'The Cow and Calf is 10 minutes from my front gate - the view is simply exhilarating'

My parents always used to take me to as many of the smaller county shows as they could, so I grew up loving the atmosphere of places like Otley, Nidderdale, and so many more. It was a wonderful atmosphere – the people, the showground, the animals, the characters and the huge steam engines.

What’s your favourite part of the county?

The Dales, because two things that I love are walking and cycling. I did the Three Peaks fundraising for charity, and I didn’t do any proper training for it, so I was exhausted when I finished, but finish I did. Coverdale is pretty special for me, you see that landscape, and it is so completely restorative.

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

It’s going to be festival-related, that’s for sure. I think that the first time I went to anything, it was to the Royal Hall in Harrogate, in about 1978 and it started my love of music. People come from all over the world to attend our festivals and events, which shows you what an international presence Harrogate has.

Do you have a favourite view?

I can go down our path and through the gate, and within ten minutes I am standing atop the Cow and Calf, behind Ilkley, and I can look over Yorkshire and, to me, the world. Simply exhilarating.

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

It would be fun to sit those wonderful cyclists Lizzie Deignan and Beryl Burton down at a table together, and hear them talk about their sport and achievements. They have inspired women cyclists to get out there and compete, as well as just to enjoy the activity and the companionship of it all. Me among them.

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

For one of our past Festivals, we were lucky enough for Jodie Whittaker to come as a guest, and it was at the time of the Broadchurch series. She was delightful, charming, witty, a lot of fun, and genuinely supportive. She has a remarkable talent and, of course, she was the first female Dr. Who.

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

The Harrogate Club, which was founded in 1857, only 20 years into Victoria’s reign. It’s in Victoria Avenue, and is a beautiful gem of a place and run by a team of volunteers. It’s warm, and welcoming, and I have the honour of being the first female President, elected last year. All sorts of major names have visited, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle being just one.

If you could own one thing in Yorkshire for a day, what would it be?

The Flying Scotsman. I would love to have her transported to the North York Moors Railway, with carriages and a proper dining saloon and catering services, and to progress slowly though that astonishing landscape in the company of family and friends – tasty food, admirable people – marvelling at the engineering wonder of a bygone age.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

The people, their grit and determination, their sense of humour, warmth, and strength. Plus, the landscape. Put all that in one bundle, and it is simply world-beating.

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

Scott and I do a lot of cycling together – and I mean together, because we own a tandem. So, all the Yorkshire cycling events of recent years have been of great interest, especially one which went through Otley, when I was up on the Cow and Calf watching it unfold below.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

It’s the Drum and Monkey in Harrogate. Sarah Carter and her family run it, and do it so very well. It’s nothing short of top notch.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

Fodder is one of the best agricultural food halls in Yorkshire, and we love it, but I also have to praise our county branches of Booths, the family-run supermarket chain. Nothing is too much for their staff.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it?

For the better, because we are in a county where people roll their sleeves up, and get on with it, and I’ve never known a place with so many dedicated volunteers, with so many levels of expertise. Those people make an enormous difference.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

Liz and Terry Bramhall, their support of the arts and all sorts of activities across Yorkshire is unrivalled. They are an unassuming, lovely couple, great benefactors, and the debt of gratitude that we owe them is immense.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

I am, always have been, and always will be, rooted in Yorkshire, and it has totally shaped my life, both personally and professionally. I’ve loved every second of what I’ve done and, here’s the confession, it never ever felt at all like “work.”

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

The Black Dyke Band. My dear friend Roger Harvey (of Harvey’s of Halifax) took me to one of their concerts, and I was instantly hooked.

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

Harrogate. Vibrant, lots of do and see, an amazing hospitality scene. It’s full of charm, and Yorkshire in a nutshell.

Harrogate Music Festival runs until Friday, July 11, The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival runs from 17 – 20 July, and Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival is from October 9-19. harrogateinternationalfestivals.com