My friend is many things. But a slave of duty is not one of them.

Take today, for example. He’s promised that we’ll go to an island I haven’t visited for more than 50 years. For me, it’s an act of pilgrimage. Even though parts of it are closed for the winter, I’m hoping it’ll reawaken happy childhood memories. I also want to commune with the ghosts of its former inhabitants.

Some say that the island was a hub of international trade more than 2,000 years ago — and since then it has certainly been the scene of prayers monastical and fights historical. But now that we’ve reached a nearby harbour town, Friend is finding all kinds of reasons to delay the final leg of our journey.

We’ve visited a botanical garden, seen Bronze Age relics and Victorian art in a local museum and now, at a statue by the Market Building, we’re paying our respects to an inventor (mother: Grace) who made more than a minor contribution to safety underground.

By the time we arrive at the approach to the island the incoming tide has made a visit impossible. “Thanks for nothing,” I growl.

But Friend is unrepentant. “I can’t help it if I’m the very model of a modern polymath,” he crows.

“A latter-day pirate more like,” I mutter. “You’ve stolen my day — again.”

At which point his eyes light up. “Yes, of course! How appropriate,” he chirps, and breaks into song. Which reminds me of another thing that Friend is not — a singer. The frogs of Aristophanes could hardly have mustered a more croaking chorus.

The questions
1. What is the name of the island?
2. What was the surname of the inventor?

The prize
The winner and guest will stay for two nights, B&B, in a Heritage room at The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa. In one of the most exuberant urban developments of Georgian England, the hotel is steeped in history and brimming with 21st-century comforts. These include its Spa & Bath House, Montagu’s Mews restaurant and 45 bedrooms and suites that match the grandeur of the setting.

From here Bath is your oyster, and with the Roman Baths nearby to deepen the sense of history — and Jane Austen views in every direction — there’s plenty to do. Once you’ve finished exploring you can return to the biggest architectural set piece of them all. For more see royalcrescent.co.uk.

The prize includes one dinner for two (excluding drinks) at Montagu’s Mews. It must be taken between January 3 and March 30, 2025, subject to availability.