My Happy Travels

A bit like landing in London and not exploring the city, I couldn’t visit England and not come to Liverpool.

I do have a family connection here via my Grandpa Langdon who was shipped off to school here from Canada. Secondly, this is where The Beatles experience is at it’s best. Now, I’m not a fanatic fan, but the fab four are up there as one of my most favourite bands (I know, I know, so is it for everyone else!). They remind me of my Dad and when I hear their music I can close my eyes and see Dad tapping his hand on his leg and telling me how his music was the best music 🎶

So we started our day with a stroll through Burton which was just the prettiest little village. It was misty, magical and a great way to stretch the legs before heading off for the day.

We quickly found ourselves on the motorway which was fine for getting some miles under our belt, but soon enough we were looking for somewhere nice to stop and make some lunch. Having recently sold our little piece of Buxton, Australia it was easy to agree to lead the convoy to Buxton, England.

We parked up at Buxton Pavilion Gardens, made some lunch and wondered through the beautiful park before resuming our drive to Liverpool.

Now because I am that person who likes a plan, I had scouted a place to park up for 2 nights many months ago. In my research everything I could find for us meant staying in the outskirts of Liverpool and catching a bus to the city. The city and waterfront was where the action was and while we have no issues catching buses, it wasn’t ideal for the short time we had. Needless to say, I contacted a couple of sites and enquired about the convenience of buses to the city. The first gave very little info and the second was extremely helpful and even let me in on secret of the limited motorhome spaces available at the Liverpool Marina right smack bang in the middle of the waterfront and walking distance to everything we were going to see! She didn’t need to do that and cost herself a booking, but I am forever grateful she was so kind in her advice.

Tip #3 – there are always kind people in this world, we should all try to be like them ♥️

After a spectacular drive in and out of Buxton we were back on the highway and getting in the thick of Liverpool traffic. We wound our way through the streets into the Marina and were greeted by friendly staff and blown away by our sites for the next 2 nights. Parked up, we went for a stroll into the city to grab a few things, predominantly a new pillow as the one supplied in the motorhome was horrendous and I wasn’t going to spend the next 19 nights uncomfortable! Pillow secured after some directions to a shop that sell such things and we made our way back to the Marina via a mandatory pub stop for a beer. Dinner and drinks at the Marina and off to bed for us!

The Marina provided access to the club showers and they were surprisingly spacious and well fitted out. It was a nice start to the day and soon we were off on a walk along the water front and then into city in search of Jason’s target of finding a sister Pest Control company to make his trip tax deductible! We failed that mission, but stumbled across the Liverpool Cathedral, Britain’s largest. For £8 you can go to the top which was via two separate elevators and then 102 steps to the top. As I have aged, my fear of heights I never had as a child has substantially increased. I did not like this plan, but up we went anyway. My feet are tingling as I type this. It was a bloody long way up and the photos taken with shaky hands do not give the views justice. 101 metres up and I was very pleased to have braved it, but even more pleased to be on the ground again. The Cathedral itself was something to behold, like some Gothic structure straight out of Game of Thrones, the architecture was beyond impressive. It is a relatively new structure that took 70+ years to complete in 1978.

By the time we made our way through the Cathedral it was time to head back to the vans for some lunch and the main activity of the day.

Again, planning was key here. There are many companies running Beatles tour from big group tours to walking tours to taxi tours. Research had me pointed directly at a tour that seemed to be everything I had hoped for:

Welcome

I do not have the words to convey how much we all enjoyed this tour. Ian is an independent operator, one man, one decorated cab and extensive knowledge to share through his obvious love of The Beatles. Right from start it was clear we were in for a treat and had made a great choice in our guide. The tour took us to each of the childhood homes of the band and started with Ringo and his story. From Ringo to Paul to John and finished up with George. Each stop Ian gave us a talk about the band member and how they found themselves in The Beatles. We also stopped at Penny Lane, drove past Brian Epstein’s secret love shack and visited Saint Peter’s Parish Church where Eleanor Rigby is buried and where Paul met John. In the middle somewhere there we stopped for a walk around Strawberry Fields which has a Cafe and Souvenir shop. First tshirt purchase of the trip here! Ian then took us back to the city via several places of interest including the art school attended by John and another school where Paul attended more or less across from each other. Several sites relating to The Beatles have been funded by Yoko and Ian was quite grateful to Yoko’s support of Liverpool and preserving the history. Paul, Ringo and George all have their own charitable input into the city in various locations but Ian spoke most highly of Yoko, he was clearly in the camp that did not place any blame on Yoko for the break up of the band. I tend to agree with that position, but only the 4 of them really know, right?

Our day ended with a visit to the Cavern Club which is not the original, but a replica. The original Cavern was demolished. We visited the White Star, which is the same bar the band would have drinks before or after a gig (or maybe both!).

Great day and I am so very grateful to my fellow travellers for indulging me by coming along on this bucket list experience ✅️