Edinburgh in fact hosts several festivals throughout the month that merge into one big explosion of culture that hits the city each August. The Edinburgh Festival is a generic term for this variety of events which includes the Edinburgh International Festival, The Fringe, The Book Festival, the Edinburgh Art Festival and the world famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It’s a month packed with colourful events and a visit to the Edinburgh Festival should be on everyone’s list of things to do before you die!

This year’s International Festival, running from 8th August to 31st promises a host of exciting premieres including a new ballet adaptation of Dorian Gray from controversial choreographer Matthew Bourne and the very latest play from the National Theatre of Scotland to be staged at the Edinburgh Playhouse. This year’s programme will feature strong Eastern European influences such as Giselle by the Georgian State Ballet, King Roger from the Budapest Festival Orchestra as well as performances from the London Symphony Orchestra.

Running along side the International Festival, Edinburgh’s Fringe provides an off-the-wall alternative of street theatre, performing arts, comedy and music. This year’s Fringe Festival runs from 3rd - 25th August and features stand up comedy from Joan Rivers, Steven Berkoff’s production of On the Waterfront and straight from New York City, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, fresh from a record breaking tour of the States.

For the literati among you, the Edinburgh Book Festival provides an opportunity for people to meet some of the world’s favourite writers and greatest thinkers. From 9th - 25th August the Festival hosts a range of events involving the likes of Chuck Palahniuk, Steven Berkoff, Hanif Kureshi, Tariq Ali, Tony Parsons, Anne Enright, James Kelman, Will Self, Rick Wakeman, Val McDermid, A L Kennedy, David Lodge, Carol Ann Duffy, Andrew O’Hagan, Candia McWilliam, Alan Sillitoe and Edinburgh native and Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh. There’s also a range of lively debates on ethical, political and environmental matters.

Also throughout August, Edinburgh’s galleries, institutions and artist organisations put together a combined programme of over 130 exhibitions and events as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. In this the Festival’s 5th year highlights include works from Janet Cardiff, George Bures Miller, Richard Hamilton and Tracy Emin.

Then of course there is the famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a stunning spectacular of military band music set against the impressive backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, which this year runs from 1st - 23rd August. Famed for its Scottish pipes, drum bands and massed military bands, the Tattoo also features display teams, dancers and acts from around the world. Throughout August, the Tattoo attracts some 200,000 people and the stands on the esplanade outside Edinburgh Castle are a guaranteed sell-out, so booking in advance is strongly advised.

The Edinburgh festival will be brought to a close on 31st August with a spectacular fireworks display set to the music of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

No visit to Edinburgh is complete without a trip to its famous Castle. With its imposing position Edinburgh Castle is the city’s chief landmark and has a long and illustrious history as the seat of power in Scotland since the 12th Century. The castle houses the Stone of Destiny or the Stone of Scone upon which the Kings and Queens of Scotland have been crowned since the 9th Century as well as the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels). Regular guided tours outline the architectural evolution of the Castle along with its tumultuous history and its links with Scotland’s heroic figures such as Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Leading down from Edinburgh Castle is the cobbled road of the Royal Mile, which come festival time becomes the centre stage for the street theatre of the Fringe. This iconic street is lined with an assortment of intriguing side lanes and a jumbled assortment of buildings, some dating from the 15th century, with pubs, souvenir shops and museums.

One of these is Gladstone’s Land an exact replica of a 17th Century tenement building that would have housed the mercantile classes of Edinburgh’s Old Town. The building itself dates back to 1620 and contains the original ceiling paintings. The Writers Museum housed in the Lady Stair’s House (built in 1622) close by, contains manuscripts and belongings of Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott.

Further down the Royal Mile is the Scottish Parliament Building opened in 2004 following Scottish Devolution in 1998. Close by, at the end of the Royal Mile is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Residence of HRM the Queen when in town. Since the 16th century the Palace has evolved from being a guest house attached to the medieval Holyrood Abbey to housing royal apartments with grandiose chambers decked with wall length tapestries. These rooms have witnesses much skullduggery during the dramatic life of Mary Queen of Scots, including the murder of her suspected lover by her jealous husband Lord Darnley.

Today the modern centrepiece of the Palace, The Queen’s Gallery is used to house various exhibitions from the Royal Collection and is open to the public when the Queen isn’t popping by to pay a visit.

Behind the Palace is Holyrood Park, a 260 hectare wilderness of moorland, lochs and Arthur’s Seat, a 251m mount, it’s actually an extinct volcano! A short hike to the top affords excellent vistas of Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside.

Alternatively you could trek up Carlton Hill 100m above Edinburgh’s New Town area. Set among the elegant Athenian style monuments is the National Monument and the Nelson Monument, which make for fantastic photo opportunities with the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh Castle and sky line.

Views, history, character and culture, Edinburgh has it all and a visit to the Edinburgh Festival in August is unbeatable!

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It seems us Brits are relative newcomers to the world of tea; it arrived in the UK in the 1600s and, ironically, was originally sold in coffee houses. Coinciding with growing imports of sugar cane, by 1750 sweet tea was already widely popular and largely considered England’s national drink. In the 1800s it had become fashionable amongst the aristocracies to drink an afternoon tea with a light snack, such as a cucumber sandwich, to bridge the gap between lunch and the evening meal taken at about 8pm. Also around this period Britain began to see the opening of tea shops where you could purchase dry tea or by the cup. The tea shop rapidly became popular with ladies of the middle classes who, for the first time, found themselves allowed out to socialize alone without it damaging their reputation! Since then it seems the tradition of drinking tea has only grown and today tea rooms and shops can be found throughout the country. But which ones are best? And where should you go to find a good cuppa on your vacation?

From any of our London Hotels in the English Capital you can make a visit to Harrods, it is a must for anyone who likes to indulge in a spot of shopping. But it is also the place to enjoy your morning tea for two. Tea is served in the luxury surroundings of the Georgian restaurant which is once where the British aristocracies would dine. The Laduree tea room at Harrods also serves a variety of teas to suit any palate.

Outside of London, and for the true British Tea experience in its entirety you should head in to England’s north country and to Yorkshire. Here you will find the now famous Betty’s Tea Rooms dotted about the county. Founded in 1919 in the Yorkshire market town of Harrogate, the tradition continues today almost a century on in the original premises. The wrought iron canopy gives way to a delightful shop and tea room where you are welcomed by staff in traditional serving dress, complete with hats and aprons. The offerings inside are a mouth watering array of confectionary of breads, cakes and chocolates as well as over 50 different types of tea and coffee to choose from. I was in Harrogate last year visiting the Cedar Court Hotel and popped in to Betty’s for a quick cuppa only to find myself coming out 2 hours later, pleasantly satisfied but laden with sweet treats and gifts for home.

Finally a stay in Cotswolds is a must for any tea lover. The area is bustling with small country towns with eccentric names and nestling thatch cottages. In most of these towns and villages you will find a good tea room. Staying in the Queens Hotel in Cheltenham you are just a stone throw from some such places including Winchcombe which has won recent notoriety for its tea-making. The Olde Bakery Tea Shoppe in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire has been named the UK’s Top Tea Place 2008 by the United Kingdon Tea Council. This accolade is awarded for its all-round excellence in service, ambience, offerings of home-baking and of course for its ranges of quality brewed teas.

It is now nearing my tea break so I will sign off, but I leave you in the knowledge that when you visit us here in the UK you know exactly where to go to experience that great British tradition of drinking tea. When I returned from our Boston office, one of my colleagues asked if I would consider transferring there permanently. My response: not for all the tea in China!

Surprisingly it’s not the same everywhere as there are some isolated areas of Britain where broadband looks to be many moons away. For instance one of the b&b’s that we use for those of our guests that want to get away from the pressures of the mobile phone and the PC Is The Lion Hotel in Gwytherin.

Gwytherin is a village of 200 people in situated near Llanrwst in Snowdonia, North Wales and is the setting for Ellis Peters’ first Cadfael novel “A Morbid Taste for Bones”. The Lion, a classy 6 roomed b&b and restaurant is also the village pub so a great place to meet up for a pint with the locals after a hard day’s walking or visiting the castles of Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris .

The thing about Gwytherin is that not only does it lack broadband and a mobile phone signal - the normal phone reception suffers when more than a handful of the villagers use their phones at the same time. Little wonder that the red public phone box is also a meeting point for villagers. It’s also conveniently close to the pub and the only phone box that I know that always has a vase of fresh cut flowers.

This lack of signal must be a little annoying for the villagers but for the rest of us this is just perfect for a few quiet days.

The build-up is very much the same both sides of the pond and will remain so until a few minutes prior to kick off when it’s time for the National Anthem. In Colorado the crowd will unite with Jordin Sparks (sorry I don’t know her either but she won “American Idol” if that means anything to you) and stand proud in the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner”. In the rugby matches a sub competition occurs at this point when each nation involved sings its own anthem. It’s a proud moment with the power to bring tears to the eyes. I know I’m not the only one.

For instance take the match between England and Wales at Twickenham, London tomorrow afternoon. This is the one match that every Welshman wants to win. Wales beating England at “Twickers” (say this in a posh English accent) the home of rugby. As the Wales rugby coach Warren Gatland summed up “It’s not just a game of rugby. It’s nation against nation and bragging rights - not for a few days, but for a whole year”. Over in the USA I can imagine that Patriots supporters will have bragging rights for a lifetime if their team wins!

In Twickenham, when the brass band hits the opening chords the thousands of visiting Welshmen will, as one, launch into “Mae Hen Wlad fy Nhadau” (”Land of our Fathers”) with all their hearts . Then, they’ll be respectfully quiet as the English sing “God Save the Queen” knowing full well that the Welsh Anthem wins hands down with its power to stir the soul. This respectful scene on the playing of the Anthems will also play out in Croke Park, Dublin where Ireland entertain Italy and in Murrayfield, Edinburgh where Scotland play France.

In the singing of the Anthems in all of the above matches I’m sure of one thing - most of the crowd will not know more than one verse of their own National Anthem.

C’mon Wales…… and Go Patriots.

Prices have not yet been released but if you want hassle free flying between these cities in 2009 and willing to pay for it I’d suggest that this may be the flight for you.

Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Kandinsky, Tatlin, Malevich are all represented in this exhibition and with highlights such as The Dance by Henri Matisse it is sure to draw in the crowds.

So, Art lovers if you’re in London you’ll not want to miss this. The Royal Academy of Art, Burlington House, Piccadilly is hosting the exhibition until the 18^th April.

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!
Aboon them a’ yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o’a grace
As lang’s my arm.

As a Welshman I can’t say that I understand much of what is being said above any more than I understand why people eat haggis. Washing it down with a wee dram though is a splendid tradition. To all of you celebrating Robert Burns’ birthday, have a great night.

Dwynwen was the prettiest of the Celtic King Brychan Brycheiniog’s 24 daughters (he also had 11 sons!). At one of the parties that King Brychan held regularly Dwynwen fell in love with a handsome prince called Maelon Dafodrill. However her father refused her permission to marry him as he’d arranged for her to marry another. Maelon was so angry that he raped Dwynwen and left her.

Dwynwen was distraught and fled into the woods. Here, through her tears and grief she prayed to God to help her forget Maelon Dafodrill, before falling asleep under the trees. In a dream she was visited by an Angel with a potion to help her forget her cruel lover as well as turn him into ice. God also granted Dwynwen three wishes. Her wishes were 1.That God thaw Maelon Dafodrill 2. That he met the hopes and dreams of true lovers 3. That she would never marry.

All her wishes were fulfilled and Dwynwen devoted the rest of her life to the service of God and established a church on the small island of Llanddwyn just off the west coast of Anglesey, near the village of Newborough. The remains of the church can still be seen today and the tidal island can be reached on foot.

The popularity of St. Dwynwen’s day seems to have increased greatly over the last ten years in Wales and you’ll find Welsh speakers celebrating it with parties and concerts, although not to the same level as St Valentine’s Day. Why it’s celebrated on January 25^th I really have no idea. Here’s a card to all you romantics from all of us here at myguideBritain Cerdyn Santes Dwynwen

There seems to a good number of costume dramas on the TV currently and I for one am not complaining. The latest success we’ve had is the series “Cranford” that was an adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel of the same name amalgamated for TV with her other books “My Lady Ludlow” and “Mrs. Harrison’s Confessions”. This will air on US television in May and you’re in for a treat. We’ve also had Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” and “The Old Curiosity Shop” on over Christmas.

Why do we watch these series’ in our millions? Are we all a bunch of nostalgics? I think not. My view is that although they’re visually stunning, evoking the period in which they’re set, they are without doubt brilliant stories that have withstood the test of time.

Although some of these will be partly studio based a great many will be filmed on location around Britain. Most of the scenes from Cranford were easily recognizable as being set in Lacock and West Wycombe just to the west of London. You’ll find that Lacock will usually feature very strongly in a good number of these period dramas as it’s a living, working village that’s changed little over the centuries and is now owned by the National Trust. The money from these films must add a lot to their coffers and go towards the upkeep of the village. I’m not sure if I’d enjoy living there though with so many film crews taking up residency there. It’s not a period drama but the Harry Potter crew also shot some scenes in the Abbey at Lacock. It’s a very easy to get to as you drive to Bath from London sitting just south of Chippenham eight miles out of Bath.

The dramatizations of Dickens novels generally conjure up pictures of London that are probably far from the truth. I can’t imagine that London was a very healthy place to life in the 1800’s. Imagine the raw sewerage flowing in gutters into the Thames, horse manure from the thousands of horse drawn carriages, smoke belching from each house’s chimney - not to mention the unwashed hordes and the prostitutes, pickpockets and drunks. Not the sort of place that most of us would find comfortable - it must have stunk to high heaven. It’s rather more pleasant today thank goodness. If you want a good day out and find out more about Dickens’ London then I could recommend a day out in Dickens’ World in Chatham, Kent where Dickens lived for a time. It promises to immerse you in “the urban streets, sounds and smells of 19^th century London”. Thankfully it fails in the smells department otherwise I imagine we would all be physically sick.