Land of the vampires is tasty treat

THE sun was blazing. The mountains shone like glass. Steam rose from the sprawling pine forest like smoke from a bonfire.

"Sorry about the weather," cringed Travis. "Not great for vampires."

Anywhere else on the planet, this would be an ideal holiday climate. But Forks isn't like anywhere else on the planet.

This remote American town is now one of the hottest new holiday destinations, and in case you've been living in a no-vampire zone for the last few years, here's a quick primer.

Forks, population 3,120, is a small logging town in Washington State and one of the remotest parts of mainland USA.

The nearest Wal-Mart is 65 miles away. (To put this in perspective, outer space is only 62 miles away.)

Until recently, the only attraction was Forks Timber Museum and the tourist industry was literally dead wood.

Then a woman from Arizona called Stephenie Meyer started writing a book about sexy teenage vampires called Twilight. She set it in Forks, the rainiest place in the U.S. so her vampires could live there (they don't like the sun, y'see). The rest is history. Book sales went ballistic and the second Twilight movie, New Moon, is released here on November 20.

Fans who visit Forks - 16,000 in the last month from as far afield as Japan and Australia - love it when the sky is a drizzly grey.

The weather, however, was glorious for me. But despite this setback, my guide Travis ushered me aboard the Dazzled By Twilight bus for a trip round the famous sites from the Twilight series.

"Ooh, look at me. I'm feeling so dazzled," sniped a gloomy-looking teenage boy with pink hair as he sloped past the tour centre.

"Harry Potter fan," shrugged Travis. "What ya gonna do? Let's go."

Just over a year ago, the Dazzled By Twilight tour company didn't exist. Then Twilight fan and mum-of-five Annette Root visited Forks and was disappointed the town didn't cater to vampire-lovers. So she opened a store on the town's main - all right, only - shopping street selling Twilight memorabilia.

Thirteen months later, and her annual turnover tops $1million (£600,000). She now has THREE shops, complete with cardboard cut-outs of the films' stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, plus the bus tours.

I went on the Volturi Tour which was professional, fun, and thorough. I saw the Cullens' house, Bella Swan's house, the police station where her dad works (a normal police station) and the hospital where Dr Cullen works (a normal hospital).

"About a year ago, some fans broke into Bella's house and the owner found them standing in the kitchen," says Travis. "They just wanted to see Bella's kitchen.

"Some of the older girls have been known to flash the local policemen, just to get an indecent exposure fine in Forks. Then they keep the ticket - like a souvenir money can't buy."

The tour ends in La Push, the Quileute Native American village where much of the movie takes place. I checked into the Quileute Oceanside Resort, where I was lucky enough to have a room overlooking the stunning First Beach, where Bella first learns of the Cullen family's history.

There's a lot more to Washington State than Twilight, of course. I flew to Seattle with IcelandAir, who have just started routes from London via Reykjavik, kitting out their plans with a fancy new entertainment system.

For a small city (it's only the 25th largest in the US), Seattle's got a ridiculous amount of things to do, from the monorail to the famous Space Needle, to underground tours of the old city.

There's also a near-endless supply of gorgeous coffee shops, including the world's first Starbucks and the much cooler Elliott Bay Cafe, the model for Cafe Nervosa in everyone's favourite snob-com Frasier.

Near the Needle is music-and- movie-geek heaven, the Frank Gehry-designed Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum. It's got everything from the original Star Wars light sabres to a huge collection of Jimi Hendrix's guitars, both smashed and whole.

There's also the world-famous Pike Place Market, where you can browse endless stalls for goodies and watch fishermen hurl massive Alaskan salmon through the air.

I stayed at the plush Inn At The Market with stunning views of the Puget Sound and not far from Bacco, a damn good coffee shop. The best meal I had was a four- course set menu at the Edgewater Hotel on Pier 67. It showed off the best of Washington's food - the local beef is exceptional.

The drive to Forks takes you across the Sound on the Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island where you can drive round the Olympic Peninsula. The scenery's stunning as the mountains and water open up like a massive pop-up book.

Port Townsend, a genteel, Victorian seaport, is worth a visit. Over 18s can pop to the Olympic Cellars, a local winery which has started producing a Twilight-themed plonk. It's blood-red of course.

Further round the peninsula, I drove up to Hurricane Ridge, a mountaintop lookout point that offers incredible views across the Cullens' hunting range (they're "vegetarian" vampires, which means they only eat wild animals).

Then there is Port Angeles. Twi-hards will already know this as the little town where Bella and Edward had their first date - but apparently Bella's been into pretty much every shop in town. At the local cinema, "Bella watched a movie here!" At five clothes shops, "Bella bought her prom dress!" The one place with a PROPER Twilight claim to fame, though, is Bella Italia. This small Italian restaurant was where Bella and Edward ate mushroom ravioli. Now it sells about 50 portions a day. Make that 51. It's delicious.

Beyond Port Angeles there's Forks, of course, but there's also lots more nearby.

The Hoh Rainforest offers vampire-free activities. The Hall of Mosses is a mile-long trail into the forest and you can also take a rafting trip down the Hoh River with Rainforest Paddlers and spot the local wildlife. I saw otters, salmon and a majestic bald eagle.

And past the spectacular Ruby Beach there's also historic Lake Quinault Lodge, where in the days of Prohibition rich guests quaffed contraband gin. Now it's a tranquil family getaway for cycling, fishing, walking, or boat trips.

So that's Forks, folks. Much more than just Twilight, of course, but whether you're a fan or not it's a great holiday destination.

If the weather's fine, breathe in the freshest air you can imagine in some of the most beautiful places you've ever seen. If the weather's cr*p do exactly the same thing, but it's safe for vampires too.

ICELANDAIR fly to Seattle four times a week with return fares from £520. See www.icelandair.co.uk

Alamo car hire from £24 a day or £140 for seven days. See www. alamo.co.uk or call 0870 400 4596.

For a free visitors' information guide to Seattle and Washington State contact Washington State Tourism on 020 7978 5233 or check out www. visitseattle.org and www. experiencewashington.com

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