Chester Gloucester Train

The city of Chester lies on the River Dee and is located in the county of Cheshire in north west England and is close to the border with Wales. Chester was granted city status in 1541. Chester was one of the last towns in England to fall to the Normans in the Norman conquest of England. William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a castle, to dominate the town and the nearby Welsh border. The city has a number of medieval buildings, but some of the black-and-white buildings within the city centre are actually Victorian restorations. Chester is one of the best preserved walled cities in Britain and apart from a 100-metre section, the listed Grade I walls are almost complete. A footpath runs along the top of the walls, crossing roads by bridges over Eastgate, Northgate, St Martin's Gate, Watergate, Bridgegate, Newgate, and the Wolf Gate, and passing a series of structures, namely Phoenix Tower (or King Charles' Tower), Morgan's Mount, the Goblin Tower (or Pemberton's Parlour), and Bonewaldesthorne's Tower with a spur leading to the Water Tower, and Thimbleby's Tower.

The Industrial Revolution brought railways, canals, and new roads to the city, which saw substantial expansion and development – Chester Town Hall and the Grosvenor Museum are examples of Victorian architecture from this period.

The city of Gloucester is located in the county of Gloucestershire and lies close to the border with Wales. The city, which also lies on the River Severn, has a rich past dating back to Roman times. At the heart of the city, and standing in College Green, is the Norman cathedral with its breathtaking fan-vaulted cloisters and great east window. From the cathedral it is only a short walk down narrow cobbled streets, past historical buildings, to the main shopping area in the city. From there it is, once again, a short walk to the Victorian Docks with its now converted warehouses. In the docks you are likely to see all manner of vessels from narrow boats to sea going ships. The city is also an excellent base from which to explore the surrounding area and take in the splendour of the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean. The Cotswolds is an area of rolling hills which rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment, known as the Cotswold Edge, above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The Forest of Dean is an area of mixed ancient woodland and forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.