The annual Six Nations Rugby Competition is due to start next month, between England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy.

Historically, the English and Scottish started playing rugby union in 1871 which became the Home International Championship, with Ireland and Wales joining in 1883. One hundred years ago the French, who had played a few of the tournaments, made the competition the “Five Nations”.  Italy joined in 2000, hence the “Six Nations Championship”, with the Women’s Six Nations Competition commencing in 2001.

During the Championship each team plays each of the other teams just once with two points awarded to the winning team, one point each for a draw and no points for a loss. If a team wins every game they achieve a Grand Slam. If a Home Nation beats three other Home Nations, they win the Triple Crown Trophy, which was an invisible cup until 2006.

The Championship Trophy was first presented to France, the winners of 1993. Made by a team of silversmiths, the trophy, valued at around £55,000, was originally of silver but due to champagne corrosion (it can hold five bottles worth!) it is now covered with 22 carat gold plate. The 15 team members are represented by the 15 side panels of the Championship Trophy, with the referee and two touch judges represented by three handles.

The first match in 2010 will be Ireland v Italy on Saturday 6 February at 2.30pm playing at Croke Park in Dublin. The second match that day kicks off at 5pm at Twickenham with England playing Wales. Scotland and France will play at Murrayfield, Edinburgh at 3pm on Sunday 7 February.

Valentines weekend sees Wales playing Scotland at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with France v Ireland at the Stade de France in Saint Denis near Paris – both matches are on Saturday 13 February.  At the Stadio Flainio in Rome on Sunday 14th Italy will play England at 3.30 local time.

Wales will then play France on the evening of Friday 26 February with Italy playing Scotland and England playing Ireland on Saturday afternoon.

Two weeks later on Saturday 13th March, Ireland will play Wales and Scotland will play England; France plays Italy on Sunday. The final three matches will all be played on Saturday 20th March; Wales v Italy at 2.30pm, Ireland v Scotland 5pm, France v England 8.45pm.

Ireland won the 2009 Six Nations Competition with a Grand Slam as Wales did in 2008. Who will win 2010?

There is a huge selection of New Year breaks and New Year holidays in the UK to choose from.

Hire a car with easyCar and drive to a comfy country bed and breakfast for a quiet New Year break, or stay in one of the Warner Leisure Hotels for 3 or 4 nights including New Year’s Eve, and enjoy the party, evening meal, live entertainment, a piper and fireworks.

If you want to simply relax, or celebrate the festive season in full party style, there are plenty of hotels offering New Year Breaks in the UK to suit every requirement. Choose a secluded country house or a city centre hotel, a quaint rural Inn or a hotel spa resort which offers activities all through the year.

Celebrate the arrival of 2010 on a New Year Break in the Cotswold countryside, amongst the Welsh hills, on the edge of Lake Windermere in the Lake District or overlooking the south coast from Brighton.

Enjoy a two night New Year Break arriving on 28 December at Centre Parcs in Longleat Forest or five nights arriving on 30 December at Whinefell Forest where you should wrap up warm and experience a whole assortment of indoor and outdoor activities over the New Year period.

Greet the New Year with traditional Hogmanay celebrations in one of Scotland’s Hotels of Distinction such as at the Four Seasons Hotel in St Fillans, Perthshire or Ruttlets Country House Hotel in St. Andrews, Fife. 

The New Year celebrations in Edinburgh are renowned worldwide. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party is a programme of music, lights, dancing and midnight fireworks to see in the new decade. Stage events start at 9pm on Princes Street and it is worth pre booking tickets to the various events to avoid disappointment!

As Big Ben in London tolls midnight on December 31st 2009, hold hands with the person next to you and sing…

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”

Happy New Year!

What could be a better way to get your Christmas shopping underway than by visiting one of the superb Christmas Markets which will shortly take throughout the length and breadth of the UK?

Next to the Abbey in the centre of Bath, festive wooden chalets will be set up donning Christmas gifts from 26th November to 6th December.  There will be three Christmas Markets in Bristol this winter, with twenty bespoke stalls selling their gifts at Goldbrick House, local gifts available at the Southville Centre and German crafts at Cribbs Causeway.

In London, visit the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park which will be open from 21st November to 3rd January set in German wooden chalets, and the Spirit of Christmas Fair to be held at Olympia for just five days from 4th November should be quite spectacular! The largest London winter festival however boasting more than 70 stalls, as well as entertainment, music and husky dog sledding, will be in December between Southwark and Blackfriars Bridges on the South Bank, called the “Bankside Frost Fair”.

There will also be the Victorian Festival of Christmas at the end of November in Plymouth, with the Annual Worcester Christmas Fayre and Frankfurt Christmas Market, Birmingham, in the West Midlands.

Throughout December Manchester residents will be able to enjoy their traditional German Market, and in Chester the Christmas Market will have a truly continental flavour too. Along the cobbled streets of the city of Durham will be the Christmas Festival on the 5th and 6th December, with a children’s lantern procession, carols in Durham Cathedral, and over one hundred craft stalls and eateries. Around Grey’s Monument from 23rd November to 5th December you’ll discover the Continental Christmas Market in Newcastle upon Tyne, with the Christmas Market from 9th to 13th December.

Within the castle walls and through the town centre of Caerphilly, Wales on the 12th and 13th December Christmas fun will be had at the Caerphilly Medieval Market.

In Scotland, Edinburgh’s Christmas will start on the 26th November for around six weeks in and around Princes Street.  The Christmas lights will be switched on in the city and there will be an ice rink, funfair and German Market. In Glasgow, the bustling shopping district and St Enoch Square will be transformed into a winter wonderland from 27th November until Christmas Eve.

Fire Eating displays, mulled wine drinking, shopping and eating, as well as Santa visits will be available from mid November to mid December in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

By October British summer time is generally over! The temperature has dropped but the variety of places to visit hasn’t decreased, you just have to be a little more inventive!

European beaches are generally very quiet as the weather can be a little unpredictable, but if you choose a city break destination that is close to a beach, then you may enjoy the best of both worlds; quiet beaches if the weather is warm and dry, and cultural visits and shopping if it is too chilly or wet!  Barcelona and Malaga in Spain both boast historic cities by the sea, or how about Faro in Portugal or Athens in Greece both of which are short distances from beaches and islands, or you could head to the south of France to Nice or Cannes? See our separate blog on more October City Breaks.

If you are thinking of travelling further afield during October, then how about Hawaii, may be with a stop off in either Los Angeles or San Francisco?  A tropical paradise, the island of Kaua’i is north of Ahu where Honolulu is located.  Giant ficus trees, the beautiful Hanakapi’ai Falls, colourful flowers, dramatic rainforest; an island perfect for surfers and walkers!

October holidays exploring the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia is perfect, staying either in Brisbane or on Hayman Island – or both!  Visit the Koala Sanctuary, take a jeep safari along the Gold Coast, relax on one of the world’s most fabulous beaches on the Whitsunday Islands, snorkel, scuba dive, bungy, kayak…

If the other side of the world is too far, Africa is of course warmer than Europe although October can be very wet especially in Morocco; however the hot and sunny climes of the Red Sea resorts in Egypt such as Sharm El Sheik, Hurghada and Taba boast a very low annual rain fall and can generally be relied on for warm weather, although there may be strong winds.   Should you prefer to holiday in October away from well know resorts, then consider Tanzania and the islands of Mafia or Zanzibar.

Closer to home, and with the October half term holidays approaching, renting a cottage in England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales is worth considering.  Take t-shirts and jumpers, flip flops and wellies, and always waterproof clothes, but if you’re strolling in the Brecon Beacons or dipping your toes in the sea along the Cornish coast, there will always be plenty to do, especially if you take the car or hire car!

The last UK bank holiday before Christmas is just two weeks away – Monday 31st August – and the children will return to school, college or university soon after…

So where can you go for your UK Holidays 2009 before the time just disappears? Or would you prefer to enjoy a staycation??

Whatever the press say about availability of flights or lack of car hire in Europe, stay in the UK, and you just won’t have to worry!  Car hire in the UK can easily be arranged from hosts of locations, downtown, airport or railway station.

There is still plenty of availability on various UK holiday lettings websites, so how about a two bedroomed luxury duplex apartment with fabulous views across The Hoe, Plymouth Sound, or a holiday lodge in Shropshire with your own private hot-tub;  you could choose a converted barn in Northumberland or how about a holiday apartment in central London?  You may wish to hire a luxury family holiday apartment in Chester or part of The Old Schoolhouse with access to England’s largest man-made lake for plenty of watersports in Rutland! How about a penthouse in a Grade II listed building on Newcastle’s quayside or a cosy character property near the award winning sandy beach in Frinton on Sea, Essex?

Head to Bonny Scotland, and maybe holiday in a Victorian Spa town where you can stay in a stunning cottage? Could this match your 2009 UK Holiday ideas? The sea views on the Isle of Bute are staggering with the town centre within walking distance and the beach just four kilometres away.  There is still availability this summer 2009 at a characterful house next to the harbour of historic Pittenweem next to East Neuk of Fife, and apartments in the capital of Edinburgh, and in Glasgow city centre can still be rented.

Take a relaxing stroll along the Welsh shoreline from an apartment in Llanelli, or enjoy a few rounds of golf whilst staying in a cottage in Knighton.  The beach is fantastic in Tresaith where accommodation is available for groups of up to 44 people, or for the quiet life there is a beautiful cottage in Hay on Wye.

UK camping holidays are always popular with the south coastal regions such as Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Sussex drawing in the majority of visitors. But how about camping in the scenic Cotswolds or along the Welsh coast?  You don’t need to own an expensive tent to camp in the UK; ask your friends if you can borrow theirs, or search the web for special deals with delivery usually available at a supplement within a few days of ordering. Choose a tent slightly larger than the number of people it is to accommodate for added comfort, and if you’re picky about sleeping on a hard floor, you’ll be surprised at the many different types of blow up beds available! There are many fantastic camp sites accommodating both tents and caravans throughout the UK, and many are pet and child friendly with clean and modern facilities.  The cost is generally around £20-£30 per night during the summer 2009 for a standard sized tent, two adults and a car but watch out for supplements for additional people, gazebos, extra cars and if you require an electric hook up.

Staycationing? Then what is available nearby? If you have membership or live near a National Trust or Heritage house or gardens, why not pay a visit?  The kids love the popular Theme Parks, but book tickets online to get the best deals at least 2 days in advance.  How about that shopping centre you’ve been meaning to visit but never got round to, or that film you’d like to see but are always just too busy? Now is the time!