Win a Luxury Break for Two in Devon, at Hotel Endsleigh

Where Was I?

As a rule Friend and I don’t do picnics. But on that summer day Friend had packed a hamper and rolled out a blanket: all the better to admire the earthworks around a 12th-century castle. Rising to more than 30ft, the grassy banks would dwarf many ruins – but not this one. The walls of the keep reach almost to their original height.

“Why is the bank so high?” asked Friend, unpacking some fresh baguettes and brie.

“Maybe they worried a storm surge would wash in from the northwest,” I said. “Back then I bet the sea was even closer.”

“Maybe it was designed to keep the inhabitants in, as much as their enemies out,” Friend speculated. An interesting theory: after all, the castle’s most famous resident (mother: Joan) had a fearsome reputation. But she “retired” here about 190 years after the keep and earthworks were built. We wolfed down our food as we considered her stormy relationships with both husband and eldest son.

“At least she was out of the way up here,” I commented.

“But close to a good source of wine,” noted Friend — thanks to the key medieval port four miles southwest of us.

Now what? I’d planned to see a house, built in neo-Jacobean style, three miles northeast of the castle. It was, indirectly, the product of another awkward mother-son relationship, though this time it was the son who lived there. But then Friend produced his picnic’s crowning glory: a perfect Victoria sponge. Immediately, I abdicated responsibility for the rest of the day.

— Sean Newsom

Last week’s prize

The answers are Theobalds and Ware. Ann Norman of Somerset wins a beach break in Cornwall at Carbis Bay Hotel, Spa and Estate.

1 Who was the castle’s most famous resident?

2 What is the name of the neo-Jacobean house?

Terms and conditions

The winner and guest will spend two nights, B&B, at Hotel Endsleigh — Olga Polizzi’s luxurious Devon country-house hotel in the Tamar Valley, on the edge of Dartmoor. Set in 100 acres of gardens and parkland, the grade I listed hotel is a former hunting lodge, built for the Duke of Bedford in 1814.

A mix of robust but elegant furniture, interesting art and richly patterned fabrics gently nudges the house into the 21st century, and there are just 19 rooms and suites — including the Gatehouse Lodge.

Dinner is served in a grand, wood-panelled room and the menu is a celebration of the West Country’s rich larder of produce. Local venison, wood pigeon, rabbit and cheese all feature, as well as fish from the southwest coastline. One dinner for two, excluding wine, is also included in the prize.

For more details, call 01822 870000 or visit thepolizzicollection.com.

The prize must be taken between December 3, 2020 and April 1, 2021, subject to availability and excluding the period from December 23 to January 3.

See here for the full competition terms and conditions from The Times & Sunday Times. Your information will be used in accordance with our privacy and cookie policy.