Aberdeen Worcester Train

The city of Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, behind Edinburgh and Glasgow. Aberdeen has a long sandy beach between the two rivers, the Dee and the Don, which turns into high sand dunes north of the Don stretching as far as Fraserburgh. To the south of the Dee are steep rocky cliff faces with only minor pebble and shingle beaches in deep inlets. A number of granite outcrops along the south coast have been quarried in the past, making for spectacular scenery and good rock-climbing.

The city is sometimes known as the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands. These are all reference to the local quarried grey granite incorporated into Aberdeen's buildings. The discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970's it has also been known as the Oil Capital of Europe. The traditional industries of fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding, and textiles have been overtaken by the oil industry and Aberdeen's seaport. Aberdeen Heliport is one of the busiest commercial heliports in the world and the seaport is the largest in the north-east of Scotland. North Sea oil production has declined from its peak but the industry still supports around 47,000 jobs locally.

Located in the county of Worcestershire, the city of Worcester can trace its history back to Roman times where it started life as a Roman settlement. The city stands on the banks of the River Severn and the Worcester - Birmingham Canal where some moorings are available. Distances to Worcester from:- York - 228 miles, 110 locks, 115 hours cruising time. London - 174 miles, 223 locks, 140 hours cruising time. Birmingham - 32.5 miles, 61 locks, 34 hours cruising time Liverpool - 182 miles, 168 locks, 122 hours cruising time.

Worcester has three main parks: Cripplegate Park, Gheluvelt Park, which was opened as a memorial to commemorate the Worcestershire Regiment's 2nd Battalion after their part in the Battle of Gheluvelt during World War I, and Fort Royal Park which is one of the battle sites of the English Civil War. In addition to the parks the city has a large open area known as Pitchcroft which is located to the north of the city centre on the east bank of the River Severn.

There are also two large woodlands in the city, Perry Wood, at twelve hectares, and Nunnery Wood, covering twenty-one hectares. Perry Wood is often said to be the place where Oliver Cromwell met and made a pact with the devil.