Portsmouth Gloucester Train

Most of the city f Portsmouth lies on Portsea Island which is located where the Solent joins the English Channel. The city is in the county of Hampshire and is the United Kingdom's only island city. Portsea Island is separated from the mainland by a narrow creek, which is known locally by Portsbridge Creek. Portsmouth Harbour lies to the west of Portsea Island and the large tidal bay of Langstone Harbour is to the east.

Portsmouth's main shopping district is centred around Commercial Road, Edinburgh Road, Arundel Street, Crasswell Street and Charlotte Street. The city also has the Cascades Shopping Centre where many high street stores can be found. Many of the city's bars and nightclubs, including The Lyberry, Skyebar, Astoria and POPworld, can be found on Guildhall Walk.

Portsmouth has three theatres: the New Theatre Royal in Guildhall Walk, near to the City Centre, which specialises in classical, modern and avant-garde drama, and the newly restored Kings Theatre in Southsea's Albert Road, which has many amateur musicals as well an increasing number of national tours. The other theatre is The Groundlings Theatre, situated in The Old Beneficial School, Portsea.

The city's Roman Catholic Cathedral can be found on Edinburgh Road and Victoria Park, to the west of the city centre, is also home to Portsmouth's second football team, the United Services Portsmouth Football Club.

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.