

At this point neither of us knows that his extraordinary vision and ambition will soon be recognised by his being named Philanthropist of the Year at the prestigious Spears Wealth Management Awards. Our conversation is taking place round a table in an unpretentious room in the as yet unrestored Auckland Castle. I have “dressed up” in best suit to meet the man from the City. Mr Ruffer is dressed down, in corduroy trousers and a casual shirt. He has the air of one who knows that what goes on in the mind is of far greater importance than what hangs on the body. The “it” to which he refers was the intended sale of a collection of 18th century Spanish religious paintings that had spent the previous quarter of a millennium in Auckland Castle, the palace of the Bishops of Durham.

We might have made the observation at the time that Jonathan Ruffer was so indignant at the sale plan that he felt compelled to act. But Mr Ruffer doesn’t really do indignant, or even plain angry. He just acts calmly and does what he believes is right.

Having already decided that he should spend a large proportion of his accumulated wealth and income on “good works” in North East England, buying not just the 12 threatened paintings by the Spanish master, Francisco de Zurbarán, but also Auckland Castle itself seemed the logical thing to do. Why both? Because, he says, the great works are “only significant in the castle”.

With the St Albans remark, Jonathan Ruffer is essentially saying that the Church Commissioners thought that by selling some rarely viewed paintings in a northern diocese, they might be able to quietly realise a few million without too many people causing a fuss. But to sell the treasures of a diocese in the South… well, that would have been a whole different kettle of fish. The sense of outrage would have been more widespread and founded on wider local knowledge of the true value of these treasures.

Indeed, while Jonathan Ruffer may be a committed Christian, I sense a degree of frustration with the Church Commissioners. Fast forward from the purchase of the Zurbaráns and the castle in July 2012, to

2014, when the Commissioners parcelled land it was selling on the other side of the River Wear into ten lots. The Roman fort and settlement of Binchester, possibly among the most significant Roman sites in the country, was clumsily dissected by the boundary between two of the lots. “We acquired them simply to protect the future,” he says.

Indeed, in the course of our conversation, this is about as near as Mr Ruffer comes to exhibiting irritation. “We have a major job ahead of us to implement the vision we have and we are not looking for new initiatives. He pauses, then adds this qualification: “In ten years, Binchester will be a central part of what happens here.”

In the meantime, however, the more immediate “to do” list of the Auckland Castle Trust, of which Jonathan is Chairman, is impressive:

Mining Art Gallery opening August Bank Holiday 2017The Zurbarán Centre for Spanish and Latin American Art opening 2017Welcome Building due for completion 2017Auckland Castle opening to the public in May 2018Walled Garden and restaurant opening 2018Spanish Gallery opening 2019Faith Galleries opening 2019

And all this without mention of the planned hotel and what’s already been achieved: an 8,000-seat grandstand on land between the castle and Binchester, from which spectators travel from afar on summer evenings to view Kynren: An Epic Tale of England. This is the work of the Eleven Arches Trust, a sister organisation to the Auckland Castle Trust, of which Jonathan is also Chairman.

So focused is Jonathan on getting the vision – the transformation of Auckland Castle into a faith, arts and heritage destination of international significance and, through this, the revitalisation of Bishop Auckland – delivered, that it seems almost profane to tease from him a picture of how he came to be rich enough to give away such large sums, and just how and why he chose to do so in North East England.

Born in London in 1951, his parents moved to Stokesley, North Yorkshire, two years later when his father took over the running

“HAVING MADE MONEY IN THE SOUTH THE MOST NATURAL THING TO DO FOR ME WAS TO COME UP NORTH AND THROW MY WEIGHT BEHIND

WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE NORTH EAST”

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of a travel agency in Middlesbrough. His other connection with the North East was that his maternal grandfather was brought up in Shincliffe, near Durham (he went on to become a professor of medicine at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary). But, Jonathan says, he himself was “typical of all that’s wrong” with the region, because, when he left for Cambridge University, it was to be on an extended one-way ticket.

Having discovered he had more aptitude for doing a good interview than for doing the job once appointed, he flitted between the law and investment – “something I had a knack for” – until he realised that investment banking was something for which he really did have an aptitude. He founded Ruffer Investment Management in the 1990s and still splits his week between the City and Auckland.

“The people who make disastrous investors,” he says, “are the ones who are very clever and can see when the market is high or low but are not astute enough to know where it’s going. They have the confidence to see the here and now, but you need the confidence to know what’s going to happen next. I just happen to have a mind that looks at the world differently from other people. Although I don’t set out to be different.”

He performs a quick tour of the financial future via the “tectonic changes” that have hit world finance in the past and the “Zeebrugge storm” that will strike at some point in the future – while simultaneously castigating me for framing my questions to him in clichés. There will, he says, always be a winner, but many losers. I think we know to which camp he belongs and, thus, why he is able to apply so much of his wealth to charity.

“The reason I have come up here is because, having made money in the South, which is the beneficiary of these world trends, the most natural thing to do for me was to come up north and throw my weight behind what was happening in the North East.”

Setting aside the money, which obviously helps, Jonathan Ruffer believes he also brings two essential qualities: the ability to encourage people, and also to unite them. In following up the acquisition of the Zurbaráns and the castle and placing them in trust for the people of the North East, he says, everything else that has followed and will

follow was implicit in that first act.

“I have a very valuable business, which is there for the people who work in it and the clients who use it, so that’s not mine to dispose of. But because it produces an income I have no need of savings and I happen to live quite simply. But I don’t consciously try to spend very little. I spend what it takes to live the life that I do and the rest I commit to charity.

“Buying the pictures was a clean thing, but the castle was a much bigger commitment because, when you own a medieval building you immediately commit to enormous costs. So, the question in my mind was ‘is this an effective use of

money in trying to help the community?’ and I decided it was. It looked like an effective way of doing what I was trying to do.”

To date the most visible sign of change at Bishop Auckland has been the arrival of Eleven Arches’ extraordinary Kynren, harnessing the good will of a vast army of volunteers to tell the story of England, with a dual focus on Christianity and the special relationship of the faith to the history of North East England.

Kynren is staged on land that, Mr Ruffer reminds me, was once used for horse racing – it was once dubbed “the Epsom of the North”, he says – and its history as a venue for entertainment may even have included the “first modern celebration of the Olympic Games”.

Having become aware of the celebrated Puy du Fou epic night-time dramatic reconstruction in the Vendée, France, Mr Ruffer set off to meet the event’s founder, Viscomte Phillippe de Villiers.

“I asked him why he had started the Puy du Fou and he replied, firstly for the glory of God and, secondly, for the regen-eration of the Vendée. I thought ‘that’s exactly the motivation that I have in doing what I am doing at Bishop Auckland’.”

If there is one charge you could never level at Jonathan Ruffer it is the notion that he might ever let the grass grow under his

Clockwise from above: Kynren, artist’s impressions of: Spanish Gallery, Auckland Castle Walled Garden and Welcome Building

feet. The speed at which the Kynren project borrowed brains from the Puy du Fou and recruited a team to realise an English version was hugely impressive. Which prompts me to suggest that “private regeneration”, as exemplified by his investment in Bishop Auckland, may be a more effective tool than any number of development agencies.

“Private money equals speed,” he says simply. “But now we have seen other businesses in the area investing as well. There are a lot of people supporting the project, such as a large grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It’s all about stimulating regeneration.”

Among other businesses that have responded already to developments at the castle have been local hotels, such as the Sonnet 43 micro-brewery group, which upscaled its expansion plans at its Toronto Lodge outlet, near Kynren. And as I make my visit, Durham County Council is spending money improving the “public realm” ahead of the next round of Ruffer projects in Bishop Auckland market place. “They do it when they can see it would be money well spent,” says Jonathan.

This means that Bishop Auckland Market Place will be a very pleasant place to wander comfortably before three scheduled Auckland Castle Trust openings during 2017. Thus far only one date for these is fixed: an August Bank Holiday opening for the Mining Art Gallery in a former bank chambers, which will be home for the 300-plus collection of paintings and other works by miners and the wider community, in the Gemini Collection.

A spectacular piece of steel and glass will rise during 2017 on a vacant plot on the market place, near the castle gates. This £2.5 million Welcome Building will include a 29-metre observation tower, offering new views of the castle and beyond.

But it is the arrival of the Zurbarán Centre and the Spanish Art Gallery that will bring to Bishop Auckland not just national but international significance. The centre, due to open in 2017, will undertake research and

host major conferences and workshops in the field of Spanish and Latin American art, as well as offering postgraduate students the opportunity to study major artworks and rare objects while working alongside Auckland Castle’s curatorial staff. It will be run by Durham University in partnership with Auckland Castle Trust and has been supported by a £600,000 grant from Santander – the bank’s largest single donation to a UK university.

The research centre will be complemented by the separate Spanish Gallery, which will explore Spanish art from the medieval period to the present day. Focusing particularly on the Golden Age of art in the 17th century, the gallery will draw on art from the Trust’s extensive collection and develop an exhibition programme with key partners, including the Museo del Prado, Madrid. This is due to launch in 2019.

While all this development goes on, work has started on restoring the castle itself to appropriate period décor. Its reopening, and that of the restored walled gardens and associated restaurant, just below the castle forecourt, are scheduled for 2018. The Spanish Gallery (in the market place bank building) and Faith galleries will follow in 2019, whereafter perhaps Jonathan Ruffer may be able to turn his mind to Roman Binchester. “The significance of all this is that Bishop Auckland will have a major collection of Spanish pictures and everybody’s first response is ‘what an odd place to put Spanish pictures’. My answer is that we have already got a major collection of Spanish pictures.”

He draws parallels with the regeneration of Bilbao around the Guggenheim Museum – “the Middlesbrough of Spain”, as he puts it. “Bilbao worked as an arts centre and the answer is that the incongruity of it gives great power. If you go to Florence or Paris you expect to see great art; at Bilbao you don’t. It’s that tension between being the Middlesbrough of Spain and somewhere that sophisticated people come. It creates a tension that gives it power and that’s what

we need in Bishop Auckland. So if people are going to come to Bishop Auckland we need to give them enough things that they ‘must see’.”

I wonder if his long time in the City of London has brought him influential contacts, but if this is the case he remains typically modest about it and in turn deflects credit to those he says have especially helped the Auckland project.

“Ana Botín, Executive Chairman of Santander Bank, came up here. This is the woman who runs one of the biggest banks in the world but she absolutely has put herself – and by extension the bank – behind what we are doing.”

Of Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, he adds: “He opened doors which you could never reasonably have expected to open.”

I leave Auckland feeling Jonathan Ruffer is not merely a can-do person but also an is-delivering person: it’s not just about the buildings – there will be training opportunities and community involvement, as well as an estimated £20m per year boost to the local economy.

He’s like a one-person development agency, driven not by government but by his faith. It’s a faith he says he has had since his Cambridge days. But it is not a faith that he really seems to shout about. I find a quote he gave to a colleague at Newcastle’s Journal newspaper that sums him up.

“I would never have chosen this way of life, but I’m simply about my Father’s business. I believe, quite literally, that I’m called to do this. All the battles that I have, I trust that I’m doing what’s pleasing to God. Whether the thing falls flat on its face or is brilliant – or indeed is brilliant in a way I hadn’t thought of – is entirely up to Him.”

I guess that’s the ultimate accountability!

Eastern Airways flies to Durham Tees Valley from Aberdeen and to Newcastle from Aberdeen and Cardiff.

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Stan Abbott makes a return trip to Kingston upon Hull and looks forward to its year as UK City of Culture 2017

The Deep

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Visiting Hull for the formal launch of its year in the spotlight as City of Culture, I took the opportunity to bring myself up to speed on the look and feel of the place.

I decided to head from Paragon station on foot for The Deep, the highly acclaimed landmark aquarium that is home to 3,500 fish of all sizes.

My first visit to Hull was back in the mid-70s when, as a driver’s mate, I had to deliver so-called accounting machines. These were primitive computers that could perform simple tasks, like payroll. They weighed about a tonne, as I remember, and my mate and I were once charged with delivering one up a rickety flight of wooden steps to an office on the fish quay. It nearly ended in disaster as the great behemoth threatened to tumble down the steps and crush us all.

I have seen the city evolve since then and these days it is as unrecognisable from that memory as a MacBook Air is from an old accounting machine: most significantly, the fishing industry has all but vanished and retail parks have replaced the quays. The only boats that dock in the city centre now are pleasure craft, in the attractive marina close to my route to The Deep. I notice a nearby street that is home to Marina Court. Its name is Sewer Street – a title that seems to have been overlooked when the posh marina arrived.

The Deep, designed by Sir Terry Farrell, stands on the prosaically named Sammy’s Point, at the confluence of the River Hull and the vast expanse of the Humber estuary. It’s a large, iconic building and you could spend many hours here, whereas I shall focus on my personal highlights. These began almost immediately with an attractive

metal relief map of the world’s ocean beds: nowhere else have I seen the dramatic mountains and troughs of the ocean floors so engagingly explained and illustrated.

The “geography” of The Deep comprises a very deep central water-filled chamber and so the “big ticket” residents – the sharks and the rays – can descend ten metres to the bottom of the Endless Ocean.

It’s the penguins, however, that are stealing the show here these days. They’re a breeding colony of Gentoo penguins that arrived at The Deep in two batches from Texas and Calgary in 2014 and 2015 respectively. I found the keepers both friendly and knowledgeable, while a wall display illustrates the near 20 different species of the Southern Hemisphere birds – most of them are to some extent threatened by factors including loss of habitat and indeed there’s a strong focus on conservation. I found the display about how river basin pollution impacts on sea life particularly informative.

From the café at The Deep, you can enjoy a great view up the Humber to the famous bridge, though I did feel there was scope to make this more of a destination eatery, like that at Wakefield’s Hepworth gallery or, indeed, like The Deep’s own Two Rivers restaurant. This is open three evenings a week and offers the chance to dine surrounded by the aquarium’s star attractions.

I returned to the Paragon area for the City of Culture launch at Hull Truck Theatre via the Old Town, now the subject of aspirations for a Unesco World Heritage bid. I was very impressed by the sheer scale of the public realm works going on in preparation for 2017: just about every city centre street seems to have been dug up ready for relaying with attractive new pedestrian surfaces.

Nowhere is this more true than at Queen Victoria Square, flanked by the City Hall concert venue and the refurbished Ferens Art Gallery. Less auspicious is the nearby Maritime Museum, which isn’t on the long list for a 2017 facelift. Just because it may look today much as it did when it moved to these, the former headquarters of the Hull Dock Company, from Pickering Park in 1974, is no reason not to enjoy a visit.

The museum is in a beautiful building and your visit will meander through a rich history of Hull’s maritime connections. I found the history of the city’s whaling fleet particularly fascinating.

Queen Victoria Square is also where the remains of Beverley Gate, in the old city walls, were uncovered back in the 1980s. This historic site does not currently look its best. However, following its recent designation as a Scheduled Monument, it will at some point in the near future start to look better, with improved access and more

Clockwise from top: Hull marina, Holy Trinity Church, the “country’s smallest” window, Maritime Museum, Hull old town

of the original walls revealed. Given that this is the point at which Parliamentarians defeated King Charles in the Civil War in 1642, its historic significance is beyond doubt and as a rare surviving element in the old city fortifications it deserves the best.

Later in the day I get the chance to revisit my route through the Old Town, but this time in the company of a proud city guide. The ferry landing is a reminder of life before the Bridge, and of the romance evoked by taking the boat across to New Holland. Here you’ll find one of 25 plaques that make up a trail celebrating the city’s influence on the poet, Philip Larkin, one of Hull’s most famous residents.

Nearby streets have been tastefully restored and on a fine summer’s day you could choose between an ice cream or something a little stronger from the Juniper Gin Bar caravan.

Just round the corner – past a large haddock carved into the pavement and forming part of the Fish Trail (created in 1992) – is the new Fruit Market cultural quarter, quickly filling with creative businesses, galleries and music venues. It has the feel of a smaller version of Dublin’s Temple Bar. Among new kids on the block is the Yorkshire Brewing Company, a very fine craft brewery and bar.

Hull was very badly bombed during the War, but much of the Old Town remains intact – not least Holy Trinity Church, where William Wilberforce was baptised, which is said to be the largest

parish church in England. The nearby Grammar School and Merchant Adventurers Hall is a fine building opposite the church, while, nearby, archways offer subtle access to colourful Georgian terraces. Hepworth Arcade, off Silver Street, is home to interesting independent retailers and once housed one of the first Marks and Spencer penny bazaars.

A newer city trail arrived in summer 2016 to mark the 75th anniversary of the death of Hull’s flying heroine, Amy Johnson. It comprises large colourful moth sculptures, reminding us of Johnson’s solo flight to Australia in her Gipsy Moth. They will be on walls in the city till the end of March 2017.

The trail is a reminder that Hull can boast quite a long roll call of famous daughters and sons – Anthony Mingella, Maureen Lipman and Mick Ronson, of Spiders from Mars, are just some of the others that spring to mind. But on the whole, the city is rather understated – it even makes a boast of having the country’s smallest window: a porter’s lookout at the old coaching inn, the George.

This year is a welcome chance for the city to shout louder and I for one will be back to join in the chorus.

Eastern Airways flies to Humberside from Aberdeen

See Everyone Back to Hull, page 12

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I am never disappointed to return to the Isle of Wight – to visit is to find yourself in a more laid back version of adjacent parts of the South of England.

Just as the Isle of Arran is often dubbed “Scotland in miniature”, so the Isle of Wight has its own versions of the landscapes and townscapes that define the South East. There are chalk Downs; there’s an under-cliff, like Dorset; there are dramatic coves beneath towering white cliffs; quaint thatched cottages and half-timbered houses; and wonderful country pubs and tea-rooms.

Little of this observation will be cause for great surprise, but what I really like is that the island has fresh surprises up its sleeve, so each visit will open a

door on something previously unseen.

My previously unseen delights on this visit were discovered on foot, on the water and by car.

Most people will have heard of Newport, Isle of Wight, the island’s administrative centre, and the second largest town, after Ryde. Fewer will have heard of NewTOWN.

I arrived at Newtown, which belies its name by barely qualifying as a village, to take a walk round the nearby nature reserve with with Kathryn Wilson, Visitor Operations Manager at the National Trust. Small it may be, but its history is fascinating. It once boasted two MPs for a voting population of 23, living in 14

houses. This made it one of the so-called rotten boroughs, which – up until the Parliamentary Reform Act of 1832 – made it possible for devious patrons to enjoy undue influence in Parliament.

In fact, Newtown was already on the decline when Queen Elizabeth I awarded it its two seats in 1584. Actually, “new” is something of a misnomer as it very likely predates the Norman Conquest and was originally called Francheville, or freetown. Its golden years came in the early 14th century, when it was home to 60-odd families and had thriving salt-making and oyster industries and was more important than Newport.

Stan Abbott finds the Isle of Wight offers fresh surprises with every visit…

ONE VISIT IS JUST NOT ENOUGH

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In reality, the queen was trying to revive a patient that was already close to death, having been ravaged by the plague and French raiders, although a town hall was built a couple of hundred years later in a style almost as grand as that of the imposing church that dominates the village.

The restored town hall is dubbed “a town hall without a town” by its current owner, the National Trust, whose land-holdings are helping to preserve the ancient street pattern. The original householders enjoyed the use of plots of land, large enough for modest crops and raising a few animals and these still punctuate the sleepy streetscape of neatly kept cottages.

Kathryn took us out onto the nearby National Nature Reserve, where – on a

pleasantly sunny Autumn day – we visited a rather splendid two-storey bird hide. This was exceptionally well equipped with books and a good pair of (securely-anchored) binoculars and was a great vantage from which to watch egrets and herons on the extensive wetland.

The remains of the old port are accessed via a boardwalk across the marsh and are now useable only by the smallest of boats at higher tides, such has been the advance of silt. Even quite modest yachts (of which there are many) sit some distance offshore. Adjacent to the port building are the remains of the old saltpans. Of the oyster beds, no sign endures.

My water-based discoveries came courtesy of the Medina Valley Centre, on the edge of

Newtown, and an afternoon kayak jaunt along much of the length of the River Medina.

The Medina is a fairly vast river, its channel far bigger than the island’s rainfall could ever demand. In reality it is a tidal reach extending south from the Solent to almost the heart of the island. We paddled “downstream” but against the tide towards Cowes, then allowing the tide to help us on a journey of discovery back to the heart of Newport.

It was a trip that opened up a different side of the town to our gaze, revealing the extent to which the island still earns its living from the sea. Only those warehouses now surplus to requirements have earned new life as waterside apartments and the

Newtown Creek and the National

Nature Reserve – a haven for birdlife such as swans, above.

Top right: the restored town hall.Images: Visit Isle of Wight

chandlers’ yards and boathouses remain busy. We passed the large facility at the Vestas wind turbine blade plant and eventually found ourselves at a junction in the heart of town, from where we paddled our craft through a long tunnel beneath a road, feeling vaguely like bargemen may have felt in days when their craft routinely navigated tight tunnels.

It was returning by car from a Segway session at the east of the island that I chose to visit a location I had only driven past on previous visits. This was because the Arreton Barns Craft Village had always looked just a bit too twee, with its faux-rustique wooden buildings. On this

occasion, however, I was drawn in by a sign inviting me to the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum. Given that Arreton is about as far from the sea as you can get on a modestly sized island, I could hardly resist and the rewards for such weakness were copious!

This is a museum jammed to the rafters with curious and at times remarkable artefacts. At its core is a collection of objects of varying age that have been collected from seabed over four decades by diver, Martin Woodward.

There is Spanish gold and silver, an antique diving bell, ship models, the curious

“merman” and other relics. Martin has dived to hundreds of shipwrecks both around the Isle of Wight and around the world. His collection has been on display since his museum first opened in Bembridge, in 1978. The museum outgrew its home there and moved to Arreton Barns in 2006.

The displays also tell the stories behind shipwrecks, including famous local wrecks such as the sailing ships Clarendon and Sirenia and the steamship Mendi. The museum is also home to the archives and collections of Bembridge Lifeboat and the staff are friendly and ever helpful. All in all, well worth the stop. Also in Arreton is the oldest church on the island, St George’s,

St George’s Church and the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum, Arreton

THE SHIPWRECK CENTRE AND MARITIME MUSEUM IS JAMMED TO THE RAFTERS WITH CURIOUS AND AT TIMES REMARKABLE ARTEFACTS

Osborne HouseImage: Visit Isle of Wight

which boasts a Saxon doorway and window. The addition of a new aisle in the Norman period gives it an odd shape, while the West Tower has the look of a medieval spaceship. Also well worth a closer look!

Other things old on the island include Adgestone Vineyard, at the foot of an attractive chalk escarpment. This is not only among the oldest vineyards in the country, but is also home to one of the oldest commercial wine cellars in the country. Impressively, the vineyard grows its own ginger for its ginger wine, though I stuck to a very pleasant bottle of blush wine to take

home. It was reassuring, if distressing, to hear that the cold Spring had impacted every bit as much on this commercial operation as on my own vines in the North of England, which struggled to muster a harvest worth picking in 2016.

So, my four new Isle of Wight discoveries… But there are of course a great many places I have seen previously but didn’t have time to revisit on a short weekend. Carisbrooke Castle is always worth a call, as is Queen Victoria’s magnificent Osborne House, the island’s zoo and Alum Bay, with its coloured sands, and the garlic farm, to mention but a

few. For me, the Isle of Wight is one of those places to which you just have to keep on coming back.

www.visitisleofwight.co.ukwww.nationaltrust.org.uk/newtown-national-nature-reservewww.medinavalleycentre.org.ukhttp://shipwreckcentre.com/www.adgestonevineyard.co.uk

Eastern Airways flies to Southampton from Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen. Ferries to the Isle of Wight run from Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington

Carisbrooke Castle, Newport Image: Visit Isle of Wight

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The Isle of Wight is beautiful place to live or visit, but its economy lags behind the rest of the South of England, limiting prospects for young people in particular. But would a bridge or tunnel provide the answer. We present arguments on both sides and reflect on lessons from elsewhere…

A BRIDGE TOO FAR?

If the waters of the Solent that divide the Isle of Wight from Hampshire and Dorset were in a country other than the UK, the chances are we wouldn’t be opening our pages to this debate.

People on both sides of the argument over whether the island should be connected to the mainland by fixed link (tunnel, bridge or a combination of both) present lots of facts in support of their arguments.

But the single biggest fact is that UK spends a lot of time talking about major infrastructure projects and rather less actually realising them. Putting to one side the endless debate about new runways for the South, our recent history is littered with examples of big projects that either happened years late or have yet to leave the debating chamber – and the idea of connecting the Isle of Wight to Hampshire or Dorset is one that’s been around for decades.

Now, if this was Norway, they’d have built a link years ago and probably not

even bothered with carrying out a lengthy cost-benefit analysis – and that was probably as true even before the country’s oil wealth was realised. That is because such links are viewed in broader philosophical terms: it’s about the need to deliver connectivity to as much of the population as possible.

Take the UK’s near Atlantic neighbour, the Faroe Islands, where you’d be forgiven to think the population had troll genes, such is the extent of the tunnel network, which bores through mountains and beneath the sea. One recently completed tunnel serves a tiny village of 12 homes, previously only accessible on foot over a mountain. It cost the government £1 million per resident, but there is no toll.

Contrast this with Shetland, 200 miles to the south-east, where the authorities spent more than £7 million trying to find a water-tight economic justification for a short link from Lerwick to the island of Bressay before ditching the whole idea. And it’s not as though money is short in Shetland, thanks to its oil

revenues held in trust for the benefit of islanders.

In fact, as soon as you start trying to cost these mega-projects in conventional economic terms – say by using borrowed money to build them and recouping this through driver tolls – you open the door to trouble.

The Channel Tunnel is perhaps the most spectacular example of a failure to finance a huge infrastructure project privately – through a combination of bank loans and share offers. Unsurprisingly financing and building costs over-ran by 80 per cent and it was the shareholders who lost out. In Ålesund, Norway, an ambitious scheme to link the various parts of the island city to each other and to the mainland was delivered more or less to budget, but interest rates had meanwhile soared and by the time the bridge and tunnel company went bust it owed more than it had borrowed, despite having recouped more than the capital costs in motor tolls.

The Fehmarnbelt fixed link – an immersed tunnel currently in construction, which will connect the Danish island of Lolland

with the German island of Fehmarn. At 18 kilometres, it will be the world's longest of its type for both road and rail

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It’s worth remembering that construction companies have a vested interest in seeing these big schemes go ahead and will generally look on the optimistic side of the financial model. It’s also wise to reflect that there are two universal truths in construction: firstly, yes it will always cost more than forecast, and secondly, there will always be unforeseen outcomes.

Perhaps because the long debate about a fixed link to the Isle of Wight has been framed in economic terms and no-one really knows where the money would come from, people that you might expect to hold strong views about the project seem instead to sit resolutely on the fence. The Isle of Wight Council is all in favour of more studies, but that feels a bit like just kicking the ball into the long grass.

This means that the case for promoting a fixed a link has been left to a voluntary body, Pro-Link, formed in March 2015, with a management committee of six Island resi-dents who “are helping secure a brighter, more connected future for the Isle of Wight”.

Pro-Link identifies powerful economic arguments to justify spending between £1.2 billion and £1.6 billion to create a tunnel link across the Solent. The organisation’s current favourite alignment would be from Whippingham to the motorway, near Gosport (between Southampton and Portsmouth), ahead of other alternatives to either Southampton (from East Cowes) or Lepe, just south of the Fawley oil refinery (from Thorness, west of Cowes). All three proposals comprise a submersible tunnel with new bridge and road links, and none is at the narrowest (only a mile or so) crossing point, from Yarmouth, at the western end of the island, to near Lymington. A crossing here would raise major environmental concerns and it would involve a huge detour for most traffic.

Pro-Link cites a 1998 feasibility study by KPMG, which argued that the economic position of the Isle of Wight would decline relative to the mainland without a fixed link.

This has been borne out by reality, it says, with unemployment having risen faster in the decade from 2001 to 2011 to a figure of 5.26 per cent, up 1.65 per cent and above the UK average of 4.92 per cent.

Over the same period, average income in Hampshire rose from £22,091 to £28,700.

On the island it rose from a mere £16,300 to £20,600. So, the argument goes, for those in work on the Island, pay is now 71.8 per cent of what people could earn working in Hampshire, compared with 73.8 per cent in 2000.

Yet, over the same period, Pro-Link claims ferry prices have risen well ahead of inflation.

“We need a fixed link as a key way of turning around this depressing economic decline,” it says.

Pro-Link has cited the Skye bridge as a powerful example in support of its campaign, quoting strong growth in the entrepreneurial sector. But ten years after that bridge was built and opened under the terms of a questionable private finance initiative contract, a report by consultants DHC actually painted a rather more ambiguous picture.

When the bridge opened, the short ferry link from Kyle to Kyelakin closed and road tolls were set at just slightly less than the ferry price. The Scottish Government first reduced tolls and then removed them altogether in December 2004. Some 60 per cent of the economic benefit for Skye is attributable to this action rather than to the building of the bridge per se, says the report. The big winners, it says, have been small entrepreneurs and quality providers of accommodation and other services. Local businesses that relied on their insularity have lost out, and this includes the lower end of the tourism market. The comparative inefficiency of island-based businesses has been exposed by their poor performance in tenders against mainland competition. At the same time, new investment by outsiders has forced up prices for local people – 30 per cent of house-buyers are now from outside Scotland. The two remaining ferry routes to Skye are now almost exclusively used by tourists, who seem to be enjoying more, but shorter, stays on Skye.

Perhaps most tellingly, the report says that demand for the bridge could not be forecast without knowing what these wider economic impacts would be. In other words, the value of detailed economic forecasting is questionable because there are just too many unknowns.

In the case of the construction of the longest tunnel to date in the Faroe Islands

– linking the second largest town, Klaksvík, with the rest of the archipelago via a sub-sea tunnel more than four miles long – the most obvious unintended consequence was an immediate fall in population as the town’s needs could be served from outside its island.

The DHC report says that the loss of insularity raises big questions about island identity and the nature of our remoter communities.

– What sort of rural and remote areas do people want?– What is the role of government in supporting this?– How can we make the right transport decisions given the high costs and long-term benefits?

It is these less tangible questions that may ultimately decide whether the Isle of Wight gets a link or not. Pro-Link wants to end what it sees as a stranglehold by two private equity-owned ferry companies to share the wealth of Hampshire and Dorset more evenly with islanders.

Opponents fear the proposed links would render ferry links, to Lymington, and more importantly Portsmouth, non-viable. They fear the island’s quaint road infrastructure simply couldn’t cope with the influx of traffic from the mainland and that local people, far from becoming better off, would be priced out of the housing market. To some extent, events on Skye do hint at all these possible outcomes.

However, Carl Feeney, founder of Pro-Link, said: “I am 100 per cent certain one day the Island will have a fixed link.”

Ultimately those charged with making a decision on a fixed link may be so uncertain of the eventual social and economic outcomes that they will opt for an Island-wide referendum. And we all know that referenda can come up with unexpected answers, don’t we?!

Eastern Airways flies to Southampton from Aberdeen and Leeds Bradford. Ferry connections are by Red Funnel from Southampton, and Wightlink from Lymington and Portsmouth, as well as Hovertravel (foot passengers only) from Portsmouth.

Pro-Link is at solentfreedomtunnel.co.uk

IT’S WISE TO REFLECT THAT THERE ARE TWO UNIVERSAL TRUTHS IN CONSTRUCTION: FIRSTLY, YES IT WILL ALWAYS COST MORE THAN FORECAST, AND SECONDLY, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE UNFORESEEN OUTCOMES.

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WELCOME TO OUR BARE ESSENTIALSInformation on our routes, fleet, passenger experience and suggestions for what to do when you arrive at your destination.

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EMBRAER ERJ135Two aircraft Seats 37 passengers Two turbofan engines Wingspan, 20m (65ft)

Length 26m (86ft) Typical cruising speed, 450 knots, at 35,000ft

JETSTREAM 41

Seventeen aircraft Seats 29 passengers Two turboprop engines Wingspan 19m (60ft)

Length 20m (63ft) Typical cruising speed,280 knots, at 20,000ft

SAAB 2000

Nine aircraft Seats 50 passengers Two jetprop engines Wingspan 24.3m (81ft)

Length 26.7m (89ft) Typical cruising speed, 370 knots, at 28,000ft

EMBRAER ERJ145Three aircraft Seats 50 passengers Two turbofan engines Wingspan, 20m (65ft)

Length 30m (98ft) Typical cruising speed, 450 knots, at 35,000ft

THE FLEET

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Besides the airline’s scheduled service network in the UK and Norway, Eastern Airways also operates domestic services within France from Paris Orly to Rodez, in the department of Aveyron, in the south.

EMBRAER E170

Two aircraft Seats 76 passengers Two General Electric CF34-BE turbofan engines

Wingspan 26m (85ft 4in)Length 30m (98ft) Typical cruising speed, 481 knots, at 41,000ft

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Our customers choose Eastern Airways because they want their journey to be as convenient, speedy and hassle-free as possible.

We aim to satisfy these key requirements by offering frequent services (up to four weekday departures, plus Sunday services), same day returns on most routes, and free hand lug-gage and hold baggage allowance.

Our highly trained cabin attendants also offer a fully complimentary in-flight drinks and branded snacks service, while customers with fully flexible tickets can enjoy complimentary lounge access at selected airports.

Our 30-minute check-in time, along with fast track security at selected airports, are a big plus when time is of the essence and queues at both will be short, enabling you to make the most of your ticketless travel, pioneered by Eastern Airways a decade ago.

Fast Track is currently available at Aberdeen,

Cardiff, Leeds Bradford, Southampton, East Midlands and Newcastle, and is a dedicated security channel for Eastern Airways passen-gers to use and avoid busy airport terminal security queues.

With Eastern Airways operating the largest number of scheduled services from Aber-deen, we offer exclusive use of our dedi-cated business lounge, located next to our departure gates. Executive lounge access is also offered at Cardiff, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Norwich and Southampton for pas-sengers travelling on fully flexible tickets.

As you board your aircraft you will see our liveried valet baggage cart for you to place larger items of hand luggage by the aircraft steps. Your hand luggage will be there for you on the valet baggage cart at your destination.

Once again our aim is to make your travel as pleasant an experience as possible and we wish you a most enjoyable trip.

…we'll make your journey easier and more enjoyable

FLY FOR LESSThe Eastern Airways 4-4-3 Route Pass offers savings for frequent flyers of up to 25 per cent when you buy four return tickets for the price of three.

The 4-4-3 Route Pass offers maximum flexibility, lounge access and fee-free changes, and is available on all Eastern Airways UK domestic services – as is our Zonal Route Pass, which offers even bigger savings of up to 40 per cent.

The Zonal Route Pass is for customers buying six return flights, or 12 one-way sectors, on the same route. You can pick and choose your flights, making as many changes as you need (subject to availability). The Zonal Route Pass is available on all domestic Eastern Airways routes and also comes with complimentary lounge access, where available.

The Air Discount Scheme (ADS) was brought in by the Scottish Government for the benefit of the remotest communi-ties in the Highlands and Islands and provides a discount of 50 per cent on the core air fare on eligible routes. Routes eligible with Eastern Airways are Stornoway to Aberdeen and Wick to Aberdeen.

For more information on flying for less, see www.easternairways.com, or contact your travel agent or our reservations team on 08703 669100.

LASER DEVICESA safety issue that has been raised in the airline industry and which has attracted some wider publicity recently is the number of laser attacks against aircraft. It is a matter about which the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is very concerned.

Targeting an aircraft with a laser is reckless, dangerous and also illegal. Just a microsec-ond of laser energy from a powerful laser source is enough to permanently damage the eye.

If you do happen to see a laser beam from the cabin or if it enters the cabin, you may be tempted to look at it. However, you should not look at the beam or try to locate its source. Just look away or look down towards the floor of the cabin. Do report the incident to your cabin crew.

Thanks for your attention.

SAFETY AND SECURITYAbove all else, we want you to enjoy flying with us and we’re confident that in the overwhelming majority of cases you will do so. However, while the vast majority of passengers flying in the world today behave impeccably, there is a greater awareness of isolated incidents of disruptive behaviour, sometimes dubbed “air rage”. While this isn’t a major problem at Eastern Airways, the safety and security of our passengers and crew is our number one priority and we don’t want our customers to experience any behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable, or to be put in a situation that compromises safety.

Our Zero Tolerance policy is directed at disruptive behaviour, which might include smoking, drunkenness, aggression or abusive language towards a customer or a member of crew.

Our crews are fully trained to deal with this kind of incident and therefore we remind customers that to disobey a lawful com-mand given by a crew member is to commit an offence under the UK Air Navigation Or-der. Offenders who persistently misbehave on a flight will be handed to the appropriate

authorities on arrival and may face arrest and a heavy fine – or up to two years in jail. Severe restrictions will also be placed on their future travel with Eastern Airways.

Similarly, we remind customers that there is a strict No Smoking policy on board all of our aircraft and in all of our lounges. This includes the use of electronic cigarettes or any cigarette substitute device that emits a vapour or has a power source or produces heat and or a light. We do not permit electronic cigarettes to be charged in our lounges. Electronic cigarettes may be carried on board subject to the following conditions:• Carried on the person only • No refills • Strictly not permitted for use

ESSENTIAL TRAVEL

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ENJOY THE MOMENT AT MONESS

ITS LOCATION, IN THE CENTRE OF SCOTLAND AND CLOSE TO ALL OF THE NATION’S MAJOR CITIES AND AIRPORTS, MAKES IT A GREAT SPOT FOR A MEET UP

In the heart of Perthshire, just outside Aberfeldy, is a relaxing gem of a resort that becomes whatever you need it to be, which is no mean feat and a compliment in itself. With 106 cottages offering self-catering facilities and a four-star hotel where no two rooms are the same Moness works for families, couples and lone travellers but it’s also a solid solution for large parties, reunions or for multi-generational trips where people want to book different things yet still be together. 

There are five types of cottages to choose between to suit individual needs and preferences. For example the Garden Wynd properties are close to the leisure centre and hotel, so spot on for families or those who wish to be close to the action, whereas the Walled Garden cottages, set within the original farm garden, offer a more private, tranquil setting in log-cabin-style bungalows.

Guests can prepare food and eat in, in the comfort of the one, two or three bedroom cottages but it’s a tempting option to dine at a choice of two restaurants, which means that even self-catering visitors can have a real night off.  The menu of the Flemmyng Restaurant is indulgent and proudly Scottish; including haggis bon bons, highland venison loin and whisky and summer berry crème

brulee. The Terrace offers low-key bar meals such as steak and ale pie, battered haddock and chips and good old macaroni cheese. Its outdoor seating is always a hit on the days when the Perthshire sunshine makes a welcome appearance. 

On-site there’s a swimming pool with steam room, sauna and jacuzzi as well as indulgent spa facilities. There’s also a play room for little ones, with a ball pit, jigsaws, games and tunnel, located next to the Terrace bar so it’s possible to catch up with friends whilst the youngsters are entertained.  

From a business perspective meetings and events facilities are available with specific delegates offerings available. And team building packages, incorporating many of the sports in the area such as rafting, quad biking and clay pigeon shooting, add a bit of colour to a day out of the office.

In terms of location the picturesque town of Aberfeldy is a mere walk away, and Birnam, Dunkeld, Pitlochry and Loch Tay are a short drive on winding country roads. Golf is on the doorstep at the Aberfeldy Golf Club, and key attractions such as the Scottish Crannog Centre, Highland Safaris and Dewar’s World of Whisky are within easy reach. Literary enthusiasts can go in search of the

Birnam oak which is said to have inspired Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and little bookworms may enjoy the Beatrix Potter Exhibition within Birnam Arts Centre. Nature lovers will find themselves in the heart of Perth’s ‘Big Tree Country’ with numerous forest walks and renowned trees to visit right across the region. Spring is the perfect time to experience the new buds, fresh leaves and country air.

Set in 35 acres of ground the Moness Resort is its own piece of Perthshire tranquility, and if you’re really lucky you’ll get a knock on the door from the local ducks.

For more information on the hotel and the local area visit www.moness.com and www.visitperthshire.co.uk

Nearest Eastern Airways Airport – Aberdeen38

FOOD FROM THE FOR EST – AND THE SEAFiji: Art & Life in the Pacific which runs until February 12 at the The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition about Fiji ever assembled. Revealing stunning sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and ivory and shell regalia, it takes the visitor on a journey through the art and cultural history of this dynamic South Seas archipelago since the late 18th century.

Over 270 works of art, including European paintings and historic photographs, are being loaned by exhibition partner the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology at Cambridge, and by the Fiji Museum, the British Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford) and museums in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Exeter, London-Maidstone, as well as Dresden and Leipzig in Germany.  

A highlight of the exhibition is a

beautiful, newly commissioned, eight metre-long double-hulled sailing canoe that has been built in Fiji and shipped here for display; it performed in the recent Pageant for HM The Queen’s 90th Birthday at Windsor Castle. 

Also running in Norwich at the Castle Museum and Art Gallery, until January 22, is Fishermen and Kings: The Photography of Olive Edis.

It celebrates the life and work of British photographer Olive Edis (1876-1955) and is the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to her 50 year-career. Featuring more than 190 rare photographs, it showcases Edis’ wide-ranging portraiture from British royalty to dignified Norfolk fishermen, together with her important work as the first-ever accredited female war photographer.

scva.ac.ukwww.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

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Aberdeen’s Rendezvous Gallery brings the opportunity to see work by one of the so-called New Glasgow Boys, whose huge, exuberant figure paintings brought them to prominence in the mid-1980s.

Like that of other “new boys” Adrian Wiszniewski’s work draws equally on fantasy and myth, and contemporary thought and everyday life. When his work was acquired by the Tate in 1985 and New York’s Museum of Modern Art a year later, it prompted wider interest by public collections in the UK and internationally. Between 1986-87 he was artist in residence at the Walker Gallery, Liverpool. Since then his work has developed in many different directions,

including, in addition to painting, printmaking, sculpture, installations, furniture and interior design, and writing.

He writes in his own synopsis for the exhibition, Notes on a Train: “I don’t

know where my ideas come from but I do know that they generally arrive by train. As a non-driver I frequently travel by rail. This I always do with a sketchbook stuck in my pocket or tucked under my arm.”

He continues: “I let my pen hover. Like the arm of an old teleprinter waiting for a result to come through. It is not immediate. I let the visuals and acoustics act on empting my mind.

“The tip of my pen touches the paper. I don’t know where it will lead me. All I know is that my journey has begun.”

Running until December 24.

new.rendezvous-gallery.co.uk

n Banchory Beer Festival presents Beer @ the Barn 2017 from February 10-11 at the Woodend Barn, Banchory. The Beer Festival team aims to provide a unique selection of beers, ciders, gins and rum supporting local and national producers where quality products are the priority. The festival will also include local food and live music. 

n St David’s Day 2017 on March 1 promises to be an uplifting occasion at St David’s Hall in Cardiff as the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales are joined by acclaimed Welsh soprano Rebecca Evans. Together they will celebrate the country’s music, along with tenor Joshua Mills, and 2016 BBC Young Musician string finalist Charlie Lovell-Jones.

n Some of Europe’s best winemakers, chefs and suppliers will gather in Stavanger for the Stavanger Wine Festival from March 22-25. Arranged by 14 of the city's best restaurants, the programme will include a wine train with eight stops for tastings.

FIJI EXHIBITION SAILS INTO NORWICH

Rendezvous in Aberdeen with the New Glasgow Boys

Japanese Garden by Adrian Wiszniewski

Meldrum House Country Hotel & Golf Course, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB51 0AETelephone: +44 (0)1651 872294 | enquiries@meldrumhouse.com

www.meldrumhouse.com

Idyllic Location, Unique Experience

Peter Chalmers

“Raise The Curtain”

A Window Exhibition of Recent Works

Japanese Garden, 120 x 150 cm, oil on canvas

Adrian Wiszniewski “Notes on a Train”

A Solo Exhibition of Recent Works

The One I Kiss, 120 x 140cm, oil on canvas

The Rendezvous Gallery Ltd - December, 2016

www.rendezvous-gallery.co.uk Tel: 01224-323247, Mon-Sat: 11am - 6pm

info@rendezvous-gallery.co.uk 100 Forest Avenue, Aberdeen, AB14 4TL

December 3rd - December 24th, 2016

The Rendezvous Gallery Ltd - February, 2017

Shared Landscapes

Will Maclean, RSA, RSW

Birth of the Uraisg / Garyvard Construction and found objects 57 x 52 x 11 cm

Coastal Glimpses IV Screenprint 7/30 45 x 63 cm

Frances Walker, RSA, RSW

Marian Leven, RSA, RSW

Lewis Suite, III Watercolour, collage, graphite 40 x 30 cm

February 11th - February 25th, 2017

Hull celebratesHull’s newly refurbished Ferens Art Gallery is hosting a number of special exhibitons during 2017 as part of the UK City of Culture celebrations.

The Open Exhibition, founded in 1967, which showcases the creativity of local artists, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, and judges of this special edition include Dr Gabriel Finaldi, Director, London’s National Gallery, Hull-born actress Maureen Lipman and the leading sculptor David Mach. It runs from January 20 to March 12. The gallery will also present a display including five of Francis Bacon’s Screaming Popes, from January 21 to May 1.

The first showing of Spencer Tunick’s photographs from his 2016 Sea of Hull commission, featuring thousands of nudes with the city as a backdrop, comes to the gallery on April 22. There will also be an exhibition of works by the internationally acclaimed sculptor, Ron Mueck.

www.hull2017.co.uk

Running for four nights from February 9, SPECTRA, Aberdeen’s stunning Festival of Light, returns to celebrate the Scottish Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology exploring Aberdeen’s past through this year’s theme, A New Light.

Bringing together leading international artists with established Scottish collaborators the festival will deliver a four-day light spectacular to once again animate Union Terrace Gardens, the Kirk of St Nicholas Graveyard, Seventeen and Marischal College.

Featuring major public realm and gallery installations alongside new experimental

works from North East Scotland’s creative community, the festival will enliven the city and celebrate Aberdeen’s creative past, present and future.

Inviting audiences to engage with playful, accessible and high quality performances, spaces and works of art means that marry light, sound and interactive experiences SPECTRA 2017 will be an exciting family event bringing light to the depths of winter.

SPECTRA was the winner of Festival of the Year at the Drum Scottish Event Awards 2016.

www.spectraaberdeen.com

FESTIVAL LIGHTS UP WINTER IN ABERDEEN

LAWR ENCE OF AR ABIA R EASSESSEDHe has been called a charlatan and fantasist – but a new exhibition lends credence to the account Lawrence of Arabia gave of his own extraordinary exploits in the desert.

What emerges according to one expert is the rehabilitation of a war hero.

TE Lawrence was a low-ranking British military intelligence officer who played a key role in the Great Arab Revolt (1916-18) against the Turkish Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Memorably photographed in Arab dress, he became an iconic figure of the 20th century, feted by royalty and immortalised in David Lean's classic 1962 film. But since then separating the man from the myth has proved impossible, especially after a critical biography was published in the 1950s.

Now his reputation and impact are being

reassessed in a UK first exhibition – currently open – being hosted by the National Civil War Centre in Newark, Nottinghamshire, until March 31.

It is based on 10 years' research by archaeologists following in Lawrence's footsteps in the Jordanian desert, armed with Seven Pillars of Wisdom, his own – often criticised – account of the revolt, published in 1935. The investigation confirmed Lawrence's account in every detail.

Spent bullets and blown-up railway line are some of the artefacts being displayed for the first time, together with the chest used by Lawrence to carry gold to pay Arab chiefs and the robes he wore in a 1919 publicity shot that helped propel him to worldwide fame.

www.nationalcivilwarcentre.com

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Airport 0844 481 6666 www.aberdeenairport.com

Eastern Airways flights to Bergen, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton, Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick

Tourist/Local Info 01224 900490 www.visitaberdeen.com

ABERDEEN

WHERESeven miles north-west of the city centre, off the A96. Regular buses into the city centre. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT The Winter Gardens, Duthie Park, Polmuir Rd; Gordon Highlanders Museum, Viewfield Rd.

STAY AT The Chester Hotel, Queen’s Rd; Atholl Hotel, King’s Gate; The Village Hotel, Kingswells; Banchory Lodge Hotel; Skene House Apartments, various city locations; Bauhaus Hotel, Langstane Place.

SHOP AT Aberdeen Whisky Shop, Union St; Annie Mo’s, Union St (interiors); Granite Reef, the Green (skate, surf, snow).

DRINK AT Brewdog, Gallowgate; Eclectic Fizz, Union St; CASC, Stirling St; Under the Hammer, North Silver St.

EAT AT Granite Park, Golden Sq; Foodstory Cafe, Thistle St; Yorokobi by CJ, Huntly St; Rishi’s, George St; Aperitivo, Bon Accord St; Sand Dollar Cafe & Bistro, Beach Esplanade.

WHAT’S ON The Gateway to the North: Aberdeen Harbour 1136-1660, Aberdeen Maritime Museum, Jan 1-Sep 30; Burns Night celebrations in week of Jan 25.

Brewdog

Airport 0871 882 1121 www.newcastleinternational.co.uk

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen, Cardiff. Onward connections to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick

Tourist/Local Info 0191 277 8000 / 0191 478 4222 www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com

NEWCASTLE

WHERESeven miles north-west of the city centre. Metro rail link every few minutes to the city, Gateshead, the coast and Sunderland. Half-hourly bus service. Taxi fare to city, approx £12. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT Great North Museum, Centre for Life, Newcastle; Gateshead Quays for the Baltic and Sage Gateshead.

STAY AT Sandman Signature, Hotel Indigo, Jesmond Dene House, all Newcastle; Hilton, Gateshead.

SHOP AT Jules B, Jesmond; Cruise, Princess Square, Newcastle; Van Mildert, MetroCentre and Durham.

DRINK AT Crown Posada, Side; The Forth, Pink Lane; Bridge Hotel, Castle Garth – all Newcastle.

EAT AT House of Tides, Quayside; Blackfriars; Caffè Vivo (Live Theatre); Red Mezze, Leazes Park Rd; Peace and Loaf, Jesmond – all Newcastle.

WHAT’S ON Body Worlds Animal Inside Out, Centre For Life, Newcastle, until Jan 3; Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, Playhouse, Whitley Bay, Mar 9-10.

WHEREOne mile from the centre of Wick, half an hour’s drive from Thurso. Main bus and rail stations are near to Wick centre serving most places in Caithness. Trains to Thurso and Inverness. Post bus operates Thurso-Wick-Airport. Car hire: Dunnets offers airport pick-up and drop-off, 01955 602103.

VISIT Wick Heritage Museum; St Fergus Gallery, Sinclair Terr; Pulteney Distillery, Huddart St.

STAY AT Ackergill Tower, Wick; Mackays Hotel, Wick; The Brown Trout Hotel, Station Rd, Watten, near Wick.

SHOP AT John O’Groats (pottery, knitwear); Rotterdam St, Thurso (20 miles).

DRINK AT Cocktail Bar, Mackay’s Hotel, Wick; the Alexander Bain Wetherspoons, Wick.

EAT AT Bord de l’Eau, Market St, Wick; Le Bistro, Thurso; Captain’s Galley, Scrabster (22 miles).

WHAT’S ON Made – Caithness Contemporary Craft, St Fergus Gallery, Wick, until Jan 7; Half-Light: a touring exhibition of monochromatic works, Jan 28-Feb 25, Thurso Library.

Airport 01955 602215 www.hial.co.uk/wick-airport.html

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen. Onward connections to Bergen, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich, Stavanger, Stornoway

Tourist/Local Info 0845 22 55 121 www.wicktown.co.uk

WICK JOHN O’GROATS

Caithness Contemporary Craft

Airport 01851 702256 www.hial.co.uk/stornoway-airport

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen. Onward connections to Bergen, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich, Stavanger, Wick

Tourist/Local Info 01851 703088 www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk

STORNOWAY

Animal Inside Out

WHERETo the east of the town. Taxis and car hire are available at the airport. No weekend flights. Car hire: Isle of Harris Car Hire – see above.

VISIT Stornoway Fish Smokers, Shell St; Woodlands Centre, Lews Castle grounds; An Lanntair Arts Centre, Kenneth Street, Stornoway.

STAY AT Hotel Hebrides, Tarbert; Royal Hotel, Cromwell St, Stornoway; Scarista House, west Harris; Auberge Carnish, Uig.

SHOP AT Callanish Jewellery, Point St; This ’n That, Cromwell St; Borgh Pottery, Borgh (20 miles).

DRINK AT Chili Chili cocktail and vodka bar, Era, South Beach; The Carlton Lounge, Francis St. (Both in Stornoway)

EAT AT Digby Chick, Bank St; Golden Ocean, Cromwell St; Thai, Church St. (All in Stornoway)

WHAT’S ON Bliadhna Mhath Ur! – a musical celebration of the New Year at An Lanntair, Dec 31; Snow White, An Lanntair, Stornoway, Jan 19-21.

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isleofharris-carhire.com

Airport 01325 332811 www.durhamteesvalleyairport.com

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen. Onward connections to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick

Tourist/Local Info01642 729700 / 264957 www.visitmiddlesbrough.com

DURHAM TEES VALLEY

Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience

Airport 0844 887 7747 www.humbersideairport.com

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen. Onward connections to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick

Tourist/Local Info 01482 486600 www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com www.visitlincolnshire.comwww.yorkshire.com

HUMBERSIDE

WHEREFifteen miles east of Scun-thorpe, 20 miles south of Hull, 16 miles west of Grimsby, 30 miles north of Lincoln. Regular bus services to major towns. Barnetby Station three miles from airport with Intercity con-nections via Don caster. Approx taxi fare to Hull £26. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT Museums Quarter, Hull; The Deep, Hull; Lincoln Castle and Cathedral; Ferens Art Gallery, Hull.

STAY AT Forest Pines Hotel, Broughton; Cave Castle Hotel, Brough; Willerby Manor, Willerby; The White Hart, Lincoln.

SHOP AT Bailgate and Steep Hill area, Lincoln; Henri Beene, Abbeygate, Grimsby.

DRINK AT The Wig & Mitre, Steep Hill, Lincoln; Ye Olde Black Boy, High St, Hull.

EAT AT Figs Restaurant, Cleethorpes; Brackenborough Hotel & Restaurant, Louth; Wintering-ham Field, Winteringham; Pipe and Glass, South Dalton.

WHAT’S ON Stage 4 Beverley: Winter Music Celebration, East Riding Theatre, Feb 17-19; Beverley Races, April 19 & 27.

The Deep Creswell CragsShakespeare in Yorkshire

WHERENine miles north-west of Leeds centre, seven miles from Bradford. Regular Airlink 757 bus from bus and rail stations to terminal. Taxi time 25 mins. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT Royal Armouries, Leeds; Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square; National Media Museum, Bradford; Salts Mill, Saltaire.

STAY AT DoubleTree by Hilton, Leeds; Radisson Blu, The Headrow, Leeds; the New Ellington, Leeds; Dubrovnik boutique hotel, Oak Avenue, Bradford.

SHOP AT Retro Boutique, Headingley Lane, Leeds; Harvey Nichols, Briggate, Leeds; Victoria Quarter, Leeds.

DRINK AT Baby Jupiter, York Place, Leeds; Haigys, Lumb Lane, Bradford.

EAT AT Chandelier by Mumtaz, Clarence Dock, Leeds; Brasserie Blanc, Sovereign St, Leeds.

WHAT’S ON For All Time: Shakespeare in Yorkshire at Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery, until Jan 31; Women, Work & War, Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills,until Sep 24.

Airport 0871 919 9000 www.eastmidlandsairport.com

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen. Onward connections to Bergen, Stavanger, Wick

Tourist/Local Info 08444 775678 www.visitderby.co.uk www.experiencenottinghamshire.comwww.visitleicester.info

Airport 0871 288 2288 www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen and Southampton. Onward connections to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick

Tourist/Local Info 0113 242 5242 www.visitleeds.co.ukwww.yorkshire.com

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WHEREFive miles east of Darlington and ten miles west of Middlesbrough. Taxi fare to Darlington approx £8. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) Centre Square; Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon; Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience, Historic Quay.

STAY AT Rockliffe Hall, Hurworth on Tees; Headlam Hall, near Darlington; Crathorne Hall Hotel, Yarm; Wynyard Hall.

SHOP AT Psyche, Linthorpe Rd, Middles brough; The House, Yarm High Street; Leggs, Skinnergate, Darlington.

DRINK AT George and Dragon, Yarm; Black Bull, Frosterley.

EAT AT Raby Hunt, Summerhouse; Sardis, Northgate, Darlington; Dun Cow Inn, Sedgefield; The Orangery, Rockliffe Hall.

WHAT’S ON Winifred Nicholson: Liberation of Colour, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima), until Feb 12; From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads, acclaimed production of a young David Bowie obsessive,Town Hall Theatre, Hartlepool, Feb 21.

WHERETwelve miles from both Derby and Nottingham, just off the M1 junction 24. Rail stations Lough borough, Long Eaton, Not tingham and Derby are a short bus/taxi ride from EMA. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester; National Civil War Centre, Newark; Nottingham Contemporary, Weekday Cross; Creswell Crags, Worksop; QUAD, Cathedral Quarter, Derby.

STAY AT Radisson Blu at airport; Cathedral Quarter Hotel, St Mary’s Gate, Derby; Royal Arms, Sutton Cheney, Leics; Hart’s Hotel & Restaurant, Nottingham.

SHOP AT Paul Smith, Nottingham; Fenwick’s Leicester; Cathedral Quarter, Derby.

DRINK AT Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham Castle; Hop Gate Derby; Orange Tree, Leicester.

EAT AT Sat Bains, Nottingham; Fischer’s, Baslow Hall, nr Chatsworth; John’s House, Mountsorrel, nr Loughborough.

WHAT’S ON Leicester Comedy Festival, Feb 8-26; Light Night 2017, Nottingham, Feb 10; FORMAT Photography Festival, Derby QUAD, Mar 24-Apr 23.

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Airport 01446 711111 www.cardiff-airport.com

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen, Newcastle. Onward connections to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick

Tourist/Local Info 02920 873573 www.visitcardiff.com www.southernwales.com

CARDIFF

WHERETwelve miles west of Cardiff, ten miles from Junction 33 on M4. Rail link, every hour, connects airport to Cardiff Central and Bridg end. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT Cardiff Castle; Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay; Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay; Dr Who Experience, Cardiff Bay.

STAY AT Peterstone Court, in the Usk Valley; St David’s Hotel & Spa, Havannah St, Cardiff Bay.

SHOP AT St Mary Street for specialist shops; Splott Market (weekends), SE of city centre.

DRINK AT Pen and Wig, Park Grove; Park Vaults, Park Place.

EAT AT The Potted Pig, High St; ffresh, Wales Millennium Centre; Purple Poppadom, Cowbridge Rd East.

WHAT’S ON RBS 6 Nations rugby: Wales v England Feb 11, Ireland Mar 10, Principality Stadium; St David's Day celebrations, Mar 1.

Cardiff Bay

Airport 0870 040 0009 www.southamptonairport.com

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen and Leeds Bradford.

Tourist/Local Info 023 8083 3333 www.discoversouthampton.co.uk

SOUTHAMPTON

WHEREFive miles north of city. Parkway Station beside terminal, three trains hourly to Southam pton and London Waterloo. Buses hourly to the city. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT SeaCity Museum, Havelock Rd; Tudor House & Garden, Bugle St; Solent Sky, Hall of Aviation, Gilbert Rd South.

STAY AT The White Star Tavern and Dining Rooms, Oxford St; Grand Harbour Hotel, West Quay Rd; Best Western Chilworth Manor.

SHOP AT WestQuay Shopping Centre, city centre; Antiques Quarter, Old Northam Rd; The Marlands Shopping Centre, Civic Centre Rd.

DRINK AT The Cellar, West Marland Rd; The Duke of Wellington, Bugle St; The Pig in the Wall, Western Esplanade.

EAT AT Olive Tree, Oxford St; SeaCity Museum café, Havelock Road; Coriander Lounge, Below Bar.

WHAT’S ON British Art Show 8, until Jan 15, Southampton Art Gallery; Port Out, Southampton Home: The Age of the Ocean Liner, SeaCity Museum, until Jun 4.

Tudor House

Airport 01603 411923 www.norwichairport.co.uk

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen. Onward connections to Bergen, Stavanger, Stornoway, Wick

Tourist/Local Info 01603 213999 www.visitnorwich.co.uk

NORWICH

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STAVANGERNorway’s fourth largest city lies on the country’s south-west coast. The airport is just nine miles out of town.

VISIT Pulpit Rock – a natural rock formation that overlooks the Lysefjord.

STAY AT The Clarion, Myrhegaarden, Skagen Brygge, all in the city centre; Sola Strand Hotel, on the beach, near the airport.

WHAT’S ON Stavanger Wine Festival, Mar 22-25, Stavanger Sentrum.

BERGENBergen airport Flesland is approximately 12 miles south-west of the centre of Bergen.

VISIT Troldhaugen, the home of composer Edvard Grieg. Norway in a Nutshell – a short tour (ideally three days) of some the dramatic scenery nearby, including the Breathtaking Flam Railway.

STAY AT Radisson Blu Royal or the mid-market Thon Bergen Brygge, both on the old quayside.

WHAT’S ON Borealis – contemporary music festival, Mar 8-12.

Stavanger Wine Festival

WHEREThree miles north of the city. Hourly bus service into the city centre. Approx taxi fare to Norwich £7. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk

VISIT Norwich Cathedral, The Close; Norwich Castle, Elm Hill; Sandringham Estate, Norfolk; Norwich Puppet Theatre, Whitefriars, Norwich.

STAY AT The Maids Head Hotel, Tombland; De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel & Golf Club, Ipswich Rd; Marriott Sprowston Manor Hotel & Country Club; Barnham Broom Hotel & Spa, Honingham Rd; Norfolk Mead Hotel, Coltishall.

SHOP AT Jarrold’s, London St; Ginger Ladies Wear, Timberhill.

DRINK AT The Fat Cat, West End St; The Adam & Eve, Bishopgate; The Wine Press, Woburn Court, Guildhall Hill; The Last Wine Bar, St Georges St.

EAT AT Tatlers, Tombland; Mambo Jambo, Lower Goat Lane; Umberto’s Trattoria Italia, St Benedicts St.

WHAT’S ON Fishermen & Kings: The Photography of Olive Edis, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, until Jan 22; Norwich Fashion Week, Mar 9-16.

Stavanger Airport + 47 67 03 10 00 www.avinor.no/en/airport/stavanger

Bergen Airport + 47 67 03 15 55 www.avinor.no/en/airport/bergen

Eastern Airways flights to Aberdeen, Newcastle. Onward connections to Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, East Midlands, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Norwich, Southampton, Stornoway, Wick

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www.bustahouse.com

SHETLANDEastern Airways operates under contract for the oil industry to both Scatsta and Sumburgh Airports. Scatsta is 24 miles north-west of Lerwick, a few miles from the Sullom Voe oil terminal. Sumburgh is the islands’ commercial airport, located at the southern tip of Mainland, and also 24 miles from Lerwick. For hire car visit www.boltscarhire.co.uk or call 01595 693 636 (note that there are no on-airport facilities at Scatsta).

VISIT Mareel, Lerwick; Muckle Flugga, Unst, the northernmost tip of Britain; Shetland Museum, Lerwick; Jarlshof, Grutness (both Mainland).

STAY AT Busta House Hotel, Brae; Saxa Vord Resort, Unst; Scalloway Hotel, Central mainland.

SHOP AT Shetland Fudge, Lerwick; Jamieson & Son Knitwear, Lerwick; Valhalla Brewery, Saxa Vord.

DRINK AT Mid Brae Inn, Brae; The Lounge Bar, Lerwick; Kiln Bar, Scalloway.

EAT AT Busta House Hotel, Brae; Saxa Vord Resort, Unst.

WHAT’S ON Scalloway Fire Festival, Jan 13; Up Helly Aa, Jan 31, Lerwick.

Sumburgh Airport 01950 460 905www.hial.co.uk/sumburgh-airport/

Frequent daily charter services to Aberdeen, operated by Eastern Airways for the oil industry.

Tourist/Local Info 01595 693434 visit.shetland.org

Sponsored by

SS Great Britain

BRISTOLEight miles south-west of Bristol. Coach service approx half-hourly to city centre, journey time 30 mins. £7 single. Also local services to Weston-super-Mare. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk.

VISIT M Shed, Harbourside; Arnolfini, Narrow Quay; SS Great Britain, Great Western Dock yard.

STAY AT Aztec Hotel & Spa, Aztec West, Almondsbury; No 38 Clifton, Georgian merchant’s house in Clifton.

SHOP AT Clifton Village and Park St; St Nicholas Markets and Broadmead; Mall Galleries at Cribbs Causeway; Cabot Circus.

DRINK AT Zero Degrees award-winning micro-brewery, Colston St; The Elbow Room Pool and Lounge Bar, Park St.

EAT AT Pieminister, Stokes Croft; Michael Caines, College Green; Lido Bristol, Clifton.

WHAT’S ON Adela Breton: Ancient Mexico in Colour, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery to May 17; Warrior Treasures: Saxon Gold from the Staffordshire Hoard, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery to April 23.

Airport 0871 334 4444  www.bristolairport.co.uk 

Eastern Airways charter flights to Chester and Toulouse

Tourist/Local Info 0333 321 0101  www.visitbristol.co.uk

CHESTER Four miles south-west of Chester. For car hire see Europcar.co.uk.

VISIT Chester Zoo; roman amphitheatre; Grosvenor Museum; Chester Races –starts May 4; Chester Cathedral.

STAY AT ABode, Grosvenor Rd; Chester Grosvenor, Eastgate St; Carden Park, Broxton Rd.

SHOP AT The Rows; Grosvenor Centre.

DRINK AT The Botanist, Werburgh St; Dublin Packet, Northgate St; The Brewery Tap, Lower Bridge St; Number 15, Foregate St.

EAT AT Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor, Eastgate St; Chez Jules, Northgate St; Chef’s Table, Music Hall Passage.

WHAT’S ON Pictures from the Poles, by Sue Flood, Grosvenor Museum to Feb 22; Chester Food and Drink Festival, Apr 15-17, Chester Racecourse.

Chester Cathedral River Garonne, Toulouse

TOULOUSE Five miles west of the city. Shuttle bus every 20 minutes, €5. Taxi from €25

VISIT Place du Capitole and Quai de la Daurade; St Étienne’s Cathedral; Space City.

STAY AT Grand Hôtel de l’Opéra; Côté Carmes; Le Père Léon.

SHOP AT Marché Victor Hugo; rue des Arts; rue Croix Baragnon.

DRINK AT Le Ramier; Le 7 Discoteca; Péniche Le Cri de la Mouette.

EAT AT L’Amphitryon, Colomiers; La Maison du Cassoulet.

WHAT’S ON Astronauts, the Exhibition, Space City, to December 2018.

Airport +33 825 38 00 00 www.toulouse.aeroport.fr/en

Eastern Airways charter flights to Bristol and Chester

Tourist info 33 892 18 01 80 www.toulouse-tourisme.com

Airport 01244 538568www.aviationparkgroup.co.uk

Eastern Airways charter flights to Bristol and Toulouse

Tourist/Local Info 0845 647 7868; www.visitchester.com

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With the 2017 Michelin Guide just published, our Essential Guide this issue explores the world of Michelin Star restaurants…

MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

INNOVATIVE Peel’s Restaurant at Hampton Manor is a highly deserved recipient of its first Michelin Star in this year’s guide

SCOTLAND

If you put a label on something, then people will want to collect it. Some of us seem to have a kind of primeval urge to tick off entries on lists, whether it be underscoring locomotive numbers or bagging Scotland’s Munros.

So it would be surprising if Michelin Star restaurants were any different, because, after all, there is a finite number of them and they are listed. Indeed, while you might not see many badly complexioned youths in anoraks, Michelin-baggers there certainly are.

Guardian food blogger Tim Hayward had a go at both this band of self-appointed connoisseurs and the wider media a while ago, writing: “By rights, the Michelin system should only matter to those who travel with full wallets and without a sense of adventure but, sadly, the media loves a ranking system and so they are taken seriously outside this tiny group.”

Michelin Stars are not the only measure of a restaurant’s quality but, whatever Hayward says, they have come to

reflect the way chefs measure themselves against the market and so have acquired a value in their own right.

Which is not to say that all starred restaurants are better than all the rest – the small team of Michelin judges works to its own criteria and some commendable chefs don’t make the cut, while others who’ve made it are not immune from the odd off-day.

One thing is for sure: on the basis of population, too many Michelin Stars are sprinkled on London. The capital has two of the UK’s three Michelin three-star venues and the third is within 50 miles. About half of 20-plus two-star restaurants are in London, and slightly fewer than 50 per cent of more than 100 one-stars. Can there really be a similar number of good restaurants in London as there are in the whole of the rest of the country (there are none at all in Manchester, for example)? Statistically, therefore, it appears much harder to gain a Michelin Star if you are not in London, so let’s celebrate the “best of the rest”!

If proof were ever needed that you don’t have to be in the heart of a world city to earn a Michelin Star, then the Albanach, not far from the harbour town of Lochinver, in furthest Sutherland, is one element of such proof. Chef proprietors Lesley Crosfield and Colin Craig have been busy garnishing their CVs with awards for their modern Scots cuisine and earned their star in 2009. They’ve been at this boutique hotel, with views across the “sugar loaf” mountain of Suilven, for more than a quarter of a century.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Wick

Kinloch Lodge, at the head of Loch na Dal, on the Isle of Skye, is another venue as excellent as it is off the beaten track. The promise of “some of Scotland’s best food, roaring fires, whisky on tap and giant beds” may be enough on its own persuade you to make the journey to discover Brazilian-born chef Marcelo Tully’s fabulous flavours from the finest local produce, including scallops and tender local lamb.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Wick and Stornoway

The Boath House, near Nairn, has been described as the most beautiful Regency House in Scotland and is surrounded by 20 acres of gardens, overlooked by the intimate restaurant. The Grade A listed house has been restored since its acquisition in the early 90s by Don and Wendy Matheson, who claim to be “avid followers of the Slow Food movement”. Suppliers are largely local, artisan growers, breeders, producers and foragers.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Aberdeen

Aberdeen can not boast a Michelin Star establishment of its own, but there’s the nearest thing to a constellation of such restaurants as you’ll find in Scotland not so far away, in Perth and Fife.La crème de la crème among these is Andrew Fairlie, in a quiet corner of the Geneagles golf resort, between Perth and Dunblane. Scotland’s only two-star chef, Scots-born chef patron Fairlie administers classical French treatment to local produce to create deceptively simple dishes, which have also earned the restaurant 18th place in the Sunday Times best restaurant rankings.[A relative newcomer to the Michelin hall of fame, the Cellar, in a former smokehouse at Anstruther, Fife, gained its star under chef Billy Boyter, who returned to his home town after 15 years finessing his CV at some of Scotland’s top restaurants. Local beers, gins and whiskies complement the best of Scottish cuisine. The Peat Inn, in the eponymous village near the university town of St Andrew’s, is run by chef and food columnist Geoffrey Smeddle, with his wife, Katherine, with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Aberdeen

EXCELLENT Kinloch Lodge

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NORTH OF ENGLANDReaders will need little introduction to Kenny Atkinson’s House of Tides, in a 16th century former merchant’s house on Newcastle’s Quayside, which has graced these pages more than once and saw its Michelin star retained in the new list. Creatively presented local ingredients in an informal and friendly setting help put House of Tides firmly at the summit of the city’s rapidly expanding list of restaurants you really should visit.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Newcastle

The biggest Michelin news in the North of England is the award of a second star to James Close, at the Raby Hunt, Summerhouse. Oh, and, for good measure, he’s just been named Chef of the Year in the Good Food Guide, too. With two-star restaurants like hen’s teeth outside London, anyone who hasn’t visited this cosy establishment, near Darlington, should consider making a real occasion of it by booking one of two en suite rooms. A bonus on a warm summer evening is to take you aperitifs in the little front garden.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Durham Tees Valley

The Star Inn, at Harome, near Helmsley, regained its Michelin Star in 2015. It’s a thatched gastro-pub with nine bedrooms. Chef Andrew Pern is of Esk Valley, Whitby, farming stock and his food reflects that. Just down the road, the Black Swan, at Oldfield, boasts four AA rosettes as well as its star – not bad for Britain’s youngest Michelin Star chef, in Tommy Banks. The Black Swan also boasts eight bedrooms, a vegetarian recommendation and two acres of growing beds, whose crops include corn cobs and eight varieties of garlic – staff also keep bees and pick green elderberries for “capers”: interesting!Nearest Eastern Airways airports – Durham Tees Valley and Leeds Bradford

The Yorke Arms, in Nidderdale, featured in series one of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s fictional road trip across the North of England. It’s home to Frances Atkins, one of only half a dozen Michelin-starred women, who has maintained her status consistently since 2003. Jay Rayner, no less, described it thus: “Everything about the Yorke Arms bellows good taste, from the gentle smell of wood smoke as you enter, through to the sturdy, pub-classic dining room, to the food on the plate.”

In a world of constant change, Ilkley’s Box Tree, with its unassuming 18th century frontage, but fine French cuisine, has been fixture on any Yorkshire foodie’s itinerary for half a century and at one time boasted two stars. Chefs Simon and Rena Gueller have forged a new niche for the venue in the 21st century.

In the Man Behind the Curtain, Leeds now has both a Michelin Star venue and a restaurant that is blazing a highly individual

trail. Entry is inauspicious, via a ground floor clothes shop and a lift. Its mission: “To cook as an expression that is pleasing to the eye and mouth, taking techniques from peers and inspiration from the arts, music and contemporary culture.” Tipped by some as the next Heston Blumenthal.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Leeds Bradford

The Pipe and Glass Inn, at South Dalton, near Beverley, is a 15th century inn at the gates of Dalton Park. It makes a great job of combining the roles of country pub and fine dining restaurant, thanks to the skilful stewardship of James and Kate Mackenzie, who took over in 2006 and won their star in 2010.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Humberside

MIDLANDS AND E AST ANGLIAThe East Midlands’ triangle of shires – Derby, Nottingham and Leicester – boast a Michelin Star each, thanks to the arrival on the list of John’s House, at Mountsorrel, near Loughborough. Chef John Duffin grew up on the nearby family farm and honed his career at London’s top establishments, where he worked with Gary Rhodes and Marcus Wareing, among others.

Fischer’s at Baslow Hall, is a white tablecloth venue, close to Chatsworth House, and Head Chef Rupert Rowley’s repertoire reflects the season, featuring Derbyshire spring lamb, Chatsworth venison, wild hare and truffles. Max and Susan Fischer created this 11-bed restaurant with rooms back in 1988 before

DOUBLE CREAM James Close, left, at the Raby Hunt has been named Chef of the Year as well as receiving a second Michelin Star for food such as this

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the descriptor became a cliché and styled it informally.

The third restaurant in the triangle is a two-star – Sat Bains, in Nottingham. Highly innovative is its Nucleus development kitchen, which, unusually, is also open to the public. Although only two miles form the city centre, it boasts eight rooms, offering mid-week tasting packages. The Kitchen Bench gives an up-close view of the action in the kitchen.

Peel’s at Hampton Manor is a much deserved recipient of a Michelin Star, having been dubbed a “Michelin Star venue in all but name” by our own reviewer two issues ago. Chef Rob Palmer and his team deserve all the praise they may get for their achievement, combining fine and innovative dining with great service in exquisitely decorated and relaxing surroundings.

Not far away, the Cross, at Kenilworth, is a modern British gastro-pub, where Head Chef Adam Bennett draws on experience at top restaurants in London and Birmingham and reached the European finals of 2015 Bocuse d’Or, coming sixth. Down the road, in Rutland, Tim Hart’s Hambleton Hall is another favourite of this magazine’s team, having elegantly presented such local delicacies as wood and squab pigeon, rabbit (with a pearl barley risotto and liquorice sauce), quail, English asparagus season and basil-flavoured ice cream.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – East Midlands

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the university city of Cambridge lays claim to two Michelin Star restaurants, of which one, Midsummer House, on the city’s Midsummer Common, has two Michelin Stars and no fewer than five AA rosettes. Chef-patron Daniel Clifford has at times battled with adversity, as the nearby River Cam flooded it twice more than a decade ago. The apple trees in the garden feature in the scallop, truffle and apple signature dish. Chef Mark Poynton learned his stuff at Midsummer House and now runs the highly acclaimed funky-modern Alimentum, across the city.Morston Hall is an intimate country house, where Chef Galton Blackiston offers a single-sitting set daily menu, depending on season and ingredients. Galton cut his teeth at Miller Howe, on Ullswater, where he became Head Chef, before developing his style in the US, Canada and London. A Saturday Kitchen regular, he has also appeared in the Great British Menu.

The Neptune Inn, at Hunstanton, on the Norfolk coast, welcomes guests with a log fire and flagstones, while dishes include fresh fish and lobster. Rooms and an on-site holiday cottage make it a good base to explore the coast.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Norwich

SOUTH OF ENGLANDWith the Montagu Arms, at Beaulieu, losing its star, the New Forest is no longer on “the list”. But there’s a constellation of stars in and around the area’s other national park, the South Downs. Two of these are in or near to Horsham, one being new entry, Gravetye Manor, a 16th century Elizabethan manor at the end of a mile-long woodland drive, containing 17 traditionally furnished bedrooms. Chef George Blogg can source more than 90 per cent of seasonal fruit and veg from his own garden. Restaurant Tristan offers 40 covers in a timber-framed 16th century timber-frame building in centre of Horsham. Retained its star despite being closed by a fire at the start of 2016.

The Black Rat is an unpretentious-looking pub on the edge of Winchester city centre, where Chef-patron David Nicholson offers world-class cuisine in an equally unpretentious and cosy interior. He also runs two pubs and a B & B, all featuring the name, Black. Jake Saul Watkins is Chef-patron at JSW, in Petersfield, where he and his team serve seasonal British menus in simple surroundings. The cellar at the 17th century coaching is stocked with a phenomenal 900 wine choices.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Southampton

WALESThree of the principality’s five Michelin stars shine in Monmouthshire, but we’ll begin at Ynyshir Hall, on the Dyfi estuary, near Machynlleth. Former teacher Joan Reen, who bought the hotel with artist husband Rob back in 1989, sadly died early in 2016, having earned high acclaim from guests and industry professionals alike. The Reens sold up to the ill-fated Von Essen in 2006, only to have to buy the property back out of the latter’s Administration in 2012. The kitchen is the preserve of Gareth Ward, just the latest of a parade of top chefs to grace its stoves.

The unassuming Walnut Tree Inn, in Abergavenny, offers an à la carte menu that changes daily. Chef Shaun Hill acquired the inn in 2008, fresh from putting Ludlow on the world foodie map, with his Merchant House restaurant. Chef-patron Stéphane Borie, at the Checkers, in Montgomery, trained under Michel Roux Senior and with partner Sarah has built a reputation for classic French cuisine that was awarded a Michelin star in its opening year of 2011. Sarah’s sister Kathryn completes the family trio. Locally foraged mugwort, meadow-sweet, mallow cream, lesser celandine and scurvy grass are just some of the ingredi-ents to be found at the Whitebrook, a highly acclaimed restaurant with rooms, in the Wye Valley. Chef-patron Chris Harrod, formerly of Le Manoir, and wife Kirsty also boast four AA rosettes and are in the UK Top 50 in the Good Food Guide.Nearest Eastern Airways airport – Cardiff

NORWAYTo return to blogger, Tim Hayward… he would probably not be surprised that the Michelin Guide’s treatment of Norway, and the Nordic countries in general, is best described as cursory – surprising given the region’s ascendancy on the back of New Nordic Cuisine. There are fine restaurants worthy of stars not just in the capital cities, that the judges have managed to find, but in Stavanger, Bergen and – indeed – across the Nordic lands, from Greenland, through Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the European mainland. Michelin would do well to reflect this fact better before the changing culinary world leaves it behind!

UNPRETENTIOUS The Black Rat

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SHINING STAR Under new ownership Ynyshir Hall still boasts first class cuisine

Recently I was up in the Borders and had one of the best mutton pies I’ve ever tasted. I won’t tell you where I got it from. I’m sensitive about these things. You see my family was once savagely divided by what can only be described as an internecine savoury pastry war.

There were other culinary stand-offs among us, admittedly. My dad’s family was committed to Hoe’s relish and Panyan pickle, while my mum’s would entertain only Hammonds Yorkshire Sauce and Branston; many a trip to the seaside ended in an acrimonious dispute over the merits of favourite chip shops, and when it came to beer, the impossibility of finding a pub that served both Theakston’s and McEwan’s Export meant we often went out together and then sat in pubs several streets apart. It was the pork pies that were the cause of the bitterest trouble, though. When it came to them it was The King v Parliament, Mods v Rockers, Mary Berry v Paul Hollywood. There was no compromise.

My grandfather and his brothers, George and Joe, grew up in a town in the North East of England. As lads they had pledged pie-allegiance to a well-known local maker, when they were still wearing short trousers. They were steadfast. While Joe and George stayed in the town, my grandfather married a girl from the coast and settled there. Later his daughter, my mother, moved to a North Yorkshire village, which had

a butcher’s so famous for its pork pies that on Saturday mornings there’d be a queue fifty yards long outside and they had to limit each customer to two pies to prevent a riot. And that was when the trouble started, because our house was 50 yards from this meat-jelly-and-pastry paradise.

At some point my grandfather was lured into buying a pork pie from the village butcher and pretty soon they were the only pork pies he’d eat. He might have stayed silent on the matter, but, like a man recently alerted to the existence of God by a burning bush, he just couldn’t keep the good news to himself. He became evangelical on the topic.

It all kicked off at my great-grandmother’s one Christmas Eve nearly half a century ago. My great-grandmother lived in a tiny terraced house, the living room so small that the only way all of us could fit in was with kids sitting on knees and menfolk arranged shoulder-to-shoulder around the walls. We all had our place. You could tell where the men stood even when they weren’t there by the height of the stains their Brilliantine hair oil left on the woodchip.

At some point my great-gran expressed the view that a nice pork pie would do her for lunch on New Year’s Day.

“You want to have a one from our Pam’s village,” my granddad announced.

“What are you talking about?” Uncle Joe said, “Have you gone screwy? I’ll get her a one from in town.”

“The only thing she’s getting from you is a load of baloney,” my granddad replied.

By this stage my mother had started to wrestle me into my coat and signalled for my Dad to go out and get the engine of our Morris Oxford turning over. She had spent a lifetime in the company of these men. She knew fighting talk when she heard it.

Things might have stayed at a rolling simmer, but at this point my grandma’s sister’s husband started in. He hailed from out in the moorland boondocks, where – or so my grandfather said – the people were so backward they still pointed at aeroplanes. Uncle Lenny had a voice so loud and gravelly it sounded like an underground explosion in a flint mine. Now he boomed out his opinion that the pork pies from the butcher near the foundry where he worked knocked all other pork pies on God’s green earth into the middle of next week.

What happened next I cannot honestly say, for my mum had hustled me out the door. From reports it seemed the coppers got things under control quite quickly once they arrived on the scene.

THE LAST WORD with Harry Pearson

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RISING TO THE PASTRY CHALLENGE“IT WAS THE PORK PIES THAT WERE THE CAUSE OF THE BITTEREST TROUBLE…IT WAS MARY BERRY v PAUL HOLLYWOOD. THERE WAS NO COMPROMISE.”

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