Where Was I - with two possible answers....

[Brian Smith]

Win a luxurious short break worth £1,680 with IZZA, Marrakesh

The clue

"You’re pumped," my friend notes as we wander into a prosperous town.
"Me too!" he adds.

Well, yes: we’re both excited. But I’m afraid it’s for different
reasons - and the sparring between us soon starts.

First, we square off over my proposal to explore the town’s main
shopping street. Friend says he has no desire to parade up and down,
gawping at stuccoed buildings. Instead he seeks companies that have
turned this former wellness hub into a hive of high-tech creativity. So
I water down my itinerary - and let him race off to see one. Meanwhile,
in the Victorian gardens opposite, I check out a memorial to units of
an exiled army stationed here over 80 years ago. Several members went
on to carry out a daring assassination in their capital.

Friend wants to see more company HQs. But I give his game plan a frosty
reception - and insist we go to the town’s colonnaded art gallery. Its
collection includes work by one of my favourite postwar abstract
artists (mother: Millicent), born in the town. Friend acquiesces,
provided he can decide where we go next.

This seems a small sacrifice. First stop is the town hall, near the
gallery, where a sportsman - another of the town’s sons (mother:
Beatrice) - was fêted after his famous and unexpected victory over an
American champion. But then Friend wants to see the company credited
with kick-starting the town’s digital boom. "But it’s not even here!" I
object. It lies in a second town, nearly seven miles east- southeast of
us. "You promised," he reminds me.

It’s a knockout blow to my plans.

The questions

1. What’s the full name of the first-mentioned town? ROYAL LEAMINGTON
SPA

2. What was the surname of the abstract artist? FROST

The prize

The winner and guest will stay for three nights, B&B, at IZZA,
Marrakesh - an independent, art-loving riad hotel that opened in the
city’s medina last year. Painstakingly restored in partnership with
local craftsmen, its 14 individually designed bedrooms are a rich mix
of traditional and modern, featuring plasterwork friezes, gleaming
mosaics and ornate wooden floors. Meanwhile, up on the roof, breakfasts
and dinners are served in a garden of desert plants beneath the shade
of palm trees and gazebos. The art collection is notable: among its 300
works are photographs by Sebastião Salgado and video installations by
the Ethiopian collective Yatreda. So too are IZZA’s partnerships with
local charities, including Pikala Bikes and the Amal Woman’s Training
Centre. For more information visit izza.com.

The prize includes one three-course dinner for two, excluding drinks,
and a massage each, as well as return flights to a total value of £600.
For full terms and conditions see thetimes.co.uk/travel/where-was-i.

[Brian Smith]

Win an all-inclusive holiday to Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa
worth up to £5,000

The clue

My friend is in a rebellious mood. "Only you would make a suggestion
like this," he hisses as we leave a grade I listed church. And yes, I
admit, I should have told him earlier that I wanted to divert. But I
can’t leave such a poignant battlefield unvisited. Two miles north-
northeast of the church, it’s the site of a final act of insurgency by
the people of this county " near the end of a defiant 14th-century
event. Many of the fallen are said to have been buried at the church.

Friend, meanwhile, is on the trail of two First World War crash sites.
We’ve seen the first, a mile north-northeast of the church; the second
is 23 miles northeast of it. Thanks to my diversion, he’s worried that
we won’t reach the latter before nightfall.

I try to distract him with more recent history. Does he know that the
creator of some very constructive children’s TV went to school in a
large town three miles south-southeast of the church? Two influential
bands came from the same town; we’re listening to the music of one of
them, but can he guess the other?

"Led Zeppelin?" he ventures - understandably, given his itinerary. "Try
again," I suggest. But Friend is not in a guessing mood. "This is going
to take a long time," he moans. "Dépêche-toi!"

The final straw comes when, beyond the battlefield, we get stuck behind
a bright yellow digger on a minor road. As the sun sets, it’s clear
that I’ve ruined Friend’s plan. "Can we fix it by coming back another
day?" I ask.

Friend shoots me an angry look. "No we can’t!" He growls.

The questions

1. To which saint is the church dedicated? ST MARY MAGDALENE

2. What is the name of the large town? BASILDON

The prize

The winner and their guest will stay for seven nights, all-inclusive,
in a Luxury-level suite at the adult-only Sandals Grande Antigua Resort
& Spa. On Dickenson Bay, one of the island’s loveliest beaches, the
hotel comes in two parts - the seaside Caribbean Beachfront Village and
the elegant, all-suite Mediterranean Oceanview Village. Both are set in
lush, tropical gardens. The resort has 11 restaurants, seven bars and
six pools.

The prize includes all meals, drinks, including premium spirits, land
and water sports (up to two scuba dives a day for those who are
certified), entertainment, wi-fi, gratuities and airport transfers. For
more see sandals.co.uk.

It also includes two economy-class London-Antigua return flights. For
the validity period and terms and conditions see
thetimes.co.uk/travel/where-was-i/.

[Brian Smith]

Win a gastronomic getaway worth £1,300 at the Vineyard in Berkshire

The clue

My friend claims satisfaction is baked into his plan. But I’m not so
sure. I thought we’d be paying our respects to an era-defining song,
but his itinerary has come up short - at the site of a future travel
hub. There isn’t much to see, apart from cranes, and there’s certainly
no sign of the old, eponymous tree. So surely we can press on to the
studios where a singer (mother: Violet) recorded his hit 39 years ago?
They’re only a mile and a half north-northeast of us.

Friend says he doesn’t fancy the walk. "So we’ll catch a bus," I tell
him. Then he says he’s feeling rough. "Then tough it out," I insist.
"And let’s get going."

Right now, however, Friend won’t climb any mountains. "I’ll do anything
to keep you happy," he says. "But I must eat something first."

So it is that I find myself following him northwestwards, along part of
a lengthy, man-made waterway. It runs past a logistics area, servicing
the travel hub, before entering a vast business and industrial park.
Foodwise this looks unpromising. But then Friend diverts from the
water’s edge, and heads 80 yards northwards. That’s when I notice a
company name associated with this spot for more than 120 years. Friend
reckons the factory has a shop.

"See what I mean? Satisfaction," he says exultantly. "Not for me," I
growl. "Oh come on," he says - and then plays fast and loose with some
lyrics: "It’s like a high-speed train coming, and I can feel it coming
down the track."

That really does take the biscuit.

The questions

1. What’s the name of the studios? BATTERY STUDIOS

2. What’s the name of the lengthy waterway? GRAND UNION CANAL

The prize

The winner and guest will stay for two nights, B&B, in an Atrium Suite
at the Vineyard in Berkshire. This elegant PoB hotel stands just
outside the village of Stockcross and has long been a gastronomic hub.
In October it deepened the appeal with the opening of the Tasting Room,
where the chef Tom Scade’s menu embraces the produce of each season.
One five-course dinner with wine pairings is included in the prize.

Also included is a private wine-tasting and cellar tour that explores
the Vineyard’s award-winning collection of wines, including varieties
of pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon from the owner
Sir Peter Michael’s Californian winery. The winner will also enjoy a
60-minute Irene Forte spa treatment. For more see the-vineyard.co.uk.

[Brian Smith]

Win a luxury break in the Pennines worth up to £1,028 at the Lord Crewe
Arms

The clue

"This is not what I’d call model behaviour," I grumble as my friend
drives me towards an industrial estate on a resort town’s southern
edge. "Actually, that’s exactly what it is," he counters - and therein
lies the problem. He’s fixated on seeing a visitor attraction, first
opened under another name in 2010 - and now he’s forcing me to scale
down my plans to fit it in.

For example, I thought it would be a bit of a lark ascending the bluffs
just east of the town’s harbour and launching one of my son’s kites
above the cliffs. Some say a holidaying composer (mother, Margaret)
found inspiration up there 110 years ago - and I hoped my spirit would
soar there too. But Friend refused. He didn’t like the north wind,
blowing off the sea.

Then there was the gallery I wanted to visit - named after an admirer
of this erstwhile island’s skies. "No thanks," said Friend. "It doesn’t
have a permanent collection of his work."

Now, as we enter the visitor attraction’s car park, nearly two miles
south-southeast of the gallery, my boiler’s about to burst. I simply
won’t be railroaded into spending the whole day here.

Friend seems to be following my train of thought. "Here’s an idea,
given you’re so fond of old kites," he says. "There are a couple of
them two miles southwest of here. Take the car and have a look." He’s
right. They’re full-size and - fittingly - housed in a free museum next
to a former RAF base. One of them was built in Castle Bromwich.

At last, my imagination can take flight.

The questions

1. What’s the present name of the visitor attraction? THE WONDERWORKS

2. What’s the name of the museum? SPITFIRE AND HURRICANE MEMORIAL
MUSEUM

The prize

The winner and guest will stay for two nights, half-board, in a suite
at the Lord Crewe Arms, in the Northumberland village of Blanchland.
The hotel occupies what was once the abbot’s lodge and guesthouse in a
medieval priory, and mixes 21st-century luxury with magnificent Pennine
scenery and a heady sense of history.

Its pub occupies a barrel-vaulted chamber where fires crackle in
ancient hearths and meals are served in a former bishop’s dining room.
Here, the chef Paul Johnson showcases the best local and seasonal
flavours, including local grouse, North Sea cod and Yorkshire rhubarb.

Fascinating day trips beckon in every direction, to Hadrian’s Wall,
Durham Cathedral, the open-air museum at Beamish and the thundering
waterfall at High Force. For more details visit see
lordcrewearmsblanchland.co.uk.

The prize must be taken before June 30, 2024, subject to availability,
excluding public holidays and the periods from March 23 to April 7 and
May 25 to June 2.

[Brian Smith]

Win a foodie break in Cumbria worth up to £1,260 at Farlam Hall

The clue

I don’t know why I didn’t cotton on to my friend’s intentions. It
should have been obvious the moment he refused to take public transport
that he was going to hijack my day. But I was distracted by the thought
of a magnificent library. It’s in this city’s centre and is named after
a local entrepreneur (mother: Elizabeth). I wanted to visit the site of
said entrepreneur’s mansion; its estate is now a park three miles
southwest of the library. Then we’d take the tram to the library to
gawp at its vaulted ceiling.

Friend, however, insisted on driving - and now here we are, in a suburb
just east of the park, roaring around in search of his son’s favourite
racing car. Apparently, the first season of the TV programme in which
the car starred was filmed at animation studios here. The building has
since been demolished, but Friend wants me to photograph him at the
site all the same. It’s marked by a plaque.

Am I angry? Let’s just say that, right now, he’s not my No 1 star.

Eventually, he finds the site and we can move on. Or so I think until
he lets out a high-pitched cry. He’s just learnt that three members of
a musical group lived in this same suburb in the years before they
moved abroad. "Their house was in the next street!" he announces.

"But what about the library?" I ask.

"It’s all right, it’s OK - it’ll live to see another day," he warbles,
and starts to wiggle his hips. "Come on - you should be dancing!"

Clearly, Friend and I are not cut from the same cloth.

The questions

1. What was the name of the local entrepreneur? JOHN RYLANDS

2. What’s the name of the racing car? ROARY

The prize

The winner and guest will stay for two nights, B&B, in one of the
large, soothing junior suites at Farlam Hall, a Relais & Châteaux hotel
near Brampton in Cumbria. The hotel’s Cedar Tree restaurant was this
month awarded its first Michelin star in recognition of the chef patron
Hrishikesh Desai’s inventive and beautifully executed cooking, and the
winner and guest will enjoy a seasonal three-course dinner there on
each night (excluding drinks). Standout dishes include beetroot served
with a rich, deep Kerala-style rasam sauce, apple chutney and savoury
toasted coconut bavarois.

The hotel recently underwent a top-to-bottom revamp and, as well as
refurbished rooms in the main house, offers several luxurious Stable
suites in the grounds. For more see farlhamhall.com.

The prize must be taken before May 31, 2024, excluding public holidays,
February 29, March 20, the period from March 28 to April 1 and April 24