Sunderland Preston Train

The city of Sunderland lies at the mouth of the River Wear and is located in north east England. The city hosted the writer Lewis Carrol on many occasions and is where he wrote most of Jabberwocky along with the Walrus and the Carpenter. It is also thought that some parts of Sunderland and the surrounding areas inspired him when he wrote Alice in Wonderland. The Whitburn Library has a stature in memory of Lewis Carrol. Staying with the arts, the painter L.S. Lowry was also a frequent visitor to the city, where he stayed at the Seaburn Hotel. Many of his seascape and shipbuilding paintings are based on Wearside scenes.

The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens showcase exhibitions and installations from up-and-coming and established artists alike, with the latter holding an extensive collection of L.S. Lowry. The National Glass Centre on Liberty Way also exhibits a number of glass sculptures.

Sunderland has a number of theatres including the Sunderland Empire Theatre which is the largest theatre in the north east of England. The Royalty Theatre is home to the amateur Royalty Theatre Group who put on a number of productions each year.

Located in the county of Lancashire in the north west of England, the city of Preston was historically a major port and industrial centre. Modern day Preston is a major centre of the British defence aerospace industry with BAE Systems, the UK's principal military aircraft design, development and manufacture supplier, having its Military Aircraft headquarters located in nearby Warton. The former Preston Port, known as Riversway or The Docks, has been the site of an expanding commercial and residential complex since 1988. The Marina, just north of the River Ribble which enters into the east of the Irish Sea, has its own chandlery and coffee shop, training courses and boat sales.

Preston is served by many national bus services. Stagecoach Express, National Express, Eurolines, and Megabus all have a large presence at Preston Bus Station. The Guild Wheel is a public footpath and cycle route, created in 2012 in celebration of the Preston Guild. It is 21 miles in length, and encircles Preston, linking the city to the countryside and surrounding villages.

Preston North End Football Club were one of the founder members of the Football League and the first team to be crowned English football champions. They play at Deepdale Football Ground which was also the original site of the National Football Museum.