Viadana - Saturday 18 October

The default choice for Viadana is to stay in Parma which is served by daily flights courtesy of everyone's favourite courteous airline, Ryanair.

Stadio Luigi Zaffanella is about half an hour's drive away by car from ham 'n' cheese central, but last year there was a bus arranged for those staying in Parma to get to and from the ground. There is likely to be another this year, if a willing volunteer can be found to do the organisation.

Looking at the fixture list, accommodation and flights shouldn't be a problem as Overmach Parma will be away on 18 October and GRAN Parma are not in European competition this season. So, unfortunately, we won't have any crowing Wuss fans saying how they were going to scare the rest of Premiership after putting 66 points past GRAN's under 12s.

An alternative town in which to stay is Verona, which comes highly recommended by those who stayed there last year after wanting a change from Parma. Direct flights come from BA out of Gatwick, although there are several other airports nearby.

Viadana Rugby Club also offers packages, but you will need to contact the club for details. Follow the link below:

http://www.rugbyviadana.it/eng/abbo_pacchetti_home.asp

Bayonne - Saturday 6 December

Been there, done that, worn out the t-shirt thanks to a previous match at Aviron Bayonnais and two more against neighbours Biarritz Olympique. Not to mention the upcoming pre-season friendly against our Pool 5 rivals at Stade Jean Dauger.

Accommodation in Bayonne is plentiful, as it is down the road in Biarritz, but flights could be an issue as London Irish play Dax on Friday 5 December, so the travelling green masses may take up space on the Friday Ryanair flight from Stansted to Anglet.

My recommendation is get in NOW to avoid disappointment, or a trip up from Pau (Ryanair ex-Stansted) or Bilbao (Easyjet ex-Stansted), the next nearest airports to Bayonne, could well beckon.

If you do stay in Biarritz, note that, as this is an evening kick-off, the buses back from Bayonne stop running before the final whistle blows. So it is advisable to arrange taxi transport in advance, given the dearth of Bayonne-based cabs after dark. What few there are normally can be found near the station, but that is over two miles from the ground.

Stade Montois - 23/24/25 January 2009

Mont de Marsan is small. Very small. Almost as small as its most famous son Thomas Castaignede. And its hotels, all three I could find online at time of writing, were full when I checked. Therefore it could be that "Doing a Viadana" will be the option to go for, unless rooms become available.

Either way, travelling via Biarritz or Pau (60 and 85miles away respectively) is a non-starter as the hordes from Gloucester have filled Ryanair's flights to those airports already for their crunch Heineken Cup match against BOPB.

The nearest large airport is Bordeaux which is served by several airlines from several UK airports and Bordeaux itself is about 90 minutes from Mont de Marsan by train. The price of a return ticket is about £30 for standard and £50 for first class and the last train back into Bordeaux on Saturdays is at around 8pm.

Air fares to Bordeaux are reasonable at time of writing; Easyjet from Luton is around £60.

Let's hope that the broadcasters don't choose that game as the one they shift to the Thursday!

If you have any hints or tips or experiences you wish to share on any of the three European destinations, please post on the message board.

Bon voyage!

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