The Hound of the Baskervilles

Singer songwriter Craig David walked on to the stage at Hay Festival to rapturous applause from his young fans, and many not so young.
 
 Here I have a confession to make I had never heard of him, and I had stumbled across this event thanks to the system they have here of unwanted tickets left for anyone to pick up. And I picked one up.
 
That’s one of the attractions of Hay. You find yourself exposed to aspects of culture you would never normally encounter.
Several young people assured me Craig David (see extra) is big news in the world of pop.
 Sure enough a quick search on Google revealed he is Britain’s most famous and well-loved British songwriter with handfuls of awards to his name and an MBE.
 
Even I could see this young man had enormous charm and charisma, so much so I was tempted to buy his book ,”You Know What”, except today it’s been perishingly cold here and  I couldn’t wait to get home to the Baskerville Hall hotel.
 
Yes, we are back for two nights at this 18th century pile, a grand mansion the kind that the English do so well. It inspired a frequent visitor to the house ,thriller writer Arthur Conon Doyle, to write his iconic book The Hound of the Baskervilles. 
 
There is another reason too that draws us back. The place is cheap and anything cheap within a radius of 20 miles of Hay is a bargain.