Everyone’s favourite green-fingered national treasure talks about taking the slow road, his vintage Lagonda and why Bond makes the best soundtrack of all

Favourite road trip destination? 
I used to love driving home to Ilkley, Yorkshire, just after Alison and I got married in 1975. I was working at Kew Gardens at the time and had somehow persuaded the bank to lend me £740 to buy a brand new Mini 850. It felt like driving a sardine tin and it used to take us an eternity to get up the M1, but having my own car made me feel like a proper grownup. I can still remember the number plate.

Top of your road trip bucket list? 
Alison and I went up to the highlands of Scotland recently and it got me in the mood for the North Coast 500. I’m not a big fan of city driving but get me out on the Moors or up a mountain and I’m in my element. Even after all these years, I still point out different flowers and trees on the verges. Luckily, my wife is a very tolerant and understanding passenger. 

Ultimate travel song? 
Because I have a show on there, I usually listen to Classic FM. Occasionally, I’ll put on Radio 3… Hope I don’t get struck off for that! I also have a real soft spot for the instrumental versions of the Bond themes: something like ‘You Only Live Twice’ by the great John Barry. And before you ask, no, I have never imagined myself as 007. Well, not yet, anyway. 

Most dramatic road trip story? 
Ah, now it depends on what you mean by dramatic. No high-speed chases, no Formula 1 test drives, but I am always overcome by a sense of joy when I’m driving down the road from Chesterfield towards Chatsworth and the Derbyshire Dales. It’s like the landscape is wrapping its arms around you and giving you a cuddle. 

Your three packing essentials? 
A Panama hat. Sadly, I think my hair is finally thinning at the crown. A well-stocked e-reader. I’m a book man at home, but I read so many that I’d have to check them in as excess baggage. And my trusty Skechers slip-ons for comfortable afternoon walks.

What’s your dream car, and where are you driving it?
I’ve always been a vintage car fan and I’m currently driving a 1934 Lagonda M45, which is certainly ‘one’ of my dream cars. And the road? The Grande Corniche on the French Riviera. Me in sunglasses and a cravat, Alison in a Grace Kelly headscarf. The Lagonda isn’t an easy drive, but it doesn’t bother me. I like cars that challenge you. 

Do you think you’re a good traveller?
I’m OK, I suppose. Modern travel can be a bit full-on. Everybody trying to get to their destination in the shortest time possible. I prefer to sit back and enjoy the journey, which is probably why I miss steam trains. When I’m working in my office at home, I sometimes listen to recordings of the old engines... so evocative and so romantic.

Craziest travel experience to date?
I don’t know if I’d call it “crazy”, but the first time I went abroad in 1969 is something I’ll never forget. Aged 20, I persuaded Mum, Dad and my sister to join me for a week in Mallorca. This was my first glimpse of the big world out there... the blue skies, the food, the sounds. I remember my dad looking out across the Mediterranean and saying, “Well, it makes a change from Bispham!”

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?
I love the south of France. My daughter’s got a place down there. It’s warm enough to grow a different range of Mediterranean plants, but not too hot to be uncomfortable – most of the time. There are other reasons, of course. The wine and the cheese. And the pâtisseries! 

Alan Titchmarsh MBE teams up with composer Debbie Wiseman OBE for Jack Frost – A Winter Story, with story, lyrics and narration by Alan Titchmarsh. Out 22 November.

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This article has been tagged Adventure, Driving