England

Hampton’s performance was not a clean one as she fumbled several crosses and was not convincing on set-pieces.

She almost dropped the ball into the path of Sveindis Jonsdottir late on too, but rescued it just in time to spare her blushes.

Hampton’s has been patchy of late for Chelsea, but like all world-class players she delivers when it really matters.

She did it against Spain on Tuesday, as England held on to a significant 1-0 win in part thanks to her acrobatic save, denying Edna Imade late on.

At Wembley, her predecessor Mary Earps was being celebrated for her Lionesses career before kick-off, but Hampton has taken her gloves seamlessly, shining at Euro 2025 and now impressing as England look to seal their spot in next year’s World Cup.

Despite the spotlight, Hampton was humble at full-time in Iceland, joking about the simplicity of the game and her role within it.

“Alessia [Russo] puts the ball in one end and I stop it going in at the other. It’s a simple game when you break it down,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I am just glad I get to be involved. It means I don’t freeze to death! I’m always willing to put my body on the line.”

But there was no downplaying by England manager Sarina Wiegman, who said Hampton’s saves against Iceland were “crucial” to securing the victory.

“It is always a team effort and a team performance but it’s really nice to have a goalkeeper that stops the ball going in – especially when it’s really hard for the team and they are struggling,” added Wiegman.

“That’s called teamwork. She showed again that she is a world-class goalkeeper.”

Arsenal striker Russo added: “She was amazing. Big moments kept us in it and she showed up three or four times to get us the three points.

“Sometimes you need someone to step up like that.”

England’s Lionesses are no strangers to making history.

The past decade has been rich in landmark moments; a first tournament medal, a first major trophy, and a first title defence – on foreign soil to boot.

When Sarina Wiegman’s side play Iceland in Reykjavik on Saturday (17:30 BST) they will reach another milestone – the 500th fixture for England’s senior women’s team.

The game is important for securing qualification for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, with England keen to win more silverware in the famous white shirt.

But regardless of the result, the match will be etched in history as a reminder of how far the English women’s game has come.

In 1921, the Football Association (FA) banned women’s football, considering the game “most unsuitable for females”, external.

The decision consigned women’s football to park pitches and small venues for half a century before the decision was overturned in 1971.

To mark 500 not out, BBC Sport takes a look at 11 defining moments in the history of England’s women.

Arriving at his training session, Cole was all business, talking mostly in English while throwing in Italian phrases.

One local staff member was impressed by his willingness to tidy up the equipment, which he said was uncommon for a player who had enjoyed such a successful playing career.

To Cole, a former schoolboy from east London, that behaviour is normal. Even his new title – ‘Mister’, bestowed on all managers in Italy – is something he is still getting used to.

“I don’t see myself above anyone at this club,” he said. “Of course I have to be the leader of the group, but I’ll pick up a cone.”

Cole had some awareness of what he was arriving into in Emilia‑Romagna – nicknamed Italy’s ‘food valley’ and famous for parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar from Modena and prosciutto di parma – with his wife Sharon Canu an important sounding board.

“I certainly didn’t go looking for an Italian wife [when he joined Roma in 2014], but I came back with one,” he joked.

“Sharon has been great for me. She’s from Rome, but she understands that people in smaller cities really love the club where they live. I have to embrace that.”

One example is Cole’s routine of buying a five euro ‘piadina’ – an Italian flatbread sandwich – from a stall outside Cesena’s stadium before his media conferences. The food stand also regularly feeds the squad after home matches.

In this working‑class town of fewer than 100,000 people, Cole’s side are underdogs in Serie B – something he identifies with.

“I liked that the owners have a similar background to me – hard work, graft, underdogs nobody believed in – but they created a really successful business,” he said.

“They also wanted someone to believe in them and give them a chance.”

Cesena, like most Italian clubs, rent their stadium and training facilities from the local authority, but Cole has innovated where he can.

He created a video analysis room and uses a high-angle tactical camera to film his sessions, which he watches back in full every day.

“I came here thinking something had to change,” Cole said. “We hadn’t won away from home for a long time, so that had to change – it wasn’t working.

“We’d gone a number of games without a win, so that had to change too. We needed higher intensity in training and matches. The style of football had to change.

“We had to be more adaptable to the different styles we come up against, and we needed more control in games through possession.”

In his first media conference, Cole also called out Italy’s failure to qualify for three consecutive World Cups as a sign they needed to be open to new styles of football, which he is implementing before a trip to face Palermo on Saturday.

England captain Ben Stokes was struck on the face by a cricket ball, which required surgery for a broken cheekbone.

England Test captain Ben Stokes has said he feels “quite lucky” to be alive as he recovers from surgery after being hit in the face by a cricket ball.

All-rounder Stokes required the procedure after suffering a broken cheekbone sustained by being hit by the ball during a net session while he was coaching academy players at his domestic county side Durham in February.

Stokes is set to play in two first-class County Championship games next month, but he revealed the incident could have been so much worse.

“I copped one straight in the face,” the 34-year-old told the England and Wales Cricket Board.

“Pretty nasty but, funnily, probably the best result of a bad situation, to be honest. Just a couple of inches one way or the other, I might not be here doing this interview, if I didn’t turn my head round.

“All things considered, although I had pretty major facial surgery to sort it out – it was a bit of a mess under here (cheekbone), I’ve got out quite lucky. So pretty thankful for that.”

He added: “Obviously it set everything back about a month, five weeks, with getting back to where I wanted to be to play at the start of the season for Durham, but just had to sort of quickly go back to the drawing board and put a plan together to get me ready to play a couple of games for Durham before the Test summer starts.

“At the back end of all that now, but it was a pretty scary situation. Thankfully still here and everything’s all right.”

Stokes is expected to be fit to lead England in the first Test of their home season against New Zealand at Lord’s starting on June 4, as they look to recover from their woeful 4-1 Ashes humiliation in Australia.

Stokes downplays rift with England coach McCullum

Stokes, meanwhile, has played down reports of disagreements with head ⁠coach Brendon McCullum but added that they do have different viewpoints at times.

British media reported that former New Zealand captain McCullum’s relationship with Test ⁠captain Stokes frayed during the Ashes series defeat in Australia, though the duo have publicly backed each other.

“I am very confident in mine and Brendon’s ability to be able to work together, because we’ve done it for ‌such a long period of time now,” Stokes said in an interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

“But we work together in a slightly different way. The main point of me and Brendon is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be.”

Since taking charge in 2022, McCullum and Stokes implemented ⁠an ultra-aggressive style of play known as “Bazball”, which has ⁠come under much scrutiny since England’s Ashes defeat, prompting the ECB to launch a thorough review into the team’s preparations.

McCullum was retained as coach.

“Agreeing on every single thing, that’s ⁠just impossible,” Stokes said.

“We agree 95% of the time on things, but those 5% things that we might ⁠have different views on, we talk about it ⁠between each other and then we end up getting to the place where we want to get to.

“We put a lot of our heart and soul into this job. Brendon certainly ‌has for the four years he’s done it so far, and hopefully we’ll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want ‌to ‌win.”

England host New Zealand for a three-Test series in June before eight limited-overs matches at home to India.

Strolling through a deep tangle of beech trees to get some fresh air after a long drive, I think of the scene in Kenneth Grahame’s wistful story The Wind in the Willows, where Mole gets lost in the Wild Wood. “There seemed to be no end to this wood, and no beginning, and no difference in it, and, worst of all, no way out.”

I’ve come to South Oxfordshire to explore what was once Grahame’s old stomping ground. Although I don’t share his character’s fear of the woods, I do share his own wonder for this part of the country, close to suburbia yet wrinkled with pockets of wildness. It’s one of those spring days when the light feels elastic and daffodils brighten the verges of muddy lanes. The moon is rising, however, and smoke drifts from the chimney of a cottage just beyond the woods. Nocturnal creatures may be rousing but I’m feeling the pull of a cosy burrow. I leave the trees and head back to my accommodation, Bonni B&B, in Hill Bottom.

Run by Koo and Denny Akers, the B&B is a spin-off from Bonni Outbuildings, the cabin business the couple set up during the pandemic. These distinctive corrugated cabins in shades of mint, moss and terracotta have been commissioned as everything from artist studios to yoga shalas and even golf-simulator games rooms. The option to order a Bonni fully fitted and decorated has helped define the brand and, although the B&B is located above a smart timber garage at the couple’s home, it has just the same fittings, furnishings and paint colours as the cabins.

Created for potential buyers (a kind of try-before-you-buy experience), the B&B also makes a stylish base for a weekend away. Technically a one-bed apartment, there’s an open-plan kitchen and living room, a shower room with underfloor heating and a king-size bed below a round window. Lined with panelling and painted in shades of clotted cream, terracotta and powder blue, details such as jugs of white tulips and salvage store swag – vintage mirrors and stripped pine drawers – add cosiness, but the star feature is the shower, with its bottle green corrugated panelling. Guests can pre-order a DIY breakfast – and I enjoy avocado on toast with velvety smoked salmon, poached egg and chilli flakes while looking out into a veil of morning mist.

By the time I’ve finished eating, the mist is lifting and I pull on my boots to explore. In the summer, visitors come to follow Grahame and Jerome K Jerome’s leads, messing about on, or by, the river (there are paddleboards or a boat with skipper to hire), or venturing out on expeditions to Oxford, Windsor and London (all reachable in under an hour by train from Goring or Pangbourne).

Koo and Denny both grew up locally and are generous with insider tips on the area. Borrowing one of their bikes, I start with a gentle 10-minute pedal downhill to Whitchurch-on-Thames. First stop is the Modern Artists Gallery, where I watch light glinting off Alice Cescatti’s gilded paintings as owner Peggy Brodie tells me of the farmhouse up the road where the seeds of Womad music festival were sown. Detouring east, I pass alpaca-nibbled fields and watch red kites circle overhead on my way to Lin’s Veg Shed; its wholesome-looking vegetables and salads can be bought steps from where they have been grown.

In Whitchurch I pedal past the Greyhound pub and over the river into Pangbourne. Grahame’s former home is here, still a private house. Although he wasn’t living here when he wrote The Wind in the Willows, Pangbourne has echoes of picnic-loving Ratty, with its cheese shop, bakery and Italian deli.

Cycling back to Hill Bottom to drop off the bike, I finish my day on foot, walking a few miles to Goring-on-Thames and Streatley along a riverside route through the Goring Gap, a topographical half-pipe where the Thames slices through chalk hills. My route joins the Ridgeway, Britain’s oldest road, as I cross the river, and the landscape feels timeless as I pass pretty brick and flint cottages, ancient churches, a mossy-roofed mill and pubs with elbow-polished bars.

Hunger starts to hit as I pass the waterside tables of The Swan at Streatley, the steamed-up windows of Pierreponts cafe and the decadently stocked shelves of the Goring Grocer. But waiting for me back at Bonni B&B is a pre-ordered Riverford recipe-box meal – a dinner-in-a-bowl dish of romesco chickpeas. With its smoky paprika, lemon and crumbly medita cheese beckoning, and the promise of another night of restorative calm through the round window, I turn from the river and pick up the path back to Hill Bottom.

Soon the Gatehampton Viaduct is stretching behind me and I reach the tunnel-like holloway that leads to Bonni B&B. In The Wind in the Willows, Ratty tells Mole that beyond the Wild Wood lies the Wide World – somewhere he’d never been and would never be going. Entering the sunken path as dusk falls, I realise I feel similarly content in this bosky corner of the Chilterns. I may not want to venture back out into the wider world the following morning either.

The trip was provided by Bonni Outbuildings. Doubles from £150 B&B; breakfast kits £15pp. Riverford dinner recipe boxes from £15 for two. Bikes or paddleboards can be hired for £30 a day

Jordan and Ray Bath took a risk by leaving behind their lives in Basildon, Essex, to start again in Majorca, Spain, where their children, six and four, are adapting to a completley new culture

A couple who swapped Essex for Majorca say they won’t be returning after noticing big change to their family. Jordan and Ray Bath lived in England for their entire lives until they sold their house and business and moved their young children, aged six and four, to the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands.

They have now been residing in the family-friendly seaside town of Pollensa for 10 weeks and have documented their journey on YouTube.

Their lifestyles are now radically different to back home in Basildon, Essex — and they spoke exclusively to us about how they were settling in.

Ray, 37, told us: “It has been nearly 11 weeks now and we have not missed anything about the UK. We are flying back to participate in the London Marathon but it is only a five-day trip and after that we don’t know when we will be back in the UK again.”

Jordan, 32, meanwhile added: “We are very content, very happy, and it is like, ‘Why didn’t we do this sooner?’ I’m so glad we did the jump when we did. We hope we can give our kids the quality of life that we are striving for.”

Why Majorca

Jordan has been holidaying in Majorca since her childhood before she started going with Ray when they met 14 years ago.

They fell in love with it and as for why they moved there, which has long been a dream, Ray said: “I would say personally, I have always wrestled with the idea of retiring and then moving into the sunset to the beach. But actually, the biggest struggle for me was, why do I have to wait until I am 65? Why can’t we do it now? Why can’t we do it while I’ve got the energy?”

Jordan also explained that the sad death of Ray’s dad made them realise how short life actually was, and that the perfect time might never come.

And giving further insight into why they relocated so far from home, she added: “We moved here for a better quality of life, it’s not a tax benefit, not a way of us earning more money.

“We lived in Essex, which is such a rat race. I cannot emphasise enough how I am still trying to get used to it myself. But it is a slower pace of life, the children are the priority, like our children go into school and the teachers hug them and kiss them good morning.”

Agreeing, Ray replied: “Life just feels less heavy, doesn’t it?”

Jordan and Ray have been personal trainers for 15 years and they now offer one to one coaching experiences through their online Viva Endure business.

One of the biggest challenges of living in Majorca was the “obscene” cost of renting or buying properties. However, Ray said that it was also an opportunity for them to attract clientele with potentially bigger budgets.

Huge lifestyle benefit

And while working online has allowed them to move abroad, they said their day-to-day lives now look totally different.

They said they are still in the transition and sometimes have “pinch ourselves moments” where they realise it is not just a holiday and they actually live on the gloriously sunny island with stunning beaches.

They are based in the Old Town where everything is within walking distance from their home — including where their children go to school, the kids’ sports clubs and the supermarket.

The family rent a spacious four-bedroom townhouse, which has two balconies and four bathrooms, in Puerto Pollensa.

As for how the kids were adapting, Jordan said: “They are absolutely loving it. My mum and dad came out here in Easter and said do they want to come back to the UK and they were like ‘no!’”

Giving further insight into how active their lifestyles were now, Ray added: “In the UK we always struggled to get them out on their bikes. It was just dark, dull, grey and we lived too far to the park and it just wasn’t conducive to getting out on their bikes.

“Maybe I am just making excuses, but here, we chucked them both on their bikes and just rode, and within three days we were riding to and from school with them, the four of us, and it was amazing and now we ride our bikes to school every day.”

They also explained that kids tended to stay younger for longer in Majorca, where active play was encouraged, as opposed to staying in and being on devices scrolling TikTok and YouTube.

Asked for the biggest contrast to the UK, Ray said: “It is very simple for me. The lifestyle out here forces you to be more present. It forces you to be present and slow down.”

On a separate point, he said their last monthly electricity bill in the UK cost £272, compared to in Majorca where they just paid €150 (approximately £131).

Challenges

As well as the high cost of property as previously mentioned, the most obvious challenge has been settling into an island where there are two official languages, Spanish and Catalan.

Jordan and Ray have been having Spanish classes twice a week whereas their children are now in a state school so they can be immersed into the dialect.

Their kids are learning to speak the Majorcan dialect of Catalan while also picking up Spanish from their classmates.

Schools also operate differently, because rather than ending after 3pm, classes finish at 1pm, meaning Jordan and Ray have a smaller window to complete their own work.

And giving an insight, Jordan said: “The biggest challenge for me is making sure our kids, especially our eldest who is six, has settled into school.

“She is such a confident little girl and in the UK she was really confident and the first to put her hands up and friends with everyone so I suppose she has gone from like a big fish in a small pond to the smallest fish in the biggest pond where there is a language barrier.

“I know that this transition will be hard at first and she won’t remember it in years to come but it has only been 10 weeks and it has been so much more smoother now. We have been to kids parties, she does tennis, she does football after school and she has got a great little friendship group.”

She added: “It is just getting used to a slightly different routine. The days are just longer, in the UK the kids used to go to bed around 7pm but out there they go to bed at like 8.30pm. It is just because of that culture which is amazing but it is getting used to it.”

Jordan said children come alive at night time and that it was common to see them out on scooters and bikes in the evening where they also dance around the square.

She said the town was family oriented and that while the pace was slower to Essex, it was a smaller bubble full of love, especially for little ones.

The couple are now on a three-year visa, which they can then renew for a further two years before applying for full-time residency after five years.

And asked how long they will stay out in Spain, Ray concluded: “I can’t see any reason why I personally would want to return to the UK — and Jordan is shaking her head so she is the same.

“So how long term is it? Forever.”

The picturesque village has been named the “prettiest in England” and it’ll make you feel like you’re stepping into a place that’s “frozen in time” with ancient stone cottages

A village named one of the “prettiest in England” will transport you to somewhere that feels “frozen in time”. Whether it’s a place for hiking or seeking the finest coffee spots around town, we all crave a touch of adventure.

Now one travel account dedicated to “explore the UK’s ‘secret’ spots” has unearthed the “prettiest village in the Peak District”. It’s a settlement that’s wonderfully photogenic and brimming with attractions. According to the account, it resembles somewhere “frozen in time”. The location receiving countless glowing tributes is Tissington.

This charming village sits within the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, close to Ashbourne on the park’s southern boundary.

In the TikTok post, the page’s description stated: “I spent some mornings wandering through a place that feels completely frozen in time.

“Walking past these ancient stone cottages and visiting the local tea room felt like stepping into a classic British storybook.

“There’s a unique stillness here – no modern street lights, just the sounds of the countryside and centuries of history in every stone.

“It’s the perfect ‘hidden gem’ for anyone looking to escape the 21st century for a few hours.”

Top attractions in Tissington:

The storybook settlement showcases stunning cottages arranged around an historic hall, impressive church and duck pond.

Should you explore Tissington Hall, this welcomes guests during specific periods featuring tearooms, gift boutiques and craft outlets.

The tradition of Well Dressing is believed to have originated here, and each Ascension Day five wells are adorned with floral displays as a tribute to God for the gift of water.

Tissington is equally celebrated for its 13-mile traffic-free trail, which is perfectly suited to both walking and cycling, whatever takes your fancy.

Top activities in the village include cycling, exploring the centre, visiting the tea rooms, and touring the hall.

For those feeling a touch creative, the One a Wick and a Prayer Candle Workshop is a much-loved candle-making destination within the village.

While the village itself has no pub, The Bluebell Inn can be found on the A52 near Tissington Gates.

How to get to Tissington:

If you’re coming from London, this is a 153 mile car journey via the M1 which takes around 3 hours.

Public transport is a lot quicker, taking 1 hour and 25 minutes with East Midlands Railway.

Meanwhile if you live more north, it takes around 1 hour and a half from Manchester, or 50 minutes from Stoke.

If you’re coming from Birmingham, this is around 1 hour and 22 minutes by car, while you’re looking at nearly 2 hours drive from Liverpool.

Defra and UK Border Force warn travellers about strict customs rules

Holidaymakers could face fines of up to £5,000 for bringing certain goods into England, even if those items were purchased at the duty free section of your departure airport.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) released an update at the end of March, calling on travellers to “take a simple step to help protect GB from animal diseases”. It continued: “To protect our animals from the devastating effects of diseases like foot and mouth, it’s illegal to bring meats such as lamb, pork or beef or dairy products from the EU into GB in your luggage.

“This means items such as cheese, cured or raw meats, sandwiches and milk, including duty free purchases. Products will be seized and you risk fines.”

Restrictions are in place regarding bringing meat, dairy, fish and animal products, as well as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds into Great Britain from overseas. Should you declare any prohibited food items to Border Force officers at customs, they will confiscate and dispose of them.

Additional guidance on Gov.uk cautions: “If you do not declare banned food products, you could be fined up to £5,000 (in England) or you could be prosecuted.” The regulations surrounding the importation of meat, dairy, fish and other animal products vary depending on the country of origin.

If you are returning from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, you are prohibited from bringing in any of the following:

• cheese, milk and dairy products like butter and yoghurt
• pork
• beef
• lamb
• mutton
• goat
• venison
• other products made from these meats, for example sausages

You can bring in the following for personal use:

• fish
• poultry, for example chicken, duck, goose and any other products made from these meats
• other animal products, for example eggs and honey

You can also bring in up to 2kg per person of powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food needed for medical reasons. You can only bring it in if it does not need to be refrigerated before use, and is in branded, unopened packaging (unless in current use).

If you’re coming from a country outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, you cannot bring any meat or meat products, or milk or milk-based products, except for powdered infant milk, infant food or special food needed for medical reasons.

You can bring in up to 2kg per person of:

• honey
• powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food (including pet food) needed for medical reasons – you can only bring it in if it does not need to be refrigerated before use, and is in branded, unopened packaging (unless in current use)
• live mussels or oysters
• snails – these must be preserved or shelled, cooked and prepared
• frogs’ legs – these must be the back (hind) part of the frog with the skin and internal organs removed
• insect protein

You can bring in up to 20kg per person in total of fish, including:

• fresh fish – must be gutted
• fish products
• processed fish – must be dried, cooked, cured or smoked
• lobsters
• prawns

England: Kildunne; Breach, Jones (capt), Rowland, Moloney-MacDonald; Aitchison, L Packer; Clifford, Cokayne, Bern, Talling, Ives Campion, Feaunati, Kabeya, Matthews.

Replacements: Powell, Carson, Muir, Lutui, Burton, Hunt, Harrison, Sing.

Ireland: Flood; Parsons, Dalton, Higgins, Elmes Kinlan; O’Brien, Lane; Perry, Moloney-Macdonald, Djougang, Wall, Tuite, Hogan, King (capt), Wafer.

Replacements: Jones, O’Dowd, Cahill, Campbell, Moore, Whelan, McGillivray, McGann.

England might not play again until the summer but Thursday night would have brought a smile to Thomas Tuchel’s face.

The England manager watched his side labour for goals without captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane during last month’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

It once again underlined Tuchel’s limited options when it comes to an alternative for 32-year-old Kane, with the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico a little more than two months away.

So he would have been very happy to find out Ollie Watkins had come up with two more goals for Aston Villa in their 3-1 win against Bologna in the Europa League quarter-final first leg in Italy.

The Villa forward was left out of the expanded 35-man England squad by Tuchel in March, having scored just one goal in his previous nine Premier League matches.

“Watkins is not with us but this is more down to the fact that I know what he can bring to the group – I know him very well,” Tuchel said during the squad announcement.

Despite the comments, the striker’s hopes of making it to the World Cup were left in doubt.

Watkins’ response to the setback has been nothing short of emphatic, with the 30-year-old adding to the goal he scored against West Ham in the Premier League just before the international break.

“It’s the back end of the season and I’m raring to go,” Watkins told TNT Sports after Villa moved one step closer to a place in a European semi-final.

“I could play another 90 minutes. I’m excited for the next few games. I’m hungry.”

After Ezri Konsa’s opener against the run of play in Bologna, Watkins eased Villa’s nerves with a second early in the second half as he pounced on a mistake from Torbjorn Heggem and finished through the legs of goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia.

After the Serie A side then scored a late goal through Jonathan Rowe in the 90th minute, Watkins restored Villa’s two-goal advantage in the 94th minute from a corner, before the return leg at Villa Park next Thursday (20:00 BST).

Erin King will make her first international appearance in a year as she captains Ireland in Saturday’s Six Nations opener in England.

King missed the World Cup last year after she sustained a knee injury in the defeat by the Red Roses in the 2025 Six Nations.

The 22-year-old has been named Ireland’s captain for the 2026 edition and will start at flanker against an England side who are looking to win an eighth Six Nations in a row.

She is joined in the back row by Brittany Hogan and Aoife Wafer, who was the Six Nations player of the championship in 2025 but had an injury-hit year.

Former England prop Ellena Perry will make her Irish Six Nations debut after switching allegiances ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

More to follow.

Ireland: Stacey Flood; Beibhinn Parsons; Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins; Vicky Elmes Kinlan; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Cliodhna Moloney-Macdonald, Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer.

Replacements: Neve Jones, Niamh O’Dowd, Eilis Cahill, Ruth Campbell, Grace Moore, Katie Whelan, Nancy McGillivray, Anna McGann.

Deep in Kielder Forest, on the northern side of the vast Kielder Water stands Silvas Capitalis, a giant, two-storey timber head, one of the most striking of the 20 sculptures tucked between the pines. It’s an eerie sight, almost shocking; its mouth ajar, as if astounded by all it sees. It’s my first visit to Kielder, and my face has been wearing a similar expression since I stepped out of the car at the lakeside trying to take in the scale of the landscapes unfolding around me.

Kielder doesn’t look like England – at least, not the England I know. For a start, it’s vast; 250 sq miles (648 sq km), with 158m trees, mostly sitka spruce conifers planted by hand. And even though it’s a plantation, there’s a wilderness feel that reminds me of Finland or Canada; a great swathe of nature at its most intense. It’s a working forest, involving 500 full-time jobs (not including tourism) and 2026 marks the centenary of the very first plantings, when the UK was in need of timber reserves after the demands of the first world war.

The desolate moorland around Kielder Castle had been identified as a suitable site for a new forest by Roy Robinson, who was instrumental in the creation of the Forestry Commission in 1919. “He was a visionary,” says Alex MacLennan, part of the Kielder team for more than 20 years. “It was hard farming country, but perfect for forestry. Originally, there were eight villages planned, to house the timber workers. But three decades later, when the first trees were ready to be felled, mechanisation and new tools such as chainsaws meant they only needed three.”

All of which means development in the forest is minimal; the main tourist area is at the Kielder Waterside, where 50 unobtrusive lodges are tucked between the trees, some of which were damaged when Storm Arwen roared in five years ago and tore down a million trees across the forest and the wider Northumberland national park. “It’s given a very different feel to the place,” says Gary Storey, general manager of Waterside, “and a chance to replant with different species, native to the UK – silver birch, oak, aspen, wild cherry – something other than the sitka spruce.”

The careful management of Kielder has made it a benchmark for forestry in the UK, not least for the low-impact tourism that has been carefully folded in. Aside from Kielder Waterside, there are a handful of places to stay, including Calvert Kielder, which in addition to offering self-catering lodges, specialises in respite care breaks packed with forest-based, accessible activities. There are also remote spots with facilities where camper vans can park up for £15 a night and a campsite (two-person pitch £20). “We’re not Center Parcs, and we’re never going to be,” says Liz Blair, director of the Kielder Partnership, when we chat over coffee. “But we’re working to make sure it’s accessible and welcoming for everyone, however you want to enjoy it.”

Many people who visit, including me, set off along the Lakeside Way; a 26-mile (42km) route that encircles Kielder Water, linking the sculptural works and immersing walkers and cyclists in the dense forest. When I visit, the silence that hangs between the trees feels almost thick enough to touch; only broken by the occasional rat-a-tat of a woodpecker, calling out for a mate.

But if Kielder is quiet by day, at night it becomes almost unworldly; a pitch-black void, bereft of almost all signs of life, save for the bright stars of England’s first dark sky park (the Northumberland international dark sky park). Driving up to the observatory, I’m glad to have my sister Caroline beside me in the car, keeping up a flow of chatter as the 2-mile off-road route winds further and further into the silent forest.

It’s the Northumberland dark skies festival when we visit, and we settle in for a fascinating (if slightly science-heavy) talk on exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) before braving the bitter cold to walk across to the telescope room. Sadly, it’s cloudy, but it’s still an extraordinary place, staffed with a mix of professional astronomers and passionate volunteers.

Kielder is a place of superlatives; England’s biggest forest, the UK’s largest human-made lake by capacity, the darkest skies – along with quite possibly the most terrifying mountain bike trails in the country. The Deadwater Double Black Downhill opens officially on 1 May, a rock-strewn, ledge-filled, vertiginous route that I wouldn’t want to walk, let alone cycle. It’s one of several new initiatives planned to celebrate the centenary, including a new Room on the Broom trail for kids, based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler; the Kielder celebration weekend (4-6 Sept); and the reopening of Kielder Castle in the summer after extensive renovations.

The forest may be vast, but it’s just one part of the Northumberland national park; the least populated and least visited of the UK’s 15 national parks. Coming from the built-up south-east, there’s an extraordinary beauty in the stark, untouched landscapes – a stillness, a peace, unmatched by anywhere closer to home. The history is pretty impressive too; we dip into the ruined Roman fortress at Vindolanda, take a windswept walk along Hadrian’s Wall and warm up with a fabulously hearty lunch of Cumberland sausage, mustard-mash and thick onion gravy at the centuries’ old Twice Brewed Inn.

But nothing quite matches my late afternoon judder up to the top of Deadwater Fell in Alex’s Forestry Commission van. Standing at the very peak, 571 metres (1,900ft) above sea level, it feels as if I can see for ever; a 360-degree widescreen vista, from the Cheviot Hills in the north-east to the peaks of the western Lake District, the snow-capped Pentland Hills rising up towards Edinburgh, like great white meringues. It’s genuinely awe-inspiring. I’m just glad I don’t have to mountain-bike back down.

This trip was supported by Visit Northumberland, Visit Kielder and Crabtree & Crabtree cottages. Birks Stable Cottage sleeps six, from £472 for a three-night break