We sail north for 1500 miles to the nearest inhabited island to Tristan De Cunha. It takes three days and it would have been very easy to miss it. St Helena is another tiny island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean.

And of course it is one more little pink dot on the map. Another tiny island in the middle of nowhere that only the British want. They seem to collect them like people collect seashells, put them on their window ledge and leave them there for ever.

As we sail into Jamestown, the capital, it really does look like Britain has scored at last. Definitely more appealing than Tristan Da Cunha, which is good as we are going to be here for two days

And compared to Tristan Da Cunha, St Helena is a bustling community with 3700 inhabitants, although that number is decreasing rapidly for all the usual reasons.

There is a ferry in the harbor, although considering where we are, I have no idea where the ferryman expects to take you, and he certainly isn’t expecting any passengers

But I am getting ahead of myself. To understand more about this island, we have to go back to 1815, the year that Napoleon Bonaparte was captured by the British.

Napoleon knew the British would hold him in exile. He imagined he was going to the United States. But the British had other ideas. They owned a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic, more than 1500 miles from the nearest mainland. About as remote a spot as you could imagine and the perfect place to imprison Napoleon who had already escaped from their clutches once.

More than two hundred years later the island of St Helena is still making the most of it. Napoleon has put the island on the map and they don’t want you to forget it.

Napoleon’s jail was Longwood House, situated on top of a hill in the middle of the island.

It is certainly the most spacious and the most comfortable jail I have ever seen, not that I have seen many! But dear readers, as you well know, having very little knowledge about a subject has never stopped me from voicing an opinion.

However comfortable his jail looked to others, Napoleon wasn’t happy. He complained that it was cold, uninviting and infested with rats. I hardly think he was in a position to make a fuss.

Today it is cherished by the island and has been turned into a major tourist attraction. It is now considered to be the most poignant of all the Napoleonic Museums, and certainly has been made to look like a rather comfortable home instead of a jail.

The furniture is all original, and although his bed is a little small it certainly bears no resemblance to what we all know a jail bed should look like

And have you ever heard of a prisoner having a dining table that can easily seat 10?.

Outside, Napoleon took a special interest in the gardens. He asked the guards to help him extend them. He did none of the work, he was Napoleon after all, but he loved to draw up the plans. Under his supervision the gardens got bigger and bigger and somehow he persuaded the guards to do all the work.

Even in jail he was in command, and his plan worked. He managed a little privacy for himself by keeping the guards occupied as far away from the house as possible

He was held captive here for 6 years until he died in 1821. He had hoped to be buried back in France, but when he realised this was not going to be allowed he asked that his grave be at his favorite spot on the island, a quiet valley where he was sometimes allowed to go for a walk. It is not hard to see why he loved it so

Plus, it’s a tomb with a view

Even the long walk down to the tomb is lovely

The island is only 10 miles by 6, but it is full of lovely spots like this. The cliffs are often barren but still striking

while the interior is mountainous, green and lush

Jamestown looks so appealing from the top of the mountain

It is a beautiful little town with its Georgian architecture and ornate iron balconies

And even here, Napoleon waits to greet you

from the balcony of the Consulate Hotel

We have fallen in love with St Helena and the Fabulosity Meter has been making a lot of noise all day.