Yes folks! Continuing on from the last post when I was recounting my time last year in the UK, now I take you to sunny Liverpool. Train cancellations proved a problem, last time a severe delay to my train, this time my first train was cancelled. I was able to take the train from Northampton to Stafford and luckily there was ample time between my original train and the second train to Liverpool, and I was able to catch that one.

Temperatures were really high in the United Kingdom when I was there, constantly around or over 30 degrees and over, and it’s just awfully muggy and unpleasant when it’s like that in the UK and air conditioning isn’t really a thing often as well so it can be hard to find a way to cool off.

But I was to have a respite as I head westish to the other side of the country to visit Liverpool, a place which I had never visited before this trip. In fact, it was raining for some of the journey and still when I arrived in Liverpool. A cool change had arrived, although Liverpool was already a cooler city that Northampton or London.

In fact it was only around 16 – 17 degrees Celsius when I was in Liverpool, and to be honest I really appreciated the cooler weather, although it could have been sunnier but most of the rain was done on my first day in Liverpool.

I stayed in a place that turned out to be really good, and perfect for my needs. It was around 100AUD a night – oh at it was the Tune Liverpool City Centre. However, that was booked in advance and I had to add another night onto my stay once I was there, and suddenly it was $202AUD per night, which was a shock and I checked out a few other possibilities but they weren’t much cheaper and would involve me checking out and checking in again. Didn’t really want to do that so I went with it in the end. The room was small, but comfortable with a TV and good WiFi and the location meant I could walk a few places easily.

My activities in Liverpool were quite a few, and too many for one simple post. There were things around town you would see – the Dockside, churches and the like, then there were Beatles’ related locations as this THE birthplace of the band, and then there are football related places to go too. If you’re a Liverpool fan you might think about going to Anfield, you can certainly buy merchandise in the centre of town, but if you’re like me and follow (somewhat) the OTHER side in Liverpool, Everton (older than Liverpool btw and have had their own success winning the top league nine times) then you might want to consider a tour of the new stadium, Hill-Dickinson.

It wasn’t open yet when I visited, and the real history of the club is better told I guess at Goodison Park which was their home until mid last year, between seasons. Fun fact: Anfield was actually their original home ground back in the 1870s-1880s before they built and moved to Goodison Park. So if you’re an Everton fan, you’ll enjoy the tour of Goodison (I believe you can now tour Hill-Dickinson Stadium too if you want), there’s a merch shop next to the stadium, a statue of Dixie Dean, one of Everton’s most famous players and you’ll learn about this history of the club and see the locker rooms/showers etc.

A short summary of the Beatles locations I visited:

Strawberry Fields – now houses a nice little museum to the Beatles, these were fields John Lennon used to visit as they were close to his childhood home, just around the corner if you want to see it, it has a little plaque and is easy to find. The original gates are housed inside the gardens too. Sad story, John’s mum run across Menlove Avenue (which his childhood house is on) to catch a bus and died when she was hit by a vehicle. Reached by a bus from central Liverpool, it’s still not too hard to get to even if the bus takes 40 minutes I think it was. (Bus No. 76)

Penny Lane – this was on the same bus route and I headed back to the centre of town and got off here. To be honest, it’s not quite the amazing sight you might imagine, the main road divides Penny Lane somewhat, the barber mentioned in the song is to the right heading back into Liverpool centre, but the majority of the street is to the left, there are a few plaques, nice houses and a field.

Cavern Club – (not to be confused with the Cavern Pub) was an easy walk from my hotel. This is one of the first places the Beatles play and is the venue most associated with the group. It still runs today for a nominal entry fee, I went down in the middle of the day and watched some live music and it really looks just how you imagine it. Very worth it. Mathew st is the small street where it lives, along with other bars and venues, most with Beatles motifs at the very least. So you could kill a bit of time here, also a few souvenir shops.

Dockside Statue – in a different direction, on the banks of the Mersey River, this statue of the Fab Four is the place to go and get a selfie. Basically, that’s it!

The Beatles Story Museum – is located further up in the Dockside area, which I will talk about more next time. It was over 20 pounds, and tells the story of them becoming big up to the end of the Beatles and that last, rooftop concert. It’s quite reliant on an audio-guide, and there is another similarly priced Beatles Experience – The Liverpool Beatles Museum – which might do a better job. It’s okay, just not sure this kind of experience is for me I guess.

Okay then – next time I’ll complete Liverpool talking more about the Dockside Area, a couple of churches and the brilliant tunnel tour! So keep an eye out for that one! Take care wherever you are in the world right now, and May the Journey Never End!