Adventures with Agatha
Take a leaf out of the famed crime writer’s book and check into this unique Devon bolthole on its own private island
On a dark and stormy afternoon, I arrive at BigburyonSea, in south Devon. Lights twinkle enticingly at the Burgh Island Hotel, serene as a 1920s ocean liner in the distance. It feels both romantic and menacing — a perfect location for a murder mystery.
Agatha Christie certainly thought so. She was inspired to write Evil Under The Sun at this hotel, in a cottage perched above the waves (today, the most sought-after room).
The story was later filmed at Burgh, and anyone who saw the 2001 television version, starring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, would recognise the setting.
‘Hastings!’ exclaimed Poirot to his sidekick on arrival, his moustache quivering in dismay. ‘The hotel, it is on an island!’
In truth, Burgh is only a part-time island, accessible via a causeway at low tide. But, as the tide rises, waves gradually engulf the sand. at high tide, a ‘sea tractor’ — the towering Heath Robinson contraption that Poirot and Hastings were seen to board — ferries guests across.
Due to high winds, it is not operating during my stay (shortly before this current lockdown) — which means that, for half of each day, I am cut off from the world.
The seclusion only adds to the romance, as I sit in the bar beneath the art deco glass dome sipping Seaside Martinis (rock sea salt vodka and samphire), before dining on local oysters and lobster, while the waves crash over rocks all around. It’s like being at sea, without the attendant discomfort — an impression enhanced by the curious addition, to the facade, of the entire Captain’s cabin from HMS Ganges: an 1821 gun- ship that was broken up in Plymouth in the 1930s.
And although the art deco furnishings remain as in the film, both the interior and — as Poirot and fellow gastronomes will be delighted to learn — the cuisine, have benefited from a considerable makeover.
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five-course dinner in the decadent Grand Ballroom (with guests in obligatory black tie) is sumptuous — and can, on special Murder Mystery weekends, be enjoyed while actors stage a whodunit around you.
But it doesn’t all have to be fine dining. The best fish and chips I have ever had is at the island’s Pilchard Inn — dating from 1336, the haunt of pirates during the 18th century, and still well-stocked with rum.
a stuffed parrot presides over this tiny wood-panelled venue — the bird apparently belonged to the notorious pirate Tom Crocker, whose real-life treasure- cave is central to Christie’s plot.
Exploring Devon’s food and drink scene can easily become a full-time occupation — ‘seasonal and local’ applying to more than the famous crab.
Back on the mainland, a gusty cliff walk leads to more excellent pub grub at the 13th- century Journey’s End. In Totnes, after a morning exploring quirky boutiques, I lunch at The Bull — a fully sustainable and industrial- chic inn, serving creative, Lebanese-tinged cuisine.
at the beautiful Sharpham Estate I taste their wines and cheeses, on the banks of the Dart. and I lunch on creative contemporary fare at The Box Kitchen — the restaurant of Plymouth’s brand- new Maritime Museum.
Curiosity about HMS Ganges takes me to The Box, whose many exhibits include souvenirs made from that warship’s timber.
The museum houses innovative displays of Plymouth’s illustrious naval history, and includes objects from 400 years of exploration, since Francis Drake.
The 400th anniversary of the Mayflower is also marked with a wall of photographs containing plentiful surprises. Who knew that actor Benedict Cumberbatch and astronaut alan Shepard are among the 30 million descendents of those early settlers?
There is another link with the hotel that I am keen to visit. although agatha Christie was a regular guest at Burgh Island, she had a holiday retreat, just an hour’s drive away. Set in gorgeous gardens above the Dart estuary, Greenway is crammed with books and some 12,000 artefacts, many acquired on her travels with her second husband, Max Mallowan.
From a Zanzibar trunk (referenced in The Mystery Of The Baghdad Chest) to the picturesque Boathouse where Marlene Tucker was strangled (in the same book), Greenway offers a fascinating glimpse into the author’s world.
Legend has it she would read her latest manuscript to her family, by the fireside, while Max nodded off, only to wake up . . . and announce the identity of the killer.
I won’t divulge the culprit(s) in Evil Under The Sun. But fans of Christie and her indomitable Poirot would have fun following the clues around Burgh Island. Or, like me, simply enjoy the dramatic natural setting that inspired the Queen of Crime, and relive the stylish atmosphere of a bygone age.
TRAVEL FACTS
DOUBLE rooms at Burgh Island from £515, dinner, B&B, burghisland.com, 01548 810 514. The next Murder Mystery event is on November 5-6.