Linda Barker interview: ‘I borrowed a superyacht from the sofa king’ (2024)

The first time I ever came across sugar lumps was at the Watersmeet Hotel in Woolacombe, north Devon, where we’d take a tray of afternoon tea to the lawn or the nearby beach. There was bread and butter, and strawberry jam — and I always remember having tea with sugar lumps.

We went every year, for two weeks in August, arriving at lunchtime after an epic drive from Yorkshire. At 4am we’d pile into my dad’s Jag; my three sisters, my brother, my parents both smoking, no seatbelts, and a big bowl for the sick.

Devon was amazing. We’d be in our cossies all day on the beach, swimming, building sandcastles, looking for shells or pony trekking. It was magical.

When we were of a certain age, we were allowed to dress up and go for dinner in the evening. The hotel had silver service, so it was like: “Oh my gosh!” It was so sophisticated.

At 15 we switched Devon for Spain, and later Greece. We’d wander around to get a flavour of where we were, but really it was about the tan. My Grandma Sutcliffe told me to use oil and vinegar on my skin. She was glamorous with a nice glow to her face from positioning tin foil round her head. These days I stay out of the sun, but Ambre Solaire is a wonderful, evocative scent, even now.

Youth hostelling with girlfriends gave me a sense of freedom. At 17, four or five of us caught a coach to the Lake District without a backpack or walking boots. We were vastly unprepared for a walking holiday, but it was an adventure. Holidays like that were about learning to be an adult.

Just before I turned 18, I went camping in France with my first boyfriend. We lived on French bread, cheese, pâté, and cheap beer and wine. What’s not to like? I went back with my second boyfriend, on his massive motorbike. That was great! I loved the idea that you could just get on a bike and be in another country. It gave me a sense of complete and utter joy.

I learnt to scuba dive in Mexico. That was 12 years ago, with my husband Chris and our daughter Jess. I don’t often do long haul, but it was a special trip because Jess was off to university. I thought it might be our last family holiday and the three of us did our Padi diving certification.

We stayed in a guesthouse in Oaxaca, so we felt more connected to the Mexican way of life, then near Tulum we stayed in an eco-lodge that looked like a treehouse. It was beautiful and off-grid, with intermittent electricity generated by a wind turbine. We ate at a central lodge, overlooking the sea, and it was lovely being immersed in nature.

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As a guest on a superyacht, I experienced an eye-opening level of luxury. I’ve worked for the furniture retailer DFS, and, the company founder, Lord Kirkham lent me his boat. He said: “It’s yours — take who you want!” The entire boat was for me and my guests.

There were ten of us, outnumbered by staff, on holidays in Sardinia and the south of France. That was eight or ten years ago and we were so well looked after. The boat had a hot tub, crystal glasses, and a modern art collection that included a Damien Hirst. The bedrooms had the best linen, and the sunbeds were laid out with perfect towels and the best sun cream. We swam around the boat while the chef barbecued seafood.

I’ve always been up for long-distance walking and in 2019 my niece inspired me to do the Camino pilgrims’ walk to Santiago de Compostela in the northwest of Spain. I spent a week or so walking it with a girlfriend, just after Easter. It’s a well-trodden path, and as you pass through the villages, everybody says, “Bon Camino!” to wish you well on your walk. I’m not religious as such, but everybody being on a journey towards one destination is wonderful.

I did the Camino again last year, this time walking towards Santiago from Portugal. I went with former colleagues and we walked at our own pace. It’s a time for reflection and meeting interesting people. I stayed in hostels, B&Bs and small hotels along the route, and a travel company moved my luggage on.

I’d love to do it again as a proper pilgrim, walking for a month with my kit on my back, finding a bed wherever I end up.

The interior designer Linda Barker is best known for her work on Changing Rooms and 60 Minute Makeover as well as competing on Celebrity MasterChef and I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! Linda’s new menopause series Changing Wombs is available online via Essity at youtube.com/Essity

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