In just over a year the Rugby Union World Cup will be held in England and Wales 18 September – 31 October 2015.
The Games will be held in several towns and cities and fans will be able to various venues and enjoy whats on offer as well as get the real feel of the cities.
The ‘home’ of English rugby, Twickenham Stadium, will be hosting the big final, while the heart of Welsh rugby, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, will be the setting for six games. The rugby action will also be heading to several football stadiums across England and Wales; Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground, Liverpool FC’s Anfield (both in north-west England) and the home of Arsenal FC, the Emirates Stadium in north London, all feature on the fixtures list.
Brighton Community Stadium on the coast of south-east England, a 45-minute train journey from London, the home of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club will play host to a couple of the Rugby World Cup matches.
The seafront will be suitable for cooling down from the game`s excitement.
Taking out a yacht or dinghy or speeding over the waters by learning how to drive a powerboat are other activities to look forward to. Thrillseekers can go one step further and jump onboard a ZapCat – a trip on this high-speed, high-performance boat to get wet!
Kingsholm, Gloucestershire: Keen on extreme sports? Buy a ticket for a rugby game playing at the home of Gloucester Rugby Club, Kingsholm (around two hours by train from London, one hour from Cardiff) and you’ll find everything from helicopter flight training and off-road driving to super-fast go-karting and rock-climbing in the picturesque countryside of Gloucestershire, home of the Cotswolds.
St James’ Park, Newcastle: The people of Newcastle – affectionately known as Geordies – are deeply passionate about football and Newcastle United’s home ground, St James Park, will host several of the games during the Rugby World Cup; you can take part in a tour of the stadium when a game’s not playing. But the city’s not just about ball games, fans and visitors can enjoy a spot of horse-racing at Newcastle’s racecourse Gosforth Park, which hosts more than 30 race days a year, while golfers will be delighted to hear there are 92 courses within one hour’s drive of Newcastle. www.newcastlegateshead.com
Sandy Park, Exeter: If you’re down in Devon to catch a match then you’re within easy reach of outdoor pursuits at two outstanding National Parks; Exmoor and Dartmoor. An hour by train from Exeter (which itself has an international airport) will take you to Plymouth, the gateway to Dartmoor, while just 15 minutes on the train and you’ll arrive in Tiverton Parkway from where there are plenty of bus routes to take you to Exmoor. Both National Parks have their own charms; hike, mountain bike, kayak and coasteer in Exmoor, or hang-glide, paraglide, skydive and pony trek over Dartmoor.
Leicester City Stadium: Just 90 minutes by train from London, fans will be able to cheer their teams on at this stadium in Leicester, central England, then wind down with boating on some of the city’s tranquil canals. The largest is the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal that runs from Leicester to Trent (the canal itself starts in London). Boats and barges are available for hire for the day or for longer stretches en route to take in some beautiful rural scenery, travel through picturesque villages, woods, open fields and interesting locks.
Elland Road, Leeds: Home of Leeds United Football Club, the city of Leeds in west Yorkshire (a 20-minute drive from Leeds-Bradford International Airport) is also famous for hosting national and international matches of that most quintessential of English sports – cricket. Get to grips with the rules of the game with a tour of Headingley Cricket Club, home to Yorkshire County Cricket Club. www.yorkshireccc.com, www.visitleeds.co.uk
Stadium MK, Milton Keynes: Milton Keynes – a town half an hour by train north of London – may not immediately spring to mind for snow-based sports activities, but it is home to one of the largest indoor ski slopes in Britain, Snozone (www.snozoneuk.com). Slalom, snowboard or just freestyle on its slopes and fans of snow/ice-based sports can also check out local ice hockey team MK Lightning at Planet Ice Milton Keynes – visitors can hire skates there too for a spot of ice-skating. The venue should be nicely spruced up by 2015 as it’s currently undergoing a refurbishment and reopening around autumn 2014. www.planetice.co.uk
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