Best British Bus Journeys - Sunday Express

MOST BEAUTIFUL WELSH BUS JOURNEY S97 – BETWS-Y-COED TO PORTHMADOG I'm looking forward to setting off on my bus ride though Snowdonia, but the attractions of Betws-y-Coed are making it quite difficult to drag myself away. It's a beautiful little town, made up of gracious granite houses nestled in a wooded valley. It's been popular with visitors since Victorian times, when the railway was first built and in the row of shops beside the station there are plenty of opportunities for retail therapy. And if you'd like a fortifying pot of tea before setting off, the Buffet Coach Cafe attached to the Conway Valley Railway Museum on the far side of the station is recommended. It's converted from a 1950s buffet carriage and full of retro charm. You can even get a Welsh Tea there, with Welsh Cake and Bara Brith (a sort of buttered fruit cake) replacing scones, jam and cream. The bus stop is just beside the railway station, and I wait there for the S97 – the bus from Betws-y-Coed to Porthmadog. From the timetable I can see the journey takes about an hour and a quarter in total, but I'm planning on making a day of it and hopping on and off for walks and sightseeing. The S97 is one of the Snowdon Sherpa buses, a network of interlinked bus routes joining coastal resorts like Llandudno with various beauty spots in the Snowdonia National Park. A £4 explorer ticket will let you ride all day and you can either buy it on the bus or get one free when you pay for a full days parking at any of the Sherpa car parks. These buses aren't just for tourists though – they're very much used by local people. All the passengers getting on before me speak to the driver in Welsh – it's the language used by 65% of the local population, though fortunately the driver is happy to sell me my ticket through the medium of English! The journey out of town is a pretty one, winding through a wooded valley. Soon however the scenery becomes more mountainous and the bus reaches the village of Capel Curig, a popular destination with walkers and climbers. Just beyond that is the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, which is where Edmund Hillary and his team trained for their 1953 conquest of Everest. Then the Snowdonia range looms in the distance, snow-capped even on this bright spring day. The view down the side of the bus, where the steep cliff face falls away is vertiginous, whilst beyond that a dramatic view of the Gwynant valley, a sweeping shape sculpted by huge glaciers during the Ice Age unfolds. The effect is jaw-droppingly gorgeous and it's wonderful to be able to just gaze at it without the responsibility of being at the wheel. The bus stops at Pen-y-Pass, the starting place for two of the main walking routes up Snowdon. I call in at the Information Centre and chat to Aled Taylor, one of the Wardens who gives advice to visitors. Aled has just retired from the mountain rescue team after 40 years, and his great-grandfather Moses Williams was one of the first guides who used to take visitors up the mountain on horseback in 19th century. 'It can be very difficult or even impossible to park here in the summer,' says Aled, 'so coming by bus is a great idea.' We talk about the walking options and as I've got two hours before the next bus he suggests I go up the Miner's Track as far as Llyn Lydaw, the second highest of the three lakes on this path. I set off and am pleased to find that this section is a very gentle upward slope which most people and children of reasonable fitness could do, though obviously it gets rather more serious further up. The views are amazing, a volcanic jumble of screes and cliffs rising to razor-edged summits, and the air is fresh and clear. It gets very busy in peak season but right now there are only a few other walkers, some sheep and a couple of wild mountain goats. By the time I get back it's lunchtime. There's a licenced cafe at Pen-y-Pass, but I catch the next bus and press on to Beddgelert. This is a picturesque village with an abundance of shops and cafes. I buy a sandwich, followed by an ice-cream from the award-winning Glaslyn Ices. There's enough time for a walk to the most famous landmark, Gelert's Grave, a memorial to a loyal dog which legend has it was mistakenly killed by his master, Prince Llewelyn in the 13th-century, before catching the bus again. This time we travel through countryside which grows gradually more gentle as we approach the coast. Porthmadog, where the bus terminates is a bustling town. I take the short walk from the bus station to the harbour area and The Cob. Walking along here it's possible to check out one of the most well-known and perfectly-framed views of the Snowdonia mountain range. In the foreground is the tranquil Glaslyn estuary and behind it the panorama of Snowdon, Cnicht, (sometimes described as 'the Welsh Matterhorn' because it has a pointed peak which is similar to the Swiss mountain) and the Moelwyn mountains. This is a view which travel writer Jan Morris describes as 'the classic illumination of Wales' and a great spot for a memorable photo. Then I visit Porthmadog station, the base for the narrow-gauge Festiniog Railway. It's one of the most famous railways in the world, originally intended to provide a cheap form of transport for roofing slates being quarried in the area. As the slate industry declined it became neglected but in the 1950s it was revived by volunteer enthusiasts and now it's a popular tourist attraction. It's worth calling in to see if one of the steam trains might be on the platform – and if you want an alternative route back to Betws-y-Coed it would actually be possible to take the narrow gauge railway as far as Blaenau Festiniog Railway and then change to the (Conway Valley Line train) main service for the rest of the journey. But instead I enjoy a glass of wine at the CAMRA award-winning Spooner's Cafe Bar attached to the station, knowing that I can rely on the bus to return me safely to Betws-y-Coed. MOST BEAUTIFUL WEST COUNTRY BUS JOURNEY NEWQUAY-PADSTOW 556 Sun, sea and surf make for a fabulous holiday – and they make for a fabulous bus ride as well! The 556 is just minutes out of Newquay bus station when I get my first stunning view of the Atlantic at Porth Beach. The bus stops so close by you could almost step directly from it onto the sand. This is a theme for the rest of the journey as the route hugs the coast, one minute riding high along the clifftops with the sea shimmering in the distance, the next dipping down into some delightful little village or sandy cove. My first stop is Watergate Bay, and I'm just in time to catch last orders for breakfast at Jamie Olivier's Fifteen restaurant. The menu at this time of day is very reasonably priced and covers all the bases from bacon sandwiches to fresh fruit smoothies. I sit at a window table, drink my coffee and watch the surfers before taking a walk along the sandy beach – a two-mile expanse at low tide. Then it's on to Bedruthan Steps. En route I get chatting to Mike and Chris Gaskell from Cheshire who are making the most of their over-sixties bus passes, 'I used to drive a lot for work,' Mike explains, 'so it's great to be able to just relax and take in the view.' The bus stops outside the Bedruthan Steps Hotel and from there it's a short walk to Carnewas, a National Trust property comprising of a car park, shop and tea-room. From here you can stroll along the coastal path to a viewing platform and look at the Steps - giant pinnacles of granite studding the beach. These rocks, together with the treacherous tides are responsible for numerous shipwrecks and one of the rocks is even named Samaritan Island after the ship of that name which foundered on the rock in 1846. At high tide they're surrounded by water, but at low tide it's possible to climb down to the beach and walk around them. Access is via a steep stone staircase, closed between November and February for safety reasons. The steps can get wet and slippery so you have to be reasonably fit to get down – and more significantly, to get up again. I find it well worth the effort though – the Steps are even more impressive when they're towering above you, and because of the effort involved in getting down there the beach is almost deserted. By the time I reach Padstow I've really worked up an appetite for lunch. But fortunately Rick Stein's Fish and Chip Shop is situated just opposite the bus stop and the hake and chips I have there are the best I've tasted in a long time. The centre of Padstow is a couple of minutes walk away. It's incredibly pretty and a real tourist honeypot in the summer months. There's a working fishing harbour surrounded by an beguiling jumble of inns, craft shops, galleries, and gourmet food shops and I wander round, indulging in some retail therapy. I time my return journey so I can travel on one of the double decker buses that run along this route on weekdays. The journey takes about an hour and twenty minutes and the views from the top deck are even more glorious than they were on the outward trip. It's fantastic to be able to see so far over the high hedges and experience the roller-coaster sensation when going down into the villages - a visual feast to rival the earlier gastronomic ones at Jamie Oliver's and Rick Stein's.

Dan and Michael Smith - Charity bike ride/Sunday Express

It's 5.30am on a bitterly cold Friday morning. On the Millennium Bridge just near St Paul's Cathedral seven men and one girl are preparing to set off on a bike ride to Amsterdam in aid of the charity Blind in Business. The driving force behind the venture are 20 year old twins Dan and Michael Smith, who have themselves recently lost their sight because of a rare genetic condition. 'It's a 350 mile trip,' says Dan, who is the older twin by one minute, 'and though normally it takes six days our schedule is three and a half because we wanted it to be as physically challenging as possible.' This approach epitomises the attitude of the boys, who are determined not to let their disability hold them back in life. After being filmed for Dutch TV and posing for photographs they and their friends, who are a mix of medical and dental students get ready to set off. Dan and Michael will each be on racing tandems, with sighted cyclists at the front. 'Riding a tandem is very different from a regular bike in the sense that you have to keep communicating with each other all the time so the person on the back knows that a corner or a hill is coming up and is prepared for it,' explains Dan. 'And although it can move quicker on the flat as you've got extra pedal-power, it's much tougher going uphill, because there's double the weight.' And since there are plenty of hills between here and Dover, which is the initial destination, it's important to be punctual in order to catch the ferry. As the St Paul's Cathedral clock chimes six, the group sets off on their sleek racing bikes. They cycle through the early morning London streets, past London bridge, where early morning workers are mixing with late returning clubbers and then towards Blackheath, where the grass is crisp with frost. There are two support vehicles accompanying the ride. Steve Smith and his wife Su-Jan are in one driving a hired van bringing food, luggage, spare bikes – and of course lots of moral support for the gruelling journey ahead. Steve 63, a Chartered Engineer and Su-Jan, 55, an ex-nurse originally from Taiwan are saddened by the challenges they've seen their sons face but also tremendously proud of their achievements. Both boys went to the academically high-flying City of London Boys' School. Then Michael went to study medicine at Bart's whilst Daniel embarked on a degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Bristol University. 'They were such bright, active children and so easy to bring up,' says Su-Jan. 'When they went to University we felt delighted that they'd embarked on careers they loved and looked forward to seeing them enjoy life.' But then during his first term studying medicine Michael realised he was having trouble reading his notes. Soon afterwards his sight deteriorated so much he was forced to give up his course and finally in Feb 2010 DNA tests revealed that he was suffering from a rare genetic condition called Leber's Optic Neuropathy, which only affects 250 people in the UK. The main symptom is a sudden loss of vision which is caused by the death of cells in the optic nerve. Because the boys are twins there was a 60-70% chance that Daniel would develop the same condition as indeed he did in late 2011. The twins now have only 7% vision and have needed to re-learn everyday tasks such as cooking or doing laundry. Michael was forced to give up medicine and is now in his second year at King's College London studying Geography whilst Daniel is doing his final year in Aeronautical Engineering but studies part-time in order to allow him space to adjust. Soon it's time for the first break in the historic town of Rochester. The weather has warmed up, and the group has been joined by Jamie Murison, a colleague of Steve's and five members of a local cycling group he belongs to nicknamed The Fat Boys. 'Though all this exercise is slimming us down now,' admits Jamie. The group will be joining the charity cyclists for a section of the journey to offer companionship and support. Until leaving home for University the twins were inseparable and still speak on the phone every day. They're lively, positive guys but very much acknowledge the tough times they have faced. 'I'd wanted to do medicine for a very long time and it was devastating to realise I'd have to give it up,' says Michael. 'I felt as though my future was falling apart. And after my diagnosis the one thing I wanted was for my brother not to have to go through this as well, but sadly that wish wasn't granted.' Dan recalls what a difficult time that was, ''When I learned that I might go blind as well, it was effectively like sitting on a time bomb that might go off at any moment. At least now I feel relieved because I know where I stand and can move on. I've had to work really hard and show such dogged determination just to live a normal life, but I really do believe that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' Both boys have experienced changes in their social lives. 'I've made some fantastic new friends but I've lost friends as well,' says Dan. 'Some people can't handle the change and drift off but your real friends stick by you.' 'It can be hard for young, high-achieving people to understand disability,' Michael adds, 'and we don't expect anyone to fully understand. But although we have suffered and in many ways are still suffering, overall we want to tackle what life has dealt us with confidence and humour.' Soon it's back in the saddle for another challenging session. By 12.00 the group have covered 55 miles and stop for lunch in a field outside Faversham. Already everyone is feeling very grateful for the lycra in their cycling shorts 'I'm aching in places I didn't know existed,' admits medical student Joe Masters, 18, who is on the front of Dan's tandem. The entire group has been training hard for this challenge. Joe, Ollie Sohan, 21 and Christopher Millward,26 who are piloting the tandems have also practised both riding on the front and and riding on the back when blindfolded to give them a sense of how Dan and Michael experience the ride and what guidance they might need from their pilot. Dave Brooke, 23 is the navigator for today and is liaising about the route with Steve in the support vehicle. Jonathan Hatton, 23 is checking over his bike and bantering with the others. The challenge was originally named sevenmenfivebikes but medical student Catharine Denning, 25, was a later and very welcome volunteer to the group. Despite not being as experienced a cyclist as some of the guys, she's enjoying the ride. Meeting the twins, together with a placement at Moorfield Eye Hospital has been inspirational for Catharine and she's planning on specialising in treating eye and sight problems. Her boyfriend, Fred , another medical student is driving the other support vehicle. Dan is called up by Radio Bristol and steps aside to do an interview with them on his mobile. Good-looking, intelligent, witty, the twins have generated a lot of media attention including an appearance on BBC breakfast news and although it can be time-consuming, they've been willing to make the effort in order to raise charity funds and help change misconceptions about visually impaired people. Then it's off for the next section of the journey – the scenery is becoming more rural as the cyclists travel over the Kent Downs, past hop fields and oast houses and through pretty villages. The terrain is rather less idyllic if you're on a bike however as there's hill after hill, some of them punishingly steep. But the gang is in good spirits and there's a tremendous sense of bonding and camaraderie. They arrive in Dover two hours early, to whoops of triumph. Two and a half days and 250 miles later the group finally arrive in Amsterdam to photographers, a television crew and a rapturous champagne welcome. But getting there was a gruelling slog. The first section had been by far the easiest and once on the continent that they were battling against bitterly cold weather, rain, muscle strain, injuries, punctures and roadworks adding lengthy detours to an already demanding schedule. Daniel suffered from dehydration and hypothermia whilst Michael had to take heavy-duty painkillers to overcome knee pain. But their efforts have already raised over £16,000 for Blind in Business, a charity which is close to their hearts. Set up 18 years ago by three blind graduates it helps other partially sighted and blind graduates to compete equally with sighted candidates for good jobs. Both Dan and Michael are full of drive and ambition to make successful careers for themselves. Dan is going into engineering or finance, whilst Michael plans to study law and already has an internship lined up with leading international law firm Ashurst. 'There are hurtful stereotypes out there of disabled people and Dan and I have a huge drive to break them down,' says Michael. 'Whether it's our careers, sporting activities, relationships or social lives we are determined to prove that we can be every bit as productive as able-bodied people and just as capable of living our lives to the full.' To support Dan and Michael Smith, please go to www.justgiving.com/sevenmenfivebikes

Sunday Express, Food Miles

OTTER FARM
Mark Diacono, 41 and Candida Diacono 37 live at Otter Farm in Devon with their daughter Nell, one. They’re growing a variety of foodstuffs more commonly flown in from overseas, and have planted Britain’s first commercial olive grove.
Mark and Candida Diacono discovered Otter Farm near Honiton in Devon on the way back from their honeymoon. ‘We were told about this place and called in to view it on the way back home,’ says Candida. ‘It’s 17 acres and we were just about able to scrape together the money so we took the plunge and bought it.’
Initially however, they weren’t sure what to grow there. But like Archimedes, Mark had a blinding flash of inspiration in the bath. ‘I made a mental list of the food I liked and knocked off the boring stuff like potatoes and carrots that other people do perfectly well already. That left a list of old-fashioned fruits like quince and mulberries, which I feel deserve to be re-discovered, together with food which I felt would grow better as a result of global warming such as apricots, almonds and olives.’ In addition to running the farm Mark works as an environmental consultant and feels strongly that global warming is a reality and that farming needs to adapt to meet the challenge. ‘Current research indicates that in the UK it’s going to lead to warmer, wetter winters, longer growing seasons and milder nights. We’ll also get less predictable rain – with long periods of rainfall alternating with dry periods rather than it being more evenly spaced out. It’ll become increasingly important for farms to diversify and grow a number of different crops because each year some will survive and others won’t. At Otter Farm we’re committed to growing about 30 crops in any given year.’
Candida, Mark and their one year old daughter Nell show me round. Nell insists she wants to ‘jump in muddy puddles’ – one of her favourite games - and because Devon has been getting Mark’s predicted downfalls of rain recently there are plenty for her to choose from. ‘It’s a great place to bring Nell up,’ says Candida. ‘She’s got more space to play and it’s a more natural, outdoor environment.’ However, the Diacomos are relatively new to rural life. ‘Four years ago we were living in Kent, I was working as a landscape planner for local authorities and Candida was an office administrator,’ explains Mark. ‘We wanted to try something different and after watching too many episodes of River Cottage on the TV and a couple of glasses of wine too many in the evening we decided to give smallholding a go.’ Mark had no experience of farming whatsoever at that point and had never even managed to keep a pot plant alive, whereas Candida had enjoyed gardening as a child. Their first venture was a 2 acre smallholding in mid-Devon where they stayed for a couple of years, learning the basics from a combination of books, internet advice and trial and error before upgrading to Otter farm.
But they’ve clearly learnt quickly as today the place looks thriving. We walk past beds planted with peaches, pecans, apricots and a polytunnel containing kiwifruit. Then Mark shows me the 120 trees which makes up Britain’s first commercial olive grove. ‘I thought he was bonkers when he first suggested it,’ says Candida. ‘But actually it’s turned out really well in that it’s got us a lot of media attention and opened up the discussion about climate change.’
‘We’ve become known as Britain’s first Climate Change farm,’ explains Mark. ‘The idea behind it is to sustainably exploit global warming by growing overseas crops while ‘paying it back’ by making otherwise overseas produce available here with low ‘food miles’.
Currently they’re selling their produce at the local Farmers’ markets in Exeter and Awliscombe near Honiton and are finding the local community very supportive ‘We thought we might get a bit of sniggering, but it hasn’t happened,’ says Mark. And in the long term, we’ve got a number of shops and restaurants who’ve expressed enthusiasm for everything we can produce.’
However, it’s not all a carefree rural idyll. ‘It’s nail-biting financially,’ says Candida. ‘And the work is endless. We don’t stop from the moment we get up until we collapse into bed. But it’s also tremendously rewarding.’
If you’d like to take advantage of climate change and experiment with growing overseas produce yourself Mark suggests checking out www.agroforestry.co.uk where you can order plants including apricots, lemons and olive trees suitable for the British climate. And maybe in a few years you could have an olive grove of your very own!
www.otterfarm.co.uk


HIGH WEALD DAIRY
Mark Hardy, 45 and Sarah Hardy, 42 run High Weald Dairy in Sussex which produces a variety of cheeses including ones more usually flown in from Greece such as Feta and Halloumi
The Feta cheese which Sarah Hardy gives me to sample is miles away in quality and flavour from the bland packaged versions I usually throw into my supermarket trolley. It’s got a sharp, fresh character, reminiscent of the type you’d enjoy in a salad on a sun-kissed holiday in Greece. Except that it’s been made down here in Sussex, a ten-minute drive from Haywards Heath.
Mark Hardy went to Cirencester Agricultural College and then came back to help on the farm his parents owned in the Ashdown forest. He’d become interested in milking sheep whilst studying and encouraged them to acquire a flock of Friesland ewes, initially making yoghurt and soft cheese from the milk. ‘But we had a friend who was Greek-Cypriot and that gave me the idea of making Feta and Halloumi cheese to sell to that community in London. It went well, and so we branched out into selling it in health shops and delicatessens.’
Four years ago Mark and Sarah moved to Tremains Farm, and currently it is run as an organic dairy farm with 250 cows producing milk that’s converted into cheese in the on-site dairy. The organic sheep’s milk for the Feta and Halloumi is currently brought in from neighbourhood farms, though the Hardys do keep a small flock which they hope to start milking again next year. I’m taken to visit them and they’re much bigger than any I’ve come across before. They’re also much friendlier, coming up and nudging us – presumably because as milking sheep they’re more familiar with being handled than ones bred for meat and wool. ‘Friesland sheep are excellent for milking because they’re docile, produce lots of milk and lambs and take to the milking process very easily,’ Mark explains. ‘They’re happy to come in for milking at 7am and 4pm and usually we play them Radio 2.’
Back at the dairy, Sarah introduces me to two of the cheesemakers, Colin and Michael. ‘At the moment we’re producing about half a ton in total of our Feta and Halloumi cheeses, each week,’ she explains. ‘Our cheesemakers have been with us for years and make it traditionally and that creates a really unique product. We notice the character of the cheese changes slightly throughout the year, depending on the milk that the ewes are producing – and it even changes depending on which of our cheesemakers made it. One of the advantages of making and selling the cheese locally is that we don’t have to add as much salt to preserve it so the true flavour can come through. And of course it reduces ‘food miles’ to have it made in the UK rather than in Greece.’
The Feta and Halloumi is now sold through local shops and at farmers’ markets such as Lewes, Guildford and Tunbridge Wells. ‘We offer samples to shoppers,’ says Sarah. ‘Most people have already tried Feta. Halloumi isn’t as well known, but it’s really delicious. It can be grilled or dry-fried and has a texture similar to a grilled marshmallow with a crusty outside, soft centre and a taste similar to that of bacon. We describe it as the vegetarian alternative to the rasher, and lightly dry fry it to a golden brown and give it to people to try. Most of them love it and getting those instant positive reactions is very rewarding.’
‘I think that people are becoming increasingly aware of the power of the consumer,’ says Mark. ‘By supporting farms with a commitment to animal welfare and growing organic they can help bring in better practices. And by going for local rather than overseas producers when possible there’s the chance to reduce the pollution caused by transporting food as well.’
www.highwealddairy.co.uk

TREES CAN’T DANCE
Dan May, 38 is an ex landscape photographer now running a chilli farm near Haltwhistle in Northumberland.
dan@treescantdance.co.uk
Looking over towards Cold Fell, on the edge of the North Pennines the sky is overcast and I can see sheep grazing in a light drizzle. It’s a rather unlikely setting for a chilli farm.
‘I believe this is the most Northerly chilli farm in existence,’ says Dan May who set it up in 2005. Dan was prompted to set up the farm by his own love of chillis. ‘I used to work as a landscape photographer and travelled all over the world,’ he explains. ‘When I came back to the UK I found I wasn’t able to recreate many of the dishes I loved because the chillis available here weren’t hot enough or weren’t of the right variety. Initially I grew a few as a hobby. Then I realised that there must be other people out there who felt the same as me and saw it had the potential to develop into a business. After all, people are more well-travelled these days and many have been to places such as India and Mexico and come to enjoy the food there. Chillis are now the fastest-growing area of foreign food. It’s taking off in the way that garlic and olive oil took off in the 1970s and 1980s when people came back from holidaying in Italy and Spain. At the same time, people are interested in reducing their carbon footprint wherever possible so being able to buy overseas food such as chillis grown locally is a bonus.’ Dan now grows 60 varieties differing in taste, spiciness, colour and size and offers ones much hotter than those currently available. ‘The heat rating for chillis is measured in Scovilles,’ explains Dan. The average supermarket chilli is between 600-1000 Scovilles – we do ones which are up to 300,000 – 400,000 Scovilles.’
The farm is based on 2 acres of a former agricultural machinery yard. Dan shows me the three polytunnels, where the chillis are thriving. ‘It’s quite a challenging location in many ways as chillis don’t like cold or damp and in Northumbria we get a lot of both,’ says Dan. ‘But we work hard to keep the soil warm and well-drained and so far they’ve done well. It’s not all plain sailing though. In January of this year we were away promoting the products at a trade show. There was a gale with winds of about 100 miles an hour and the covering of one of the polytunnels split in the middle and then ripped in two. Fortunately it didn’t have any chillis in at the time as we were cleaning it out to fertilise the soil. But it does make you very aware of how vulnerable we are to unpredictable weather.’
Then Dan shows me the kitchens where the chillis are converted into various sauces and spice blends and marketed under the brand Trees Can’t Dance. About 2,000 bottles a week are produced which include Sweet Chilli Sauce, African Hot Sauce, Traditional Texas Chilli Powder and Cajun Rub. In the last 14 months Dan has been joined in the business by Becky MacKenzie and Neil Thomas and they get involved in every aspect of the business together, from caring for the chillis to cooking, bottling, and marketing the final product.
The response from the public has been very positive. ‘We’ve never had to pay for advertising, as the press coverage has generated so much interest from customers,’ says Dan. ‘Our products are now on sale in major food outlets such as Fenwicks and Fortnum and Masons, in a wide range of independent delicatessens, at farmers’ markets and via our website at www.treescantdance.co.uk
But this success has come at a price. ‘It’s really, really hard work,’ says Dan. ‘I started growing on a commercial level just over two years ago and have probably had less than 10 days off since. I work from 8 in the morning till 10 at night 7 days a week. It feels like hard slog, and I tend to get very caught up in handling day-to-day problems. But every so often I’ll stand back and realise how far we’ve come in a short time. This time last year we only had 3 or 4 outlets and now we’ve got dozens all over the country.’
Trees can’t Dance has a commitment to being as eco-friendly as possible throughout the business. They don’t use any pesticides or artificial fertilisers. The sauces are sold in glass bottles as they’re the best for recycling, and they are planning to introduce a wind turbine to provide electricity for heating and ventilating the polytunnels. ‘We also want to develop the site and make links with the local community,’ says Dan. ‘We’re hoping to have chilli evenings where people can sample different chilli dishes and have educational visits from schools looking at issues such as eco-friendly farming and air miles.’
If you’d like to buy any Trees Can’t Dance sauces or to grow chillis yourself, seeds of varieties suitable for growing in the UK will be available on the www.treescantdance.co.uk website from October.

Sunday Express - Behind the Scenes at Songs of Praise

It is a cold, wet Friday evening in February and the congregation of St John the Baptist Church in Knaresborough are out in force, raising the roof with the popular hymn 'All Glory Laud and Honour'. But a couple of verses in they're abruptly halted by the conductor, Paul Leddington Wright. 'We're going to do that for the third time, and this time we're going to do it better,' he instructs them. 'I'm hearing a nice tune, but I'm not hearing the words. I need clear diction.'
He pauses, listening to instructions from the producer through his earpiece, then signals that he's ready to start again, 'Heads up everyone, happy faces!'.

One of the first things that anyone who has ever been involved in a TV programme discovers is that a lot more work goes on behind the scenes than the viewer ever realises. And Songs of Praise is no exception. During 2010 two editions of the show are scheduled to be broadcast from the North Yorkshire town of Knaresborough – one of which is due to be shown on Palm Sunday and the other during the summer. The filming for both sets of hymns is taking place this evening followed by an all-day session on Saturday – 10 hours filming for less than an hour of screen time.

Paul is the former musical director for Coventry Cathedral and one of the regular conductors for Songs of Praise. His role is to coach the congregation and choir through the hymns whilst liaising with the production team. The choir will have got the music about a fortnight in advance and will have been rehearsing the descants, but many of the congregation won't have been on the receiving end of musical tuition since school. The mood is upbeat and positive however, and the standard of singing is better than anything I've heard in church for a very long time.

It's amazing to think that Songs of Praise has now been going for almost 50 years. The very first episode was broadcast from the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cardiff in October 1961. Since then it has visited over 1,800 churches and featured over 12,500 hymns and has an average of 3 million viewers weekly. Originally it was just hymns but now it includes interviews in which members of the congregation discuss their faith. The current main presenters include Sally Magnusson, Pam Rhodes, Diane-Louise Jordan and Eamonn Holmes. This episode will feature Aled Jones, who will be arriving tomorrow to be filmed both as part of the congregation and doing some short pieces to camera.

Chatting to the series editor, David Taviner, I ask how Knaresborough came to be chosen to appear on Songs of Praise. 'Across the year we need to have a balance,' he explains. 'Covering everything from cathedrals to chapels, rural and urban settings and of course with a geographical spread. Linking in with significant times of year such as Christmas, Easter and Remembrance Sunday is also important. Knaresborough has a special association with Maundy Thursday, which takes place just before Easter, so it seemed an ideal venue to film for an episode that could be shown on Palm Sunday.
The link is that the tradition of Maundy Money, silver coins given to deserving poor people by the monarch on Maundy Thursday is one that started in Knaresborough back in 1210 when King John was the first to distribute it. This year is the 800th anniversary of that event, and the Knaresborough celebrations will include a specially minted coin being given out to all the primary school children in the town, some of whom will be interviewed by Aled for the programme. The family of the late Arnold Kellett, who discovered the link between Knaresborough and the Maundy Money tradition are also due to be interviewed.

The following morning is bright and crisp and St John's, much of which dates from the C14th looks beautiful. The congregation arrives, dressed smartly but warmly against the wintry chill. Outfits that will look perfectly suitable for the programme to be shown in March, but could strike an incongruous note for the second one in high summer. I speculate as to whether they'll get round it by only showing footage of people who've taken their coats off.

Paul Leddington Wright soon gets everyone in full voice. He combines his passion for the music with the rallying qualities of a holiday camp rep. One moment pulling singers into line, 'I saw one or two people take a breath when they shouldn't have', the next encouraging them 'You're doing very well, my dears. It's hard work, but it's going to be worth it.'

I had hoped to interview some members of the congregation in the tea break but gradually it dawns on me that there isn't going to be one. So I hang out in the vestry which is full of cables and unidentifiable bits of technical equipment. The producer is watching the filming on three monitors, each one linked to a camera in the main church. It's explained to me that sometimes they do retakes for sound reasons, and other times it's more a technical issue – maybe someone in shot will have fidgeted or blown their nose. Then the whole section has to be filmed again.

Over at the Church Hall, Shona Bostwick, the Verger of St John's is working hard making the final preparations to the lunch that the ladies have put on for Aled and the production crew. The tables are groaning under the weight of the impressive spread - sandwiches, sausage rolls, pork pies and hot cross buns. The cakes were baked by Reverend Sewell herself.

I ask Shona how she feels about Songs of Praise being filmed here, 'Oh, I think it's lovely,' she says, topping up the urn. 'We've got a wonderful congregation and the church building is magnificent – we're very proud of it.' Shona is a regular Songs of Praise viewer. 'I enjoy the hymns and it's interesting to look round other churches - it's a bit like property programmes where you get to look round other people's houses. We're all a bit nosy at heart, aren't we?' She's not so keen about appearing on screen herself however, 'I'd rather stay away from the camera if I can. I've been hiding behind a pillar all morning.'

Finally it's the lunch break. Some of the congregation go into town for lunch whilst others stay in their pew with flask and sandwiches. The local schoolchildren pass round bags of sweets and fiddle with their mobile phones but remain as astonishingly well-behaved as they have been all morning. Knaresborough clearly rears its young with a firm hand.

I take the chance to catch up with Reverend Elizabeth Sewell, 54, the Rector of St John's. Rev Sewell, has been in Knaresborough for the past two and a half years and was approached about getting involved with the program last autumn. 'My first response was, yes, let's go for it.' she says. 'I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to show off St John's and to bring Knaresborough together as a community. And there's no doubt that Knaresborough is chuffed to bits to be part of it – it's one of the main topics of conversation round here at the moment.

Tentatively, I raise the somewhat delicate issue of congregation size. Do they normally have this sort of turn-out or does she think there are some who are here because they fancy the idea of being on TV? 'Well, there are 400 people here today and our usual Sunday congregation is about 140,' says Elizabeth. 'But in one of the initial meetings with the producer she said it was really important to pack the church. However, Knaresborough has a strong sense of community and I was sure that they would come. So we provided the production team with contact details for the other churches in Knaresborough and I believe they also got in touch with the local choral societies and our local newspaper helped. But if anyone has come just to be on the telly I really don't have a problem with that. I see it as an chance to get people here who might not have been to church for a while – and maybe the experience will encourage them to visit us again.'
Reverend Sewell is also keen to be part of a programme that she feels is especially important for housebound people. 'I know many people who can't get to church for health reasons, so Songs of Praise offers a way they can enjoy a service in their own home. I'm hoping that we can reach out to them through the cameras and help them feel part of a worshipping community.'
At the end of our chat I can't resist asking if she ever finds herself on the receiving end of Vicar of Dibley jokes. Rev Sewell laughs. 'Not really. I think we're more mainstream these days so fewer people think to comment. But when I was at Theological College I shared a house with 4 other trainee women vicars it was absolutely required viewing for us!'

Next I seize the opportunity to talk to Aled for a few minutes. He's warm, unaffected and far more handsome in real life than on screen. I ask him why he thinks Songs of Praise holds such an enduring appeal. 'It's like the world's largest karaoke,' he replies. 'People have grown up singing these hymns and they're much-loved. And because the show goes round the country it's got a travelogue element so it can also appeal to people who don't see themselves as religious. Some say it should be modernised, but many of the issues it tackles during the interviews are challenging ones and very relevant to modern life.'

As the break draws to a close the ladies of the choir re-apply their lipstick, powder their noses and prepare their vocal chords for another demanding session. The afternoon is filled with more rehearsals and filming, but no-one's energy shows signs of flagging. Whilst some lighting is being adjusted, I ask a group of children from St James' school in Knaresborough what they've thought of the experience. 'It's tiring but good fun,' says Kitty West, 13. 'We're all looking forward to watching it with our family and friends – it'll be cool to see ourselves on TV rather than just famous people. And I'm sure we'll all be talking about it at school afterwards. It's something we'll look back on and remember all our lives.'

Candis - Behind the Scenes, Lark Rise to Candleford

It's 9.30am on the set of hit BBC series Lark Rise to Candleford and Julia Sawallha, who plays vivacious, independent postmistress Dorcas Lane has just been laced into her corset and decked out in a high-necked blouse and long skirt by a wardrobe assistant. It creates a miniscule waistline, as befits a Victorian lady, but Julia makes light of the discomfort. 'I've worn this corset for three series and it's like an old friend now,' she says. 'Though I must admit I'm not too keen on some of the fashions and hairstyles that Dorcas wears. I think it was a very unflattering period – everything was so formal and buttoned-up!'

The programme is set in 1897, and based on the semi-autobiographical trilogy of books by Flora Thompson. The stories are seen through the eyes of young Laura Timmins, who comes from the rural hamet of Lark Rise and goes to work with her mother's cousin, Dorcas in bustling, go-ahead Candleford and experiences torn loyaties between age-old traditions and the new opportunities that are opening up for women.

Olivia Hallinan, who has been playing Laura since the first series in 2007 says she really enjoys it. 'Today's media portrayal of young women can sometimes seem to be that they're outrageous ladettes, so it's refreshing to play a girl like Laura, who is quite reserved but has a determined, feisty character. Young people were innocent for longer in those days and there was so much joy over the simplest things. And I love the sense of neighbourliness in the programme – the way that young and old people mix in together and learn from each other.'

Julia and Olivia have already been in hair and make-up for an hour and a half and this site, known as 'unit base' is buzzing with activity. There are 85 people involved in today's shoot, ranging from sound and camera technicians to make-up artists and drivers, as well as the cast and extras, or 'supporting artists' as they're now called. A catering van is doing a brisk trade supplying porridge and fry-ups to fortify everyone for the 12 hour day ahead.

The actors' trailers, production offices and catering are all based here. Nearby are two other sites, one being the set of the village of Lark Rise, the other the town of Candleford. The filming takes place in beautiful, rolling countryside near Bath, but the exact locations are kept top secret, to avoid them being overrun by devoted fans.

The scene filmed this morning is at the Lark Rise set, which has been built by the props department and is astonishingly realistic, even close-up. It involves a dispute about ownership of a prize pig, in which the Candleford folk confront the Lark Risers. The player of this particular starring role is two-year old Lady, provided by Pam Weaver whose agency Almost Human supplies animals for film sets. 'She's very gentle and loves being with people, so I'm sure she'll enjoy the day,' says Pam.

As shooting begins it soon becomes apparent that patience is an vital characteristic for work on a film set. The director is a perfectionist and talks the cast through exactly how he wants the arrival of the Candleford people to be choreographed, and how the dialogue should be delivered.
The scene is rehearsed and then shot from different angles. Then the director decides he wants more light and some strapping electricians, or 'sparks' as they're known in the industry, erect a tripod of ladders to support an additional lighting rig. Then the scene is shot again and again, using different camera angles and focusing on different characters each time. Later, in post-production, decisions will be made about which version to use. In the meantime the cast keep have to keep their acting as fresh as it was the very first time – or ideally, fresher. This process is repeated for every scene – it takes twelve 14 hour days to film a single hour-long episode of Lark Rise to Candleford.

This particular scene features a new character, Gabriel Cochrane, a handsome stranger with a tragic past who brings mystery and a frisson of romance to Candleford. Richard Harrington, who plays him has thoroughly enjoyed joining the show. 'I've been given some gripping storylines and as far as the cast and crew are concerned, I couldn't have wished for a warmer welcome.'

In between takes the hair and make-up ladies swoop on the cast and extras to check if they need touching-up. 'I love working on period dramas,' says Hair and Make-up Designer Lesley Faulkener, who leads a team of four. 'You can be so creative. And we're very lucky in our supporting artists – the guys are willing to grow beards and even mutton-chop whiskers so they look authentic for the time period. And the ladies accept that they're not allowed to dye their hair.

Samantha Jenkins, 28, works part-time as a supporting artist whilst also studying at University. 'It's great because there's a lot of hanging around, so I can bring my textbooks and revise for exams,' she says. 'And my mum adores the fact I'm in this programme – she scans every crowd scene looking out for me.'

The time pressure is on, as the child actors in the scene are only legally permitted to work for a set number of hours a day and the part of the scene involving them has to be completed by then. Thankfully, it's completed on schedule and they can go off with their tutors to the trailers where they have lessons to ensure their schoolwork is kept up to date.

It's late afternoon before the main cast and crew make it back to unit base and a dinner of lamb stew, veggie curry or plaice is served. Copies of new scripts are handed out and the cast pounce on them. ''We only get scripts one episode ahead,' explains Oliva. 'So when they arrive we're all longing to know what's in store for our characters.'

The break is only temporary though. Soon everyone is whisked off in a fleet of cars to the Candeford set to film an evening scene between the characters of Alf and Minne, which is scheduled to end at 10pm. But at least it's not a night shoot. They are filmed between 6pm – 6am and many of the actors find it throws their body clock completely out. 'At 3am it can be difficult enough not to walk into the furniture, let alone act,' admits Julia. 'But there's a huge sense of cameraderie on set and we all keep each other going.'

It's dark when shooting finally ends and the techical crew pack, who've worked a 14 hour day, pack their equipment away. There's the sense that it's been a tough but rewarding day. Ben Aldridge, who plays journalist Daniel Parish sums it up, 'Everyone really cares about the series and cares about the viewers. Lark Rise to Candleford has won a place in the nation's hearts because although it's set in the past the stories deal with issues such as love, money worries, and the ups and downs of family life, which are just as relevant to us in the present.'

Sunday Express - An Ode to Lakeland

Lakeland is a kitchen and homeware company with 35 shops and a thriving mail-order business. But it's much, much more than that. Over the years it's become a Middle-England cult, with enthusiastic devotees. When I canvassed opinions among my friends, the responses were uniformly gushing. 'My loyalty to them is total,' announced Katie. 'I wouldn't dream of buying anything for my kitchen anywhere else.' 'Just looking at the catalogue makes me feel cheery and domesticated,' said Gemma, 'it's like a window into a world where everything's calm, ordered and safe.' 'Don't mock my potato ricer,' railed Lucy when I teased her about her addiction to Lakeland gadgets, 'it produces lump-free mash perfection, every time!'

So how has a shop selling jumper de-bobblers and insulated gravy boats come to inspire such passion? I visited their flagship store in Windermere in the Lake District to find out. En route I did some research about the company, which was set up in 1963 by Alan Rayner and originally called Lakeland Plastics. It sold plastic sheeting such as haystack and silage covers to farmers, and as 'the home freezer revolution' had just kicked off, with housewives keen to enjoy the new-found freedom of cooking food ahead, Alan also supplied plastic bags for domestic use. His sons Martin, Sam, and Julian, who now run the company helped out as youngsters for pocket money, counting the polythene bags into packs of 100 in the garage of their Windermere home.

During the next forty years the business expanded rapidly, moving away from its farming beginnings and shifting firmly into domestic territory. The mail-order business thrived and the first shop was opened in the ex Station Master's House in the 1960s. After that shops were opened in York, Chester and Guildford, with new ones added gradually over the next four decades. In the early 1980s the Windermere flagship store moved to larger premises and in 1997 the 'Plastics' bit of the name was dropped and the company became known as just Lakeland.

The store is only a minute's walk from the railway station, and the building also houses the administrative centre and 24-hour call centre for the mail order business. The layout is spacious and well-ordered, with a fresh cream and wood colour scheme and a first floor restaurant which overlooks the Lake District beauty spots of Claiffe Heights and Coniston Old Man.

As I wander around I feel the familiar surge of covetousness that always sweeps over me when I'm in one of their shops. I'm suddenly gripped by a desire for a 3-tier draining rack, a collapsible colander and a jolly stoneware Hen's Nest for storing eggs. Because for all my laughing at Lucy's potato-ricer, the fact is that I have a secret Lakeland habit of my own. It started with a teabag squeezer a couple of years ago and after that I never looked back. I've discovered the soak-up sheets for when I defrost the freezer which means I don't have to re-enact the Tewkesbury floods every time it needs doing, a cheese grater which effortlessly produces professional-looking ribbons and heavy-bottomed saucepans which have become old friends.

As I'm gazing longingly at some baking trays, one of the assistants asks if she can help me and sounds as if she means it. In other Lakeland stores I've found one of the most consistent things is the helpfulness of the staff. It's like having a domestic agony aunt service where you can chat to someone about the difficulties you have with, say, getting ingrained tea-stains off your favourite cups and feel they're genuinely interested in helping you solve your problem. The solution to this particular one is the Magic Eraser Block, by the way – it's fantastic!

After my undercover reconnaissance I'm due to meet up with Matthew Canwell, Director of Buying who previously worked at Marks and Spencer. Over coffee he told me how he'd felt after his job interview at Lakeland. 'I went away really, really wanting to work for the company. I was so impressed by the Rayner brothers honesty and integrity, by the belief that if you give good customer service that everything else will fall in to place and I wanted to be part of that.'

One of the most important parts of customer service is, of course, getting the right staff and I ask him how they manage that in a world where so many shop assistants see spending most of their day standing around chatting to colleagues about their holidays and nights out as one of the perks of their job. 'It's an interesting question, but we just don't seem to attract people like that,' Matthew replies. 'I think people who want to work for us are the type who take a pride in their job. Anyone who just wants to stack shelves and isn't interested in taking responsibility would be more suited to working somewhere else.'

As well as the shops there's the call centre, which serves the mail order business. There are currently 188 staff working there and Lakeland is a significant employer in Windermere. 'Customers often say how they love hearing the local accents,' says Matthew. 'They like it that there's that solid connection to our geographical area.' Refreshingly there's no holding system with the calls and you're put straight through to an advisor. No buttons to press, no music, no having to listen to insincere nonsense about how 'your call is important to us' whilst being kept online for hours.

Then we talk about how current trends in society are being reflected in sales. 'There's a move towards feeling that home-cooked is best,' says Matthew, 'and our bakeware sales have doubled in the past year. There's a growing emphasis on getting children involved with cooking and we've found our 'kids in the kitchen' products such as the child-sized bakeware set and little chef's apron have really taken off. People are increasingly interested in healthy eating so any kitchenware to do with preparing fruit or low-fat frying is very popular.'
And at a time when green concerns are being joined by a ones about a chillier economic climate, products linked to recycling and thriftiness such as composting bins and energy-efficient slow cookers are also gaining ground.

Then of course there are the perennially popular gadgets. 'People do know us for gadgets and sometimes we get teased about them,' admits Matthew. 'The classic example is the banana guard, which fits every shape of banana and stops it from getting squashed in your bag. But the fact is we wouldn't sell something if we didn't think it did its job well. If people laughed at the banana guard because it didn't work, we'd be worried but actually we know lots of people find it really useful, so we're big enough to take a bit of teasing.'

Lakeland clearly enjoys being at the cutting edge of domestic developments as well. Matthew produces the iRobot Roomba Vacuum cleaner to show me. It's a cute little UFO-shaped vacuum which doesn't actually need operating by a human being. Instead you press a button and it uses sensors to methodically work its way around the room. The general idea is that you can set it going before you set off for work in the morning and then when you get back it will have completely done one level of your home, including under the furniture (though sadly, like a Dalek it has yet to get the hang of stairs). Now, when I was a child back in the 1970s I distinctly remember we were promised that by the 21st Century we'd have robots to do our housework – nice to see we're finally making progress on that one!

Then we're joined by Wendy Miranda, Lakeland's Customer Ambassador. The role is a unique one, and is all about developing the ongoing dialogue that Lakeland has always had with its customers. It was first taken by Michelle Kershaw, who joined the company in the 1970s, became a national authority on home freezing and ran the Lakeland Home Freezing Advisory Service. Over the years, Michelle developed a tremendous connection with the customers and when she died several years ago she was sadly missed by many of them, so much so that it wasn't until 2006 that it was felt her job could be filled by someone new.

Wendy has been with Lakeland for 15 years and used to manage the Tunbridge Wells store. 'I was appointed because it was becoming clear that customers wanted a real person, like Michelle that they could write to about suggestions for products, requests for old ones to be re-instated, and general feedback and complaints. My role isn't one that's tied in with budgets or sales targets, I'm here to be the voice of the customer.'

And Lakeland customers have certainly got a lot to say! The company receives 3,000 suggestions a month. 'Our customers are very vocal,' says Matthew. 'They tell us the direction they want the business to take and we respond to it – it's fantastically helpful actually, and I'm amazed more companies don't do the same.'

One way in which the dialogue proves useful is that customers who find a product they're keen on when travelling overseas will get in touch and suggest Lakeland stock it – that's how they came across their legendary Australian Soft Eating Liquorice.

They also get in touch about items they currently use but can't get hold of any more. 'For example, the Perfect Pastry Crisper in our present catalogue was developed after a customer had written in to suggest it,' explains Matthew. 'She owned a flan dish with a perforated base which allows the heat to circulate but hadn't been able to replace it. So she sent us a letter, together with some photographs of the dish and our buying team were able to track down a manufacturer who was producing them.'

And the dialogue with customers goes further than just product ideas. The catalogue is full of reader comments. For example the three-tier draining rack I'd been eyeing up in the shop earlier has its praises sung by Gladys Coleman of Worcestershire who writes in to say she 'loves her high-rise cookery drainer.'
Then in the letters page there's feedback from readers who've found extra uses for some of the products – from the Eclair tin which doubles up to make individual toad-in-the-holes to the the wine bottle stoppers which Morven White of Glasgow's husband finds invaluable when seasoning his bagpipes.

Wendy then whisks me away to show me a selection of the post she receives every day. There are letters of appreciation and thanks, ones expressing disappointment at the discontinuation of an old favourite, ones from elderly people reminiscing about Lakeland products they've used over the years. There's even a poem in one, an 'Ode to Lakeland' written in fountain pen. 'If people have taken the trouble to write in then of course we'll always write back,' says Wendy. 'It gives a nice sense of connection. Often I'll send people a little something, such as a box of biscuits as well.'

And of course there are complaints as well, but the Lakeland approach is to go the extra mile when it comes to sorting them out. Wendy tells me about a customer who'd ordered an oven thermometer as a present, but it had been delayed in the post. He'd got in touch with her and she immediately followed it up by calling his local Norwich store and having one sent round to him in a taxi, so it was with him within the hour.

The Lakeland philosophy isn't 'Domestic Godessy' in the sense of being showy-offy and insanely aspirational. It's about enriching people's real lives rather than trying to flog them some out-of-reach ideal. Acknowledging everyday annoyances whether that's recalcitrant jar lids, cluttered cupboards or bruised bananas and providing solutions to help life go more smoothly, it's closer to William Morris's maxim about 'have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful'.
And then of course there's the way it bucks the trend of valuing style over substance. Lakeland doesn't spend a fortune on adverts featuring overpaid celebrities who probably don't even know the way to their own kitchens, let alone have a clue what to do when they get there. Instead it relies on offering value for money, courteous service, listening to its customers and continually seeking out new and original products. In short, it provides a combination of old-fashioned values and robots that do your housework. What's not to like?

Sunday Express - Driving Miss Crazy

Having a car is fun and fabulous. But sometimes the world of motoring can feel like the final frontier for the modern woman. Your word might be law in the boardroom, but turn up at a car dealership with your husband and there's still a good chance that the salesman with direct all his patter at your other half and ignore your questions. And never mind how switched-on financially you are when it comes to other areas of your life – when some grimy car car mechanic is sucking air in through his teeth and telling you it's going to cost you £450 to get your cranksprocket realigned, it's easy to feel out of your depth.

The stock answer to this situation is that a woman shouldn't bother her pretty head with such matters and instead get the nearest available male to help her out. But many women either don't have vast quantities of car-savvy blokes immediately to hand or would rather be independent anyway. And these days maleness is by no means an automatic guarantee of mechanical competence.
'In the past a lot of men used to do their own maintenance and repairs, but over the last twenty years that's really dropped off,' says Steve Fowler, editor of What Car?. 'This is partly because cars are becoming more complex and partly because of the pressures of time and modern life. That means nowadays the average bloke wouldn't necessarily know any more than the average woman – though he'd probably feel he had to pretend he did. Women can actually make better car buyers because they're more pragmatic. If they're not particularly knowledgeable about cars they'll get stuck in and do the research rather than attempt to bluff their way through and that puts them in a stronger position.'

Getting up to speed on buying and running a car isn't nearly as difficult as people in the car trade and old blokes down the pub would have you believe – here are some basic guidelines to get you firmly in the driving seat.

Money and your motor
Let's say you need a new skirt and you see one for £40 and one for £70. If you go for the cheaper option you've saved £30. Unfortunately it's nowhere near as simple as that with cars. Because although a £4000 car will initially be cheaper than a £7000 one, if it needs loads of repairs, has poor fuel economy or is expensive to insure then all of a sudden it doesn't look like such a bargain. But then, some cheap cars can also be trouble-free and inexpensive to run. What's important is that you break down the different costs associated with car ownership and make decisions based on your individual needs.

For example when you're buying a car you need to look at the basic price if you're paying cash, or the basic price plus the cost of the interest payments if you're buying it with a loan or other finance agreement. And if you're planning on selling the car in a couple of years, is important to look at the depreciation (loss of value) that will have taken place by then. Some cars depreciate quite sharply whereas others, like the Mini hold their value relatively well.

Then there are the other running costs such as road tax, car insurance, breakdown cover, fuel, servicing, repairs, MOTs, trips to the carwash and maybe even the occasional parking ticket. It's a good idea to make a list and see where you can shave some money off. Shopping around for car insurance is an obvious one, as is buying the best value fuel. The website www.petrolprices.com which monitors forecourt prices around the UK can help you out here - just enter your postcode or town and the system lists the nearest filling stations and their current prices.

Repair costs can be scarily unpredictable – and sometimes very unfair. Although, broadly speaking, new and newish cars are more reliable than old bangers, it's frustrating when you've spent a sizeable chunk of your savings on a car which then keeps collapsing and demanding replacement camshafts and alternators within months of the warranty expiring whilst a friend whose elderly motor appears to be held together by string and mud sails effortlessly through its MOTs.

But one way of keeping repair costs down is by looking after your car as you would a treasured houseplant or much-loved pet. This means not skimping on services, which should be carried out at the intervals advised by the manufacturer, and performing regular maintenance checks.

Keep your Motor Running
Caring for your car doesn't mean donning greasy overalls and changing your own sparkplugs – unless that's something you're keen to have a go at, of course!
It is however vital that you check your car over regularly as it'll prevent problems and, more importantly, keep you and your family safe on the road.
Even if dealing with anything vaguely mechanical feels out of your comfort zone and you've always tended to see under the bonnet as a scary place, once you've done the checks a few times you'll be surprised at how quick and easy they actually are. You'll need your driver's manual which will give you information about the correct tyre pressures, show you the geography of what goes where under the bonnet and get you past any 'accidentally putting oil in the screenwash container' anxiety attacks.

A useful approach is to follow the POWDER sequence below about once a fortnight

P – petrol or other fuel
O – oil
W – windscreen washer, coolant and other fluid levels
D – damage to the vehicle
E - electrics (lights and battery)
R – rubber (tyres and windscreen wipers)

If you're not sure about how to do any of these checks, get an experienced friend or family member to show you. Doing the checks yourself rather than relying on the nearest available bloke is great in that it means you don't have to waste any of your valuable time on nagging, and it also helps you become more familiar with your vehicle. So if it develops any problems such as leaking fluids or making odd noises or smells then you'll be quicker to spot them and either deal with it yourself or take it to a garage.

The Girls' Guide to Garages
For overall happiness and peace of mind, having a capable, trustworthy garage on speed-dial is every bit as vital as tracking down the perfect hairdresser. But where do you find such a paragon of virtue? Personal recommendation is seen as the best way forwards, so ask around among family, friends and colleagues. If your car is still under warranty then you'll probably want to have it serviced by the franchised dealership, but charges and levels of service can vary even within the same franchise, so it's worth doing some reconnaissance on local dealerships before deciding which one to go for.

As far as independent garages go – they can be very good, very bad and all points in between. And the ways a garage can potentially rip you off are many and varied – they range from fabricating work that doesn't really need doing, to using a cheap brand of oil and charging you for the top-of-the-range variety to charging two hours labour for a job that really took them an hour. It's best to choose a garage that's a member of a trade federation such as The Retail Motor Industry Federation or The Motor Vehicles Repairers Association. Or better still, check out local garages signed up to the Motor Industry Code. This is a scheme developed by the motor industry to create a network of garages that customers can trust. Garages that join are agreeing to keep to certain standards and if you're not happy a free advice line is available. You can find details of local garages at www.motorindustrycode.co.uk or by phoning 0800 692 0825.

When using a new garage, it's a good idea to start off by having just a minor bit of work done initially, such as getting them to replace a headlight bulb or carry out a service. That way you can get a general feel for the place and suss out how friendly and reliable they are and whether they seem to be dealing fairly with you.
The garage environment can feel a bit unnerving to the uninitiated and trying to describe the precise nature of the odd clunky noise your car has been making to a bloke in a grimy overall over the background noise of someone welding and a radio playing Chris Moyles at full blast is, for most of us, a fast-track to feeling like a useless girlie. But it's important to behave confidently and not bang on about how little you know. Ask questions about what they're going to do, how much it's likely to cost and whether the charge includes VAT. When discussing prices, it's important to be aware of whether you're being given an estimate or a quote. Quotes should be supplied in writing and cover exactly what the garage plans to do, whilst estimates just give a rough cost. If possible, run this past car-savvy family, friends and colleagues to see if they nod approvingly or splutter out their coffee and squawk about how they're trying to rob you. Hopefully it'll be the former and you'll have just started a good relationship with the garage of your dreams.

Gotta New Motor?
The best time to start thinking about your next car is long before you need to buy it. If your old one has given up the ghost and you're lost without a car for work or the school run, you're not in a strong position when it comes to haggling at the showroom or shopping around for the perfect second-hand deal. Doing your research well in advance gives you time to consider your priorities, such as increased fuel economy or getting a larger car for a growing family. It's also a time when you can check out different makes of car. Many people often have loyalties towards a certain brand – it's a bit like families where they always have the same breed of dog – their much-loved Labrador or Westie passes on and after a respectful interval is replaced by another. Sometimes this is a good thing – after all, if you've always been happy with your Nissan Micra why bother to change? But when the time to get a new car comes round it is at least worth considering the options. Car manufacturers are changing all the time – Skodas used to be a bit of a joke, for example, but now they're very well-regarded. So flick through a few car magazines and maybe even test-drive a few cars you might not normally have considered. It's a bit like dating men who aren't your usual type or trying on clothes in a colour you wouldn't normally wear – sometimes you can be very pleasantly surprised!

Whether you're buying new or second-hand, one of the most important factors in getting a good deal is to do your research beforehand. This is where the internet is particularly useful – sites such as www.whatcar.com will not only give you the list price of different new and used models, but also the 'target price' – which deducts the discount you can reasonably expect to get. That means that you're not 'haggling in the dark' with a car salesman, but negotiating from a position of greater power. You can also look up the resale value of your current car, both as a trade-in or if you decide to sell it privately.


Buying from a Dealership
When you're buying a car from a dealership, it's important to bear in mind that they don't just make their money on selling cars but also on flogging finance deals, extended warranties, and making money on cars that have been traded in.

So a typical dealer strategy is to attempt to dazzle you with his generosity in one area, such as offering a decent discount on the car you're buying, while quietly stitching you up on the finance or your trade-in. However, if you've done your research beforehand and know the exact sums it'll be impossible for them to pull the wool over your eyes.

Since the credit crunch kicked in , car sales have plummeted so when it comes to haggling, remember that you're in a strong position. You can make it even stronger by going in at end of the month, or better still, the end of the quarter. Car dealers have targets to meet and if they haven't yet done so they'll be particularly keen to clinch sales at these times. And if you've got a car that's over ten years old then you might want to take advantage of the scrappage scheme. This is an arrangement whereby you get a £2000 incentive for scrapping your old car and buying a shiny new one. £1000 of this comes from the car industry and half from the government. But even if you go down this route it's still important to do your research and make sure you're getting the best possible deal and look at ways you can drive down the overall price of your car even further.


Buying Through a Private Sale
You can get a real bargain this way, but there are also far more pitfalls for the unwary. You've got very little legal comeback if the car turns out to be a complete crock, and you also need to be more vigilant about not getting landed with a stolen car. Always go to visit a private seller at their home, rather than letting them bring the car to you or meeting somewhere such as a motorway service station. And don't ever complete a sale without having all the relevant documentation such as the vehicle registration form. No matter how independent you are, it's best to bring someone else along when buying through a private sale as going for test drives or exchanging large sums of money with a complete stranger isn't a good idea.

Driving Disasters
The most important thing to remember about breakdowns is that prevention is better than cure – the more conscientious you are about checking your tyres, the less likely you are to get a puncture and avoiding overloading the battery means you're less likely to get a flat one. Join a breakdown organisation and always have a fully charged mobile phone in your car so you can summon help if needed. If you're the sort of girl who likes doing her own repairs then you'll probably feel confident changing a tyre at the side of the road. But if you're not there's no need to feel as if you're letting the suffragettes down by not having a go. For small punctures, a can of Holt's Tyreweld can save the day. It's an aerosol you squire through the tyre valve to seal the hole and inflate the tyre. It's only a temporary measure but the top speed you can go is about 50mph. But at least it can help you home or to the nearest garage.