Barceló Cardiff Angel Hotel

Fashionistas have cause to rejoice at Bath's Fashion Museum as it once again dedicates a display to The Dress of the Year. An annual occurrence, the dress can vary from decadent to demure but it's always highly desirable.

Each year a fashion-industry expert chooses their dress of the year and their decisions have seen designs by Mary Quant, John Galliano, Rifat Ozbek, Paul Smith, Versace and Tom Ford incorporated into the Fashion Museum collection.

This year, Lucy Yeomans, editor of the prestigious fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar has the honour of selecting her favourite dress from the past year, with the accolade going to a black-and-white trompe l'oeil corset dress designed by Antonio Berardi.

In 1781, astronomer William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus from the observation deck of his Bath home. Today, guests can tour his house and workshops as part of a special exhibition celebrating 350 years of the Royal Society.

Herschel set new standards in astronomy with his meticulous observations and his state-of-the-art home-made telescopes. Visitors to the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, the astronomer's former home, can not only see these incredible scientific instruments, but also to get a taste of daily life in the 18th century.

This year-long exhibition also incorporates a series of free lectures and observation sessions for those who want to learn more about astronomy and Herschel himself.

The 120-foot, neo-classical Beckford's Tower in Bath offers fantastic views of the surrounding countryside. The museum inside has displays of furniture made for the tower as well as paintings, prints and objects illustrating the life of arts patron William Beckford.

A new public art project taking place throughout the city, Lions of Bath sees 100 individually decorated model lions on the prowl throughout the city. Both a huge public exhibition and fundraising project, for six months Bath shows its wild side.

A suitably regal setting for a pride of lions, the World Heritage City of Bath is deserved of this pioneering and playful event, with each of the 100 model lions decorated by artists to convey a message and character that complements its surroundings.

More than just a tourist attraction in their own right, each is also sponsored by businesses, local communities and individuals, with proceeds going directly to local charities and to a public art fund to ensure similarly innovative and immersive arts projects will be spotted in Bath in future.

Lions of Bath Website

Long a centre of learning and research, Bristol brings together many of its cultural organisations and universities for its annual Festival of Ideas. During its course, esteemed intellectuals and accomplished scholars run workshops and talks on pertinent themes and topics.

Established in 2005, the Bristol Festival of Ideas seeks to stimulate public debate and draw focus to issues of local and global importance.

Among the many influential speakers taking part in this year's autumn programme are Gavin Pretor-Pinney, who examines waves in all their forms and Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed who talks about his works and the intricacies of the creative process.

For full programme details, please visit the festival's website.

Festival of Ideas Website

Rugby Union side Cardiff Blues welcome Magners League teams to the Cardiff City Stadium for the 2009/10 season. Please visit the club's website for full details of all fixtures.

Cardiff Blues Website

Rugby Union side Cardiff Blues welcome Magners League teams to the Cardiff City Stadium in the Welsh capital for the 2010/11 season. Please visit the club's website for full details of all fixtures.

Cardiff Blues Website

Rugby Union side Llanelli Scarlets welcome Magners League teams to Parc y Scarlets for the 2009/2010 season. Please visit the club's website for full details of all fixtures.

Llanelli Scarlets Website

Rugby Union side Newport Gwent Dragons welcome Magners League teams to Rodney Parade for the 2009/2010 season. Please visit the club's website for full details of all fixtures.

Newport Gwent Dragons Website

Heritage Open Days is one of England's most popular voluntary cultural events, opening the doors of around 2000 fascinating properties not normally accessible to the public. Gloucester and its surroundings do their bit, with scores of public places open to view.

Please visit the Heritage Open Days website for details of all participating properties.

Heritage Open Days Website