A drive to the coast across the North York Moors is not complete without a glance at RAF Fylingdales, a quick wonder what it's like before a shrug of the shoulders and carrying on.

But earlier this year I was to try the atmosphere inside and find out how thick a cloak of secrecy it operates under.

After travelling more than half-a-mile before reaching the first checkpoint, a policeman stared at my ID before waving me through and telling me not to activate any automatic door locks on my car.

It is not advanced enough to boast such luxuries, but apparently Fylingdales' radar equipment sends them haywire.

Next was a safety briefing, before being guided inside by the station commander, Wing Commander Chris Romney.

Wng Cdr Romney came across as a friendly and helpful man, who is proud of the base and the work he does there. He was happy to take any questions, but refused some and never entirely dropped his guard.

Seeing the interior first hand is something of an anti-climax, as it nearly always is when you've created an image of something or someone in your mind before seeing the real thing.

There is a collection of buildings, all of which look similar. They include the base headquarters, a fire station, communication and supply buildings, a powerhouse and the messes. There is also a gym and a football pitch. You can drive around the inside of the wire in just a few minutes.

Towering above it all though is the pyramid, or SSPAR - Solid State Phased Array Radar - which is where Fylingdales' work is done.

The entrance to the SSPAR is bleak. A guard sits in a sealed box in a plain concrete entrance hall, swaps one piece of ID for another then releases a door lock.

But once you are through it is like being in a warm block of flats, with less doors and no windows.

The lack of decoration makes it feel like you are permanently in an immaculately clean stairwell.

The rooms which the radar walls back on to - at the top of the SSPAR - are hot and loud, containing only banks of computer equipment.

Downstairs is the operations room, where the five RAF staff keep a constant eye on their screens, and, if necessary, report to those "on high" in the UK and US.

Some of their equipment did not appear as high-tech as you might think, with green screens and computers that resembled those of the 1980s.

A quick demonstration soon showed it did the job though, with an electronic test "missile" being sighted and reported in just 31 seconds.

The base's visitor room is warm, well equipped and friendly. During the summer months people regularly tour the base, are shown an informative video and can ask any questions they want.

For me, the place has lost a lot of its mystique - but that is only because I've been inside. Because many North Yorkshire residents have not, and the nature of Fylingdales' work, it is unlikely the base will ever shed it's shadowy image.

Updated: 16:48 Thursday, February 07, 2002