Aberdeen Cardiff Train

Sometimes referred to as The Granite City, Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city. Modern day Aberdeen's economy is strongly linked to the oil and gas fields of the North Sea. Traditionally, however, the city was involved in fishing, paper making and shipbuilding. The city has won the annual Britain in Bloom competition a record breaking ten times and also hosts the Aberdeen International Youth Festival which is a major international event which attracts up to 1,000 of the most talented young performing arts companies.

Buildings of note in the city include the Town and County Bank, the Music Hall, the Trinity Hall of the incorporated trades (which is now a shopping mall), the former office of the Northern Assurance Company and the National Bank of Scotland. All of these buildings are located on Union Street.

Situated next to each other are Victoria Park and Westburn Park. Victoria Park opened in 1871 and contains a conservatory used as a seating area and a fountain made of fourteen different granites, presented to the people by the granite polishers and master builders of Aberdeen. Opposite to the north is Westburn Park opened in 1901 which has large grass pitches and is widely used for field sports. There is also a large tennis centre with indoor and outdoor courts, a children's cycle track, play area and a grass boules lawn.

The city of Cardiff is located in South Wales and is the capital city of Wales. Cardiff is a small city and at its centre is Cardiff Castle whose history spans over 2,000 years which began with the Romans. The National Museum Cardiff contains Wales' national archeology, geology and natural history collections. In addition, the Wales Millennium Centre is one of the most varied and lively performing arts centres in Europe. Located five minutes from the city centre is Mermaid Quay which is a great place to relax with a drink and a meal on the waterfront. For fans of Whisky there is the Penderyn Distillery which is the only distillery in Wales and one of the smallest in the world. Cardiff also has a vibrant cultural scene with St David's Hall, the national concert hall of Wales, playing host to the Welsh Proms. Also, at the Wales Millennium Centre you can catch the Welsh National Opera and The BBC National Orchestra of Wales. For fans of the hit BBC television show Doctor Who, Cardiff is home to the Doctor Who Experience which offers an interactive journey through Doctor Who's world giving visitors a chance to fly the Tardis and come face to face with Daleks.