Win a break for two at Wild Thyme & Honey in the Cotswolds
The clue
Our first stop is a stone. It commemorates — well, what exactly? Was it an accident or murder? We’ll never know for sure, but that won’t stop Friend speculating — at length — about moving targets and lines of sight. To me all talk about the weapon used is a red herring. The motive was obvious and the consequences immediate. But I let him chatter on. The surrounding glades are too gorgeous to spoil with an argument.
Eventually we head southeast across this national park — nine and a half miles as the arrow flies — to a place so beautiful they made a name of it. Normally Friend would steer straight for the museum, founded 71 years ago. But today it’s the ghost stories in the big house that fascinate him. When I tell him who once held a seance there his eyes light up and he rushes in. I, meanwhile, explore the lovely, leafy banks of a sinuous river — it shares its name with the village and an abbey.
Our final stop is almost all the way back to the stone, in a second village whose churchyard contains the grave of a writer (mother: Mary) and his wife. Friend gasps when he sees the name. Then he narrows his eyes. “This is no coincidence — you’ve planned this day for a reason,” he decides. “Don’t tell me what it is. I’ll work it out myself.”
So I wander over to a mighty oak, settle into its dappled shade and give thanks that Friend’s powers of deduction are so feeble. He can’t see the wood for the trees — which means I get even more time to enjoy them.
The questions
1. What’s the name of the stone?
2. What’s the name of the river?
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The prize
The winner and guest will stay for two nights, B&B, in a Riverside Suite at Wild Thyme & Honey, a boutique hotel near Cirencester, beside the brook in Ampney Crucis. It celebrates its Cotswolds surroundings with exposed stone, wool and timber. There is a freestanding bath in the suite, while an open fire and sheepskin rugs create a cosy spot in the inner courtyard.
Dinner comes courtesy of the hotel’s Crown pub, with food strong on local flavours — Bibury trout and Butts Farm sharing steaks — and will be served in one of its alfresco dining globes on the water. For details see wildthymeandhoney.co.uk.
One dinner for two, including one bottle of sommelier-selected wine, is included in the prize, which must be taken before May 1, 2024, subject to availability and excluding public holidays and the periods from December 20 to January 2 and March 11 to 15. The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative.
How to enter
Can’t see the competition form? Enter at thesundaytimes.co.uk/wherewasi
Answer the questions by the end of Wednesday, May 24. One entry per person. Full terms and conditions apply and your information will be used in accordance with our privacy policy at newsprivacy.co.uk.
Last week’s prize
The answers are Ancaster and the Hub. Sandra Jones from West Sussex wins a seven-night walking holiday for two in Sicily with Headwater.
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