Leicester Swansea 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 Swansea, located in South Wales, has a sweeping waterfront that leads to Mumbles and then on to the beautiful Gower Peninsular. Visitors to the city will find many attractions ranging from galleries and museums, waterparks and beautiful countryside. The City Centre is a vibrant hub with over 230 shops and a fabulous market that’s home to all sorts of local delicacies. There are loads of places to visit including the Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea Museum and the National Waterfront Museum to name but a few. One of Swansea’s museums is Wales’ newest and the other is Wales’ oldest – Dylan Thomas even described it as a “museum that belongs in a museum.” For outdoor activities why not explore some of Swansea’s many parks and gardens – 5 of them (Clyne Gardens, Singleton Botanical Gardens, Victoria Park, Cwmdonkin Park and Brynmill Park) have a Green Flag Award and are great places to go with the family. Venturing slightly further afield, take a trip to Mumbles If you feel the urge for a bit of retail therapy. There is a range of high end shops, independent boutiques and quirky galleries, you can really spoil yourself when you visit Mumbles. You will find everything from designer labels, handmade crafts or surfing gear.