I associate Martha’s Vineyard with the rich and famous. It is the place they retreat to in the summer. I had no idea that it once had a thriving whaling industry. As we travelled across on the ferry I was not quite sure what to expect. I had read that the regular population of some 16,500 increases to around 100,000 in the summer, so I had a notion that the island would be “touristy” and geared to visitors. As soon as we landed at Oak Bluffs we boarded a coach for a tour of the Island. Our only sights of the “rich and famous” as we drove through the countryside were the gates to their vast estates. The towns were quaint and picturesque – plenty to see and to photograph. I think the thing that impressed me most were the displays of hostas in the flower beds – plants unblemished by the ravages of slugs. What was their secret? My gardening friend in the UK despairs of success as slugs shred his plants no matter what precautions he takes.

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