Spring sights: When and where to see cherry blossom

Did you know you can you see the cherry blossom in all its glory across Great Britain and Ireland?

Cherry blossom, or sakura, is world-renowned in Japan as their national flower, but you don't need to travel quite so far to capture the marked signs of spring arriving.

Now, we might be getting a little ahead of ourselves so early into March, but with the cold weather soon arriving, we thought you could do with something bright and colourful on your horizon!

Most cherry blossoms are in full swing between April and May, though with a mild winter they can in fact bloom in March or even February. However the flowers are usually rather short-lived.

In cooler, drier conditions they may last a week or two. While in warm, rainy and windy weather they might only last a few days.

Most of the above locations share the exact bloom dates on their websites, so make the most of it when you can, because their bloom duration may be largely weather dependent.