Doug’s Mouthpiece – Droug.co.uk

Win a 3 night break in Paris, France

What we are doing written by Doug Scott

We are giving a prize away, here is the competition from the Sunday Times today:

Sunday Times Where Was I? competition
The competition starts on Sunday and ends on Wednesday

Read the article below and answer the questions at the end of the text. Clues to the answers can be found within the text:

Drive west to the station and catch a train along the coast. Alight at a small town to visit its castle. That was the plan until I arrived in this village – birthplace, in 1887, of a poet who wrote under a pseudonym. He was killed in battle in 1917 – from the trenches, he submitted The Hero, a competition-winning poem. His gravestone records him as “the chief poet”; a film of his life was made in 1992.

Checking my map, I notice something I had quite forgotten: “Roman practice work”, two miles north-northeast. A touch north, “Roman fort”; adjacent to that, “Roman amphitheatre”; and, a tad beyond, “Roman road”. Roman history plus puzzle compiler equals diversion, so I turn right. Rome, it seems, lies a splash away from a lake that, for sure, was not there during Roman times. I park, and soon lose myself in the tranquillity of the countryside. Once, it would have been far noisier, for the Roman activity here was military. The amphitheatre, therefore, was unusual in being part of it. I even find the site of the bathhouse and parade ground; and a motte, the foundation of a castle built some 950 years after the Romans left.

Much later, I am again station bound as I leave.

Nevertheless, I cannot help wondering what the Roman engineers would make of that lake; it once cooled a nuclear power station, entering service in 1965 (ceasing in 1991). The surrounding area was fashioned by a landscape architect (born 1901) – the first such to advise the Forestry Commission.

Six northwesterly miles later, I reach a second village, burial place of an archdeacon (born 1544). He translated the Book of Psalms that was added to a particular version of the Book of Common Prayer published in 1621. Meanwhile, I turn southwest. I am mindful, however, that on the river’s opposite bank is a station serving a preserved railway. Opened in 1836, and initially horse-drawn, the line closed 110 years later. It reopened in 1954. Oh: is that a corkscrew of steam I see pirouetting above the treetops? And is that a whistle I hear? No, I must drive on. I have a train to catch. And not that one.

The competition

1 What was the poet’s real name?

2 What is the name of the preserved railway?

ENTER THE COMPETITION

Enter by clicking on the link above or by sending a postcard to Where Was I? June 22, 2008, PO Box 48795, London E98 1WY, by Wednesday. The winner will be announced next Sunday. Only one entry per person. Normal Times Newspapers rules apply. No correspondence will be entered into.

The prize: a luxurious three-night break in Paris as guests of Hôtel Warwick Champs-Elysées and Eurostar. The winners will stay for three nights, B&B, at the Warwick Champs-Elysées, which is within easy striking distance of the Jardin desTuileries, the Louvre and the shops of Rue St Honoré. The hotel’s restaurant, the “W”, serves innovative French cuisine. For more information, call 00 800 4634 4100 or visit www.warwickhotels.com.

The prize also includes return Eurostar rail travel, in Leisure Select class, from St Pancras, Ebbsfleet or Ashford. The fastest journey time between the two capitals is now just 2 hours 15 minutes. Return tickets start at £59 in standard class and £139 in Leisure Select. For more details, or to book a ticket, visit www.eurostar.com or call 0870 518 6186.

The prize must be taken before December 1, 2008, excluding September and public holidays, and is subject to availability.

Last week

LAST WEEK’S answers are TE Brown and Roget’s Thesaurus. G Yarwood of Flintshire wins a villa holiday in Mallorca, with Villa Select (01789 764909, www.villaselect.com), Monarch Airlines (www.monarch. co.uk) and Carrentals.co.uk.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

This competition is open only to registered Times Online members.

If you are already a Times Online member, please ensure that you are logged in. If you are not logged in, then you will be required to enter your username and password before you can proceed through to the competition entry form. Click the “ENTER THIS WEEK’S COMPETITION” link above to proceed.

If you are not a member, and this is the first time you’ve entered the Where Was I? competition online, you will need to register your details with us. Online registration is free, should only take a few minutes to complete and you will not be required to register for future competitions. Click the “ENTER THE COMPETITION” link above to proceed.

TIMES ARTICLE

They did not use out travel agency:(:(

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