Cardiff Wakefield Train

Cardiff is bordered to the west by the rural district of the Vale of Glamorgan—also known as The Garden of Cardiff— to the east by the city of Newport, to the north by the South Wales Valleys and to the south by the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel. The River Taff winds through the centre of the city and together with the River Ely flows into the freshwater lake of Cardiff Bay. A third river, the Rhymney flows through the east of the city entering directly into the Severn Estuary. Its location and geographic features were influential in its development as the world's largest coal port, most notably its proximity and easy access to the coal fields of the south Wales valleys.

Today, Cardiff is the main financial and business centre in Wales and the city was recently placed seventh overall in the top 50 European cities and also ranked seventh in attracting foreign investment. Cardiff is one of the most popular tourist destination cities in the United Kingdom, receiving around 18 million visitors in 2010 and generating £852 million for the city's economy. There are a large number of hotels of varying sizes and standards in the city, providing almost 9,000 available bed spaces.

The city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire lies at the heart of the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle, which encompasses The Hepworth Wakefield, The Henry Moore Institute, the Leeds Art Gallery and Yorkshire Sculpture Park which are only a 30-minute drive, bus or train ride from each other. Wakefield is also home to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and is the birthplace of Dame Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. The city's galleries, castles, museums and many other visitor attractions attract millions of visitors each year. Whilst in the city why not pay a visit to nearby Pontefract Racecourse which delivers an exciting day out. The racecourse enclosures have excellent views of the track and is set in beautiful parkland. The racecourse is the longest continuous circuit in Europe and has a race programme that takes place between April and October. If you are seeking a more adrenaline filled experience then Xscape is for you. Xscape is the ultimate entertainment destination featuring the UK's premier real snow indoor slope, Yorkshire's only indoor surf venue, 14 screen Cineworld cinema, kids soft play, climbing walls, aerial assault course, cosmic golf, laser games, 20 lane bowling, indoor skate park, urban and outdoor specialist shops alongside a huge variety of restaurants and bars!