Oxford Edinburgh Train

Oxford is a city and county town of Oxfordshire and is roughly 25 miles to the north west of Reading and 50 miles to the north west of London. The city lies on the River Thames and River Cherwell which both run through the city centre.

Oxford is perhaps most famous for being home of Oxford University which is the oldest university in the English speaking world. The University was first mentioned in 12th century records with the oldest colleges being University College (1249), Balliol (1263) and Merton (1264).

The architecture of Oxford demonstrates examples of many different architectural styles since the arrival of the Saxons which includes the mid 18th century Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is also known as the "city of dreaming spires" which is a term coined by the poet Matthew Arnold.

Oxford's city centre is quite small and its centre is Carfax which is a cross roads which forms the junction of Cornmarket Street, Queen Street, St Aldate's and The High. This area has many retail outlets, national chains and smaller independent stores, local government buildings and the police station. Oxford also has two small shopping centres: The Clarendon Centre and The Westgate Centre.

Located in the Central Belt region of Scotland, the city of Edinburgh is Scotland's capital city, and has been recognised as such since the 15th century. Overlooked by its imposing castle, the symbol of the city, Edinburgh combines medieval relics, Georgian grandeur and a powerful layer of modern life with contemporary avant-garde. Medieval palaces rub shoulders with the best of modern architecture, Gothic churches with amazing museums and galleries. Scotland's throbbing night-life centre, Edinburgh, "the Athens of the North", is also a feast for the mind and the senses, playing host to great restaurants, shops and an unequaled programme of city festivals throughout the year. Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, kicks off the festivities, which culminate in the high summer with the Tattoo, the International and the Fringe, amongst many others.

The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1995. In 2004, Edinburgh became the first member of the UNESCO Creative Cities initiative when it was designated a City of Literature.

Edinburgh's historic centre is bisected by Princes Street Gardens, a broad swathe of parkland in the heart of the city. To the south of the gardens is the castle, located on top of an extinct volcanic crag, and flanked by the medieval streets of the Old Town following the Royal Mile along the ridge to the east.