We began on a whim  - and a prayer. I had spent many happy nights in farmhouse B&Bs in France, the children looked after by kindly farmers’ wives - and by their animals too - and the idea of encouraging more of this had taken root. I had even appreciated the way my errant younger son had been controlled by gentle electric shocks from the farmyard fence. And then, after running walking and cycling tours throughout France and building up a network of friends and fascinating places, I resolved in 1994 to publish a book about Special Places.

A quick cast around the office for stories linking us with the royals revealed some surprising - and, yes, sometimes tenuous - connections...

The Westleton Crown in Suffolk recently looked after Wills and Kate on their first anniversary. You can stay in the Swan Room from £90 a night.