Leicester Southampton Train

Leicester is a city in the East Midlands of England and county town of Leicestershire which lies on the River Soar. The city also lies at the edge of the National Forest which is an environmental project run by the national Forest Company. It is an attempt to blend ancient woodland with new plantings in order to create a new national forest. Leicester has a number of scheduled monuments which include the 15th century Belgrave Bridge, the 12th century Leicester Abbey and medieval Leicester Castle.

The city has two main shopping centres which are the Haymarket Shopping Centre and Highcross Leicester. In additional there is the smaller St Martin's Square shopping centre and Leicester Lanes where there are a number of designer and specialist shops. Leicester has a large multi cultural population and the Golden Mile is a stretch of Belgrave Road known for its authentic Indian restaurants, sari shops and jewellers.

Leicester also hosts many cultural events including the annual Pride Parade, a Caribbean Carnival which is the largest in the UK outside London, the largest Diwali celebration outside of India and one of the largest comedy festivals in the UK, the Leicester Comedy Festival. The city also has a film festival, the Leicester International Short Film Festival, which is an annual event which is held every November.

The port and university city of Southampton is located on the south coast of England in the county of Hampshire. Known as the cruise capital of Europe, Southampton plays host to over four million visitors a year and boasts an impressive cultural offering, from museums, music venues and art galleries, to award winning parks and the general hustle and bustle of a diverse city with fantastic shopping facilities. There are many attractions in the city to enjoy including the Southampton City Art Gallery. The internationally renowned gallery has a permanent collection spanning eight centuries which tells the story of western art from the Renaissance to the present day. The core of the collection is 20th century and contemporary British art. The gallery also offers high quality exhibitions ranging from painting, sculpture and drawing, to photography and film, as well as displays that change regularly to ensure new experiences with each visit. Located a few miles from Southampton is Beaulieu where you will find the world famous National Motor Museum including BOND IN MOTION, the world's largest official collection of James Bond Vehicles. There is also the World of Top Gear featuring vehicles from the popular TV programme, On Screen Cars to see the flying Ford Anglia from Harry Potter, and Palace House.