Aberdeen York 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.

The city of York in North Yorkshire is a flourishing city with long and interesting history and is only two hours by train from London. The city is known around the world for its exquisite architecture, its many cobbled streets and of course the iconic York Minster. For a slightly different perspective on the city why not visit The York Army Museum which explores the history of two of Yorkshire's famous regiments, the Royal Dragoon Guards and the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire. The museum has over eighty showcases displaying military artifacts collected over 300 years. Alternatively, for a more relaxing and contemplative experience visit the nearby 12th century Rievaulx Abbey located in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. The Abbey became one of England's wealthiest monasteries before its dissolution by King Henry VIII in 1538. There is an indoor interactive museum and the Work of God and Man exhibition which shows how religion mixed with business in the lives of the monks. Whilst at the Abbey there are plenty of walking and cycling routes to enjoy the spectacular scenery.