Colin Dexter, best-selling author of the Inspector Morse books, explains why Lyme Regis is his favourite holiday destination and where Morse lovers should visit in Oxford.
YOUR FAVOURITE DESTINATION?
It’s always been Lyme Regis – I love the sight of the sea. The thought of sitting by the seaside on a sunny day with a pint of beer always gives me a lift. It’s the one place in the world I never tire of visiting. Lyme Regis is a charming little seaside town on the Dorset coast – “ Hardy country” – where all sorts of dinosaur remains have been found.
Not that I’ve seen any.
BEST THINGS TO DO THERE?
I wouldn’t advise it if you want to go on a roller coaster or party all night. On the other hand, if you want to relax, taste the salty sea air on your tongue and eat the tastiest fish and chips imaginable, it might be your kind of place.
WHERE DO YOU FEEL AT HOME?
I moved to Oxford, with its dreamy spires, history and academic ambience, and I really can’t think of anywhere else in the world I’d rather live out my days.
WHERE IN OXFORD WOULD YOU SEND MORSE LOVERS?
Jericho, for a start, which also features in Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. Pop into the Bookbinders Arms, right by the canal, one of Morse’s haunts. And if you have time, perhaps the bar of the city’s Randolph Hotel, too.
DOES TRAVEL INSPIRE?
To be honest, I’ve never been much of an itchy-footed globetrotter. Travelling to all the exotic places in the world has never been high on my agenda. Lyme Regis does me fine.
IDEAL TRAVEL COMPANION?
My wife Dorothy. Failing that, Brigitte Bardot when she was in her 20s.
EARLIEST TRAVEL MEMORY?
Great Yarmouth as a boy – Daily Mail