'I moved to Yorkshire and live in Whitby - the town has something special about it'

My dad is from North Yorkshire, he grew up on the moors, and I remember early starts for long drives to see my Grandad who lived just outside Richmond.

German shepherd dog and cases in the boot of the car, my nan (from my mum's side) sat in the back with my brother and I, and the thrill when we took a left at Scotch Corner because it meant we were nearly there.

What’s your favourite part of the county?

Whitby has something special about it. I've heard people talk about landscapes that allow you to see a fuzzy gap between heaven and earth.

I'd be happy to believe that stood up at the ruins of the Abbey as the sun goes down and the wind has died away. I also love how Whitby is a linchpin between the sea and the moor.

What’s your idea of a perfect day out in Yorkshire?

Get up and walk from Whitby to Sandsend when the tide is out.

Have a big breakfast in Sandsend Cafe, then walk back to Whitby, or, pop to Ruswarp to hire a kayak and paddle along the river, where you can see a kingfisher.

In the evening, a drink in Beer O'Clock, or a cocktail at Moon and Sixpence, and dinner at the Fisherman's Wife before another walk along the coast and home.

Do you have a favourite walk?

We have a Norfolk Terrier and every morning we walk to the whalebones in Whitby to watch the sun come out over the town.

A circular walk from Egton to Egton Bridge and back via the stepping stones is fun, less than four miles, seems uphill going and coming back, but you walk across fields, woodlands, then cross the river, so it has a good mixture.

The walk from Whitby to Robin Hoods Bay along the coast is memorable - high cliffs you can tumble over, wind so violent it will turn your face red and makes it near impossible to go forward with any momentum.

Which Yorkshire sportsperson, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?

Ellie Kildunne? Kevin Sinfield? Zoe Aldcroft? They'd all be very different to take to lunch.

You would want to know how they got so powerful, dynamic and skilful, and how interesting it will make rugby union as other nations grow and improve too.

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner?

Amy Gledhill, the stand-up from Hull who does brilliant Edinburgh shows as part of The Delightful Sausage. She's just so funny. She won best show for her solo work at Edinburgh and is on the new Taskmaster series.

If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be?

Just going to the dark skies on the moors near Danby or Boggle Hole, getting out of the car and just looking up is breathtaking. How busy the sky is with stars.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

People are used to having to make their own opportunities. They can be freelance or start a business and this is seen as a good thing, or even a normal thing, to go out and create.

I like that drive. I like being around people who make things happen.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?

We go to Whitby Town football club as often as possible when they play at home. I am heading to York to see the rugby league soon - great to have this on the doorstep now, from Whitby.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

Ditto in Whitby has fantastic food, as does The Homestead in Goathland. The Yorkshire tapas at the Black Horse is fun too - fish, potatoes, and good booze.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

For cafe's I visit Becketts and Jet Black Jewel on Skinner Street in Whitby every week for coffee or a late breakfast. I think the dog would suggest the Dog Bakery on Flowergate.

If you could choose something in Yorkshire to own for a day, what would it be?

I don't need to own more stuff, not even for a day, but The Yorkshire Three Peaks.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

My tutor Annie Castledine. She was a theatre director and mentored so many people.

In return she got so much energy and stayed sharp in her thinking by engaging so positively with those she shared her knowledge with.

They said she should have been running the National Theatre, but was too radical a thinker.

She set high standards, was so detailed and unliteral in her work, and comfortable enough in herself to come up against the limits of her own thinking and experience.

I try to do the same in my own topiary work, and when I teach.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Absolutely. Because I want to travel less, and be here at home on the coast more, I am now focusing more on teaching topiary, pruning and gardening here in Whitby where I have set up a space for people to learn.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

I'm reading a lot of Margaret Drabble at the moment, working my way through her novels. Mostly because they are brilliant, but also because her son is Joe Swift, the garden designer and TV presenter.

I used to travel around doing talks at garden shows, and I was Joe Swift's warm-up act, watched by three people in a tent, before 4,000 folk would walk in to hear Joe.

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, where should it be?

The coast - Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, Sandsend - because you get to drive through all the other lovely parts to get here, and be rewarded at the end by getting out of the car by that beautiful sea.