Heaven & Hell an interview with Colin Dexter conducted by
Clare Thomson Great Holidays … Which was your best holiday?
Going to Greece for the first time with my family. We took a coach tour which started in Athens and then took in all the great sites – Delphi, Olympia and Meteora. I’d spent all my life with the classics yet never been to Greece. And the best hotel you’ve stayed in?
The most memorable was the Algonquin in New York because of all its literary associations. The lift took 25 minutes to arrive so everyone had time to think of a few new plots. What do you need for a perfect holiday?
People are more important to me than places so I need my wife to look after me, and the sight of my own family enjoying themselves. What do you always take with you?
A pair of nail scissors because I find dirty hands and grimy fingernails objectionable. Scissors are also useful for opening the interminable sachets in hotel bedrooms. I’ve been a diabetic for the past 20 years so I also have to take insulin, needles and pills, as well as my hearing aid. What’s your best piece of travel advice?
The night before you leave, lay out the irreducible minimum of hankies, socks, shirts and underpants and then religiously take half of them and put them back in the cupboards. I’d rather not take enough than take too much. Where do you want to go next?
I still have an itch to see the place I read about when I was a boy – Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara. I’m a great Kipling fan and I’ve never been to India. I would like to go to the North-West Frontier in Pakistan and retrace his steps. … and disasters Which was your worst holiday?
We used to go to North Wales quite a bit with our two children. In 1972 we stayed in a guest house and it was tipping with rain. Everybody wanted to go home. I went off and started writing what became the first Inspector Morse novel. And the worst experience on holiday?
The journey to Luton airport before our flight to Greece was absolutely nerve-racking. At about 04.30 our new car conked out in the middle of nowhere. Luckily the aeroplane was delayed so we still made the flight. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?
Once I forgot to pack my insulin but fortunately I was able to buy it at the other end. Which is the worst hotel you’ve ever stayed in?
A hotel we stayed at in France four years ago. It was at the foot of the Pyrenees, it was very, very hot and there were an awful lot of flies. What do you avoid on holiday?
I try to avoid the county set from the local Conservative club – the sort of people who read The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail every day while on holiday. What do you hate about holidays?
Very early starts. (article reproduced with kind permission of The Daily Telegraph) | 
