Leicester Sunderland 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 city of Sunderland in the north east of England has an enviable location, set right on the mouth of the River Wear next to a beautiful coastline and surrounded by easily accessible countryside. The city also has many heritage, cultural and sporting attractions and you will find that Sunderland has something for everyone. Sunderland has many things to see and do including the Sunderland Empire Theatre, St Peters Church which produced the Venerable Bede, Europe's greatest 8th century scholar, the award winning Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens and for energetic types, the Sunderland Wall and Silksworth Sports Complex offer climbing, skiing and snowboarding while Adventure Sunderland has facilities for windsurfers, kayakers and divers. Sunderland's green spaces and coastline make an ideal setting for a number of outdoor festivals and events. From the adrenaline rush of the Red Arrows at the Sunderland International Airshow to open air movies at the Sunderland Festival, to traditional ox roasting and fireworks at Houghton Feast, there is always something going on in Sunderland to suit all tastes. After a day exploring the city's museums and galleries why not take time out for a spot of retail therapy! The retail heart of the city is centred around The Bridges Shopping Centre, where over 100 top name high street sit side by side along the bright and airy walkways.