The new Bentley Continental GT has a 6 litre twin turbo W12 engine with 626 bhp and an eye popping top speed of 207 mph (you’ll need a long off road straight to hit that), accelerating 0-62 mph in 3.6 seconds, pleasant enough to dance effortlessly between cars in heavy traffic, or change lanes with insolent ease on the motorway.
Gweedore. Just take a moment to roll that word around your tongue. It’s a word worthy of folk-tales and enchanted forests – mystical, J.K.Rowling territory. A place, and a setting, worthy of Gweedore Court Hotel – or, as it’s also known, An Chúirt (you’ll have to ask someone else for the correct pronunciation I’m afraid!). A hotel as satisfying as the comfiest duvet on a crisp winter’s day, or that first summer sip of chilled-to-perfection Chablis.
The view from every window endorsed the fact that this was truly a ‘country house hotel’ set in spacious grounds surrounded by farmland. Sipping pre-dinner cocktails on the sunny west facing terrace offered a timeless experience with the garden seamlessly flowing into the field with sheep quietly grazing, a couple of cock pheasants proudly strutting around, each asserting to be the most impressive and a lonely goose . There was no fence to interrupt this idyllic scene as the ‘must have’ for grand houses since the 17th century was the ha-ha, that vista could have been any time in the last
The service received on the largest of yachts is unequalled; your every need and wish is anticipated but many yacht owners now demand a flunky service that does not allow for individuals to show any character. Combining attentive service with personality without intrusion is very rare ashore; two examples are the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath and the Tulchan Estate. We have just enjoyed a stay on the estate which is on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park a picturesque hour’s drive south of Inverness.
• Sara, what is your show LadsLadsLads about? Why is it described as a ‘thinking person’s stag-do?
It’s sometimes hard to summarise what a show is about- but I wanted to give people the sense that it is fun and celebratory- but rather than about being about to get married- the exact opposite. Having fun, trying new things in a way of being braver and more self-reliant. Some of my shows in the past have had serious aspects, theories and research and this one is lighter. It’s like a party, except only I get to talk and you have to sit there watching me.
A selection of fine whiskies from around the world. The common theme here is they are not peaty whiskies (apart from the Lagavulin), but more akin to a fine cognac, easy on the nose and palate, with a soft mellow flavour.
The Irish Midleton whiskey Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest is magnificent, smooth caramel and soft vanilla with a hint of coffee and nutmeg. This is one of the finest whiskies in the world and well worth the hefty price tag. This is the one to impress any connoisseurs amongst your friends.
A few weeks ago, far away from the media circus and as yet unpublished, three experienced endurance athletes - all with a Formex Swiss Watch on their wrist - started a 350-mile trek across the Namib desert. Their aim was to set a world record for the most consecutive miles ever trekked unassisted. The terrain they would be crossing is among some of the oldest, driest and most barren places on earth leading to early explorers calling the Namib Desert ‘The Gates of Hell’.
With runway models looking like extras from eighties soaps such as 'Dynasty' or 'The Bold and the Beautiful', Autumn/Winter continues with a jangling explosion of colour and sparkle in a manner that Iris Apfel would be proud of. Statement jewels, the chunkier and gaudier the better clamour for our attention, with layering and logo-mania on repeat.
Like Rowan Atkinson on his moped I drove the Subaru WRX STI “damn hard”, testing this much loved, iconic rally car on the Hill Track at Millbrook Proving Ground, around country lanes and cobbled streets in old English towns. At first I confess I was not a fan. It was a saloon with a spoiler you could see from space, dressed in electric pearl blue and it’s brutal. More importantly it made me feel like a ham fisted and footed fool on my first drive. The clutch bites down in a millimetre, whilst the accelerator in race mode goes straight to 4000 revs at the slightest encouragement.
Bentley Motors, founded 10th July 1919, is entering its 100th year of creating the world’s most iconic Grand Tourers, and the British luxury brand is honouring decades of innovation, achievement and craftsmanship by releasing a short film ‘Together we are Extraordinary: The Story of Bentley Motors.’
From W.O. Bentley himself, right up to the new Continental GT, the film touches upon the extraordinary characters, sporting achievements and successful models through the decades.
