One of the most spectacular sporting events on the world’s horse racing calendar is the Grand National at Aintree near Liverpool, North West England.

Jumping some 30 fences over a four and a half mile course, the Grand National is indeed tough!

This year, the event will take place at 4.15 in the afternoon of Saturday 10th April with the final declarations being made by 10am on 8th April.  One hundred eleven horses were originally submitted to run, but that has already been reduced to 98 – and anything could happen between now and the 10th!

The winner of the Grand National 2009 was Mon Mome ridden by L Treadwell at odds of 100/1. Such odds were last matched by Foinavon ridden by J Buckingham in 1967, which really goes to show that you can’t always forecast a winner!  The most famous winner has to be Red Rum who won three times, ridden by Brian Fletcher in 1973 and 1974, then Tommy Stack in 1977.

So how will you choose your winner? By the horse (age, weight), the jockey (weight, experience) or trainer (results)? Or may be after the weather we’ve had recently you’ll pick “Snowy Morning”;  your desire to buy may make you pick “Niche Market”; you may pick a fun name like “Big Fella Thanks” or “Don’t Push It” – or may be last year’s winner?  At 260/1, you could choose “Offshore Account” or a possible force’s favourite, “Air Force One”?  You may pick an Irish horse such as “Can’t Buy Time” or “Gone to Lunch”, or a horse from French stables like “My Will” or “Back Stage”.  At 26/1 Great Britain/UK has “State of Play” and “The Package”.  You may just close your eyes and let your fingers do the talking!

Although the Grand National race is held on the 10th, there are many other races on the Saturday, as well as Thursday 8th being Liverpool Day at Aintree, and Friday 9th April being Ladies’ Day.

Should you wish to fly to the Grand National, the nearest airport is Liverpool John Lennon Airport a 20 minute drive away with Manchester Airport around 45 minutes by road.  If hiring a car or driving to Aintree, the postcode for SatNav users is L9 5AS.

Enjoy!

The Easter school holidays, at the end of March/beginning of April, is the perfect time for day trips in the UK.  You don’t need to spend a fortune, you can return home if the weather is too bad and you can usually make plans at the last minute!

If you love movies, how about visiting the National Trust properties used for filming? Ham House in Surrey is where The Young Victoria was filmed, whilst a White Rabbit Easter trail will be held 2nd to 9th April at Antony, six miles from Plymouth where Walt Disney’s quirky Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton was filmed. During the Easter school holidays visit Cliveden in Berkshire where Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law played Holmes and Watson, or Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire; the location of two Harry Potter films.

In London take a flight on the London Eye. With spectacular views over London’s many landmarks, book a 10am Standard Flight and the cost is a mere £10 per adult compared to £17.88 at any other time of day, as the London Eye celebrates 10 years. During the Easter school holidays, take the kids to Kew Gardens on Easter Sunday morning for an Easter Egg Hunt or to the Bank of England Museum for a treasure trail through the Museum.  Enjoy roller skating? Join the Bunny Stroll on Easter Sunday, which covers a relaxed 8 miles of London’s West End.

Easter holiday thrill seekers may prefer the delights of Thorpe Park (opens 18 March at 10am) or Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey; in the heart of England, Thorpe Park opens on 20 March as does the award winning Drayton Manor Theme Park.  In the north of England, Blackpool Pleasure Beach on the west coast of Lancashire is great for the whole family, whilst younger children may prefer the exciting yet sedate Legoland Windsor (Berkshire), with plenty for the young ‘uns at both Chessington and Drayton.

On the 27 March, the Cardiff International White Water in Cardiff Bay, south Wales is opening which will offer courses and activities for all levels of water sports persons wishing to white water raft, hotdog, hydrospeed, canoe or kayak.  Also in Cardiff over Easter, Techniquest has an eggsciting show all about the egg, with fun and science explaining how to cushion a fragile spacecraft – amongst other exhibits!

There are tonnes of cheap flights in March, flying to numerous European destinations from key UK airport locations.

Cheap flights to Spain in March are easy to come by.  Through Thomas Cook, fly from Gatwick to Malaga return for under £150 per person leaving around the 17 March for 7 nights with seats departing Gatwick on 10 March currently selling for £136 per person.

For a cheap city break flight, Jet2 have availability right now from Leeds Bradford to Amsterdam on Monday 22 March for £4.99 and if you returned on either Thursday 25 or Tuesday 30 March, that flight costs 99p!  Sadly taxes are £54, bags £19.98 and online check in £6.00 (all prices per person) so the full cost is £85.96 per person.

Fly from Manchester with Thomson Holidays on Thursday 18 March to Lanzarote (ACE) in the Spanish Canary Islands and the low cost flight price is £167.98 per person returning on 25 March – including taxes and baggage (20kg of hold bags, 5kg in flight)! Meals cost £15.00 per person and reserved seats £15 (£7 per child). Flights from Manchester to Malaga start from £138.98 per person departing on 26 March for one week. Cheap!

Ryanair has a seat sale of cheap flights to Europe. Book by the night of Monday 8 March for flights from £9.99 each way. The travel period is 23 March and 31 May with a selection of blackout dates over both UK May Bank Holidays. Check their website for full details.  From Stansted you could fly to Figari, Girona (Barcelona), Pula or Pisa from £9.99, with flights to Rimini, Carcassonne, Rome, Alghero, Brindisi, Palermo, Alicante, Faro, Ibiza, Malaga and Palma for budget prices of under £20.00 each way.  Taxes, baggage, check in etc are extra. Ryanair also have cheap seats from a number of UK airports including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Gatwick and Luton, as well as Manchester and Newquay.

Head to the Costa del Sol, and First Choice has very low cost seats from Gatwick to Malaga for £101.71 plus taxes of £26.25 (total return price £127.96) travelling from 23 March to 4 April. Fly to Faro in the Algarve, south Portugal on Saturday 27 March for 2 weeks and the cheap flight is a mere £77.13 plus £31.83 tax (total £108.96 per person).  Extras include in flight meals, reserved seats and seats with extra space.

Head into central London to honour the patron Saint of Ireland, with St Patrick’s Day celebrations on Sunday 14th March, although do note that St Patrick’s Day is actually on Wednesday 17th March (2010)!

Noon on Piccadilly, close to Hyde Park Corner tube station is where London’s St Patrick’s Parade (on the 14th) will start, with colourful floats, marching bands, characters dressed in costume, and street theatre acts from the UK and each of the 32 Irish counties.  Watch out for the huge St Patrick and the Snake Pageant, and the Emerald Queen as the parade travels along Piccadilly past Green Park to Piccadilly Circus, where it turns right down Lower Regent Street, left along Pall Mall East and Cockspur Street, along the south west corner of Trafalgar Square, to finish at Whitehall Palace.

For a great family day out, head to Trafalgar Square on Sunday 14th for St Patrick’s Celebrations in London.  Starting at 11.30am, kids will love the Children’s Culture Corner where there will be storytelling, poetry and animation. You will also be able to watch traditional Irish ceili dancing and celebrity MCs; an event finishing at 6pm.

For St Patrick’s Day celebrations on Wednesday 17th March 2010, the north west London Borough of Brent will be celebrating in the town of Willesdon Green (on the Jubilee tube line) with the Brent St Patrick’s Day Festival running from 4pm to 7.30pm and a Parade starting at 4.30pm.

Mother’s Day 2010 (Mothering Sunday) is on Sunday 14 March, a time when “children” of all ages pay tribute to their mothers, female relatives or friends who has made an impact on their life.

Traditionally, as this occasion dates back to 1600, boys would present their mother with flowers whilst girls baked Simnel Cakes. Today gifts vary, so why not consider sending “Mum” on a Mother’s Day Break?

A few years ago The Guardian stated “The husband, partner, son or daughter who arranges this short break in Paris won’t be short of brownie points on Mother’s Day”.  Having looked at cheap short holidays in Paris travelling on the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord over Mother’s Day weekend this year, currently Short Breaks are offering a collection of cheap deals, including £189.00 per person at an elegant 3 star superior hotel in the heart of Paris.

For Mother’s Day breaks and holidays closer to home in the UK, you could consider a spa treatment weekend, or the whole family getting together for a rare holiday away!  With both options in mind, Center Parcs could be your answer with accommodation set in beautiful surroundings at one of four locations.  Right now, a Comfort 2 Bedroom Villa sleeping four at Longleat Forest, staying from Friday 12 March for three nights costs £439.00, with an Executive One Bedroom Penthouse Apartment sleeping 2, costing £447.00.

Your mum could not help but be wowed with a Mother’s Day Theatre Break in London.  If you can’t book her tickets to see her favourite show or that “I’ve been meaning to see that for ages…” show for the 14th, then buy her tickets for a weekend in the spring or summer.  Whilst Red Letter Days offers a voucher to stay in a five star London hotel with top price theatre seats for two costing £500 ,and a Friday night three star London Theatre Break with top price seats for two at a price of £250, you could make the arrangements yourself.  Lastminute has a cheap hotel  offer for £103.20 including taxes staying at the four star Bermondsey Square near Tower Bridge on the night on Saturday 13th March.