Good Morning Britain host Richard Arnold rides into the Texas Wild West
There's a part of Texas that is a lot smaller than you expect - the Alamo, gateway to the Wild West in San Antonio and the final stop on my solo road trip
THERE'S a part of Texas that is a lot smaller than you expect.
The Alamo, gateway to the Wild West in San Antonio and the final stop on my solo road trip. Breaking me in on a dude ranch before hitting the more sophisticated San Antonio was going to be a leap of faith.
But I headed to Hill Country to saddle up with the rest of the buckaroos in Bandera, a town of 900 people and self-proclaimed Cowboy Capital of The World.
Home for the night was the vast Silver Spurs Ranch and the ideal spot to banish my showbiz persona and blend in with the lads, all Blazing Saddles.
Popping on an ill-fitting Stetson plundered from the walls of the ranch, I suppressed my urge to do a Doris Day-style "Whip Crack Away" and hit the stables.
I looked more like Windy Miller than John Wayne but my emasculation was complete when I was helped into the saddle of Diesel by one of the ranch's resident "dudes", an archetypal Marlboro Man from North Texas.
A spectacular hour later, we returned to the ranch chafed but unscathed.
After lunch, I broke free from the reins at the Silver Spurs to hit Bandera central, ferreting through the tiny town's kitsch junk shops on the way to the 11th Street cowboy bar.
By now my mouth was as dry as armadillo roadkill and this watering hole, with Harley-Davidsons alongside tethered horses looked to be the stuff of dreams. It did not disappoint.
I'm a country music addict, the more pitiful the song the better, so imagine the twitch in my hip when I walked bandy-legged into that bar to find a good oldfashioned hoedown.
Back at the ranch at twilight, me and five other guests armed with tipples from the honesty bar fed the longhorn cattle.
Later that night the toasted "S'mores" (marshmallows) around the campfire were totally addictive, with the sugar rush fuelling ghost stories late into the evening. At the break of dawn, rested despite the odd night terror, I headed back to polite society, San Antonio, and all its promising sights.
No trip would be complete without a cruise or a promenade along the city's famous River Walk, and a visit to The Alamo Mission to learn about the Texas Revolution and the 13-day siege back in 1836 that sparked a thousand TV and movie reels.
I stayed at Hotel Emma, a newly converted brewery right on the edge of the River Walk.
The world class service, plush accommodation and buzzing bar and restaurants were rivalled only by Emma's location.
It is bang in the centre of fantastic bars and cocktail joints frequented by residents in droves at the weekends, taking advantage of the Saturday and Sunday farmers' markets. From brunch to "drunch" you only have to walk a few hundred yards. With the pound down against the dollar, you'll still get plenty of bang for your buck here.
And during my fortnight sweating in the Texan heat, I ate only one steak such was the choice of grub on offer. It's also the only place in the US I've been collared by the CIA (the Culinary Institute of America) at a Peruvian Asian fusion night at the phenomenal (opposite Hotel Emma) on, of all days, Peruvian Independence Day. Get yourself to Boudro's Texas Bistro, "the guac on the walk", for the best smashed avocado on the river or head to Bar, another ideal pit stop on the river walk where I knocked back a bottle of bubbles opened with a sabre.
Other must eats: Cured, a carnivore's heaven; Down On Grayson, a hotspot for brunch and Gloria's boasts the best Tex Mex.
Rebelle down town, meanwhile, is worth putting on your best bib and tucker for. Wherever you choose to nosh, there's no bad news.
Surprisingly to me, San Antonio, I was told by a local, used to have the reputation of being the unsung middle child of Texas.
Not any more. I'll be back next year, only this time I'm packing leathers and some saddle soap.
GO: TEXAS, USA
GETTING THERE: British Airways flies daily from Heathrow to Dallas, with onward connections with American Airlines to San Antonio. Prices start from £596 return (if booked before January 31). Visit or call 0344 493 0787.
STAYING THERE: Silver Spur Ranch has rooms from £70 per night. See silverspur-ranch.com. The Hotel Emma has rooms from £240 per night. See .
MORE INFO: See .