* First off it's the 9:19 London Midland train from Wolverhampton to Liverpool Lime Street, calling at Stafford, Crewe, Hartford, Acton Bridge, Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway. I like these Class 350 Desiro units, very comfortable and well-appointed. Andy and Mark work through their "Some Mothers Do Ave Em" repertoire as we infiltrate a Liverpool-bound stag party, Andy refraining from too much D9 driving for the time being.
* Liverpool Lime Street where we disembark to meet Ken Dodd's statue and purchase our Saveaway tickets - these are excellent value as £4.50 provides a full day's travel on bus, train and ferry. The construction works I encountered on a previous visit have been concluded, so we could walk straight out the front of the station and take in the iconic Liverpool skyline - we have arrived!
* Liverpool Centre - we have a bit of time for a stroll around as Andy introduces his "purple pubs" theme of the day, with the New Penny Farthing providing an immediate example. Queen Square Bus Station includes the distinctive round travel centre for a handful of timetables, then we try to find Victoria Street as Andy practises his Scouse accent - to me he ended up sounding like a deranged cat with a bad case of furballs!
* First bus of the day is the 464, cranking up the old D9 with a ride through Queensway Tunnel to Birkenhead. The tunnel was surprisingly long, with several KEEP IN LANE signs before we re-emerged into daylight. The route is operated by Arriva linking Liverpool and New Ferry, and came courtesy of a decker with coach seating.
* Birkenhead was a curious place that seemed suspiciously quiet for a Saturday morning. We alight at the bus station, which looks quite bright in the ubiquitous Merseytravel yellow tones but the layout doesn't necessarily make bus photography an easy pursuit here. Mr Wood then employs his Wetherspoon's radar, taking us to the Brass Balance on Argyle Street with Andy finding plenty of purple candidates to keep us occupied en route.
* Birkenhead was a curious place that seemed suspiciously quiet for a Saturday morning. We alight at the bus station, which looks quite bright in the ubiquitous Merseytravel yellow tones but the layout doesn't necessarily make bus photography an easy pursuit here. Mr Wood then employs his Wetherspoon's radar, taking us to the Brass Balance on Argyle Street with Andy finding plenty of purple candidates to keep us occupied en route.
* Like the town in general, the Wetherspoon's was half deserted, not that this bothered us much as we could get stuck straight into lunch and some real ales. For me this meant the customary gourmet burger washed down with a couple of pints - Wobbly Bob from the Phoenix Brewery (strong at 6% ABV) then Titanic's Last Porter Call (dark and flavoursome).
* Lunch over, it's back out onto the streets of Birkenhead. A few local photos come courtesy of the Fireman's Arms, the market building and the Crown, then there's a quandry over where we have to catch our next bus. The stop information on Europa Boulevard was conspicuous by it's absence, although I could at least get plenty of views of Conway Park Merseyrail station (served by the Wirral Line) whilst Andy gets acquainted with the 'Birkenhead Hub'. A rather-too-friendly local then gave us the benefit of his extensive Hamilton Square knowledge and we have to make a dash when the 409 finally appears round the corner.
* The 409 - another Arriva route, this linking Birkenhead and Wallasey Village although we're only going to Seacombe Ferry Terminal. With the bus already a little late, we hit a further obstacle when the dock bridge is raised to allow for some shipping movements. The regulars on the bus informed us that this is quite a rare occurrence these days, so our timing has been as impeccable as ever! We have no choice sit tight and study Mr Lunn's bald spot as eventually 'Prasident' glides past and the road is lowered back into position. With much relief we can continue with our journey, making it to Seacombe with literally a couple of minutes to spare.
- Snowdrop working the Mersey Ferry -
- Snowdrop working the Mersey Ferry -* Luckily for us, the ferry has only just arrived and there will be a little hold whilst existing passengers disembark. I put this to good use with photos of the Seacombe Ferry pub (next door to the terminal building), and a view or two of our boat itself, prettily named 'Snowdrop'.
* The ferry - simply a magical experience, evoking thoughts of the Gerry & the Pacemakers song and the opening credits of Brookside. The ride flanks the Birkenhead bank initially, calling at Woodside terminal, then crosses the mighty Mersey as we close in on Pier Head and the magnificent Liver Building. Combined with an informative running commentary, great views, lots of photo possibilites and a freshening breeze, this was undoubtedly one of the exploration highlights of 2010 - or any other year for that matter.
* Disembark at Pier Head, and after an RTA collision between Messrs Wood and Lunn, we catch the C2 Cumfybus city circular for our Moorfields Station connection. We initially find ourselves at the back end of Moorfields where the access is closed and the shutters are down, but we soon find the main station and descend into a subterranean atmosphere very (unnervingly) reminiscent of the Tube.
* The train to Southport, sampling a local suburban Merseyrail service. There seems to be an intermediate station call every 2 minutes or so, including places like Crosby, Formby, Ainsdale and Birkdale that sound familiar, whilst Woody discovers that an afternoon snooze is an effective way of avoiding some D9 bruises.
- Time for an afternoon nap-
* Southport Station and a quick few photos of the trains in their bays. The station is a terminus for the Northern Line and services through from Wigan but I didn't think that much of it in truth - the main frontage onto Chapel Street was a solid greyish lump that rather intrudes into an otherwise pleasant streetscape.
* Getting our bearings, we just have time for a pint in the Hoghton Arms where I bit the bullet and coughed up for the most expensive round of the day - the price would've brought out the violins ordinarily but for the fact it was still significantly cheaper than Andy's legendary round in Sheffield! The Guinness went down well and then it's back on the train for the return ride to Liverpool - no naps this time so it's driving reconstruction punishment all round. The burning question remains - did Mr Wood visit Merseyside during his previous existence?
* We alight amongst the crowds at Liverpool Central and battle our way up the escalator and back out onto the street. A closing couple of pints will do us nicely, so we start with the Richard Jack Blackler Wetherspoon's. Heading into Saturday evening, the place was unsurprisingly crammed and the Lord Marples ale was off, so we settled for some Innkeepers, dropped lucky in finding a spare table and then got bemused by a parade of mix and match superheroes - I spotted Robin but where was Batman? No such confusion at the Crown but still plenty of punters - again the beer seemed to be running out but I was more than satisfied with my pint of Deuchars IPA. We found a quiet spot in the gallery upstairs for a Cheers photo and I even found myself a copy of Mersey Ale, the local CAMRA newsletter.
* Lime Street Station once more for food supplies and the train home. I did the guys proud by finding a table seat right next to the toilet just so that Andy was well catered for, although we were tempted to lock him in it at one stage. Running late out of Liverpool, the train made up good time, hence the rather comical sight of Mr Wood sprinting out of Wolverhampton Station hoping to catch his 256 back to Stourbridge.
* For Andy and myself, the day has one further treat in store as we call into the Posada for a closing pint. Brains' SA was our tipple here, enjoying the seemingly authentic surroundings - a fitting way to finish off what had been another absolutely brilliant day out. All I can say is, bring on the next one!!
* The ferry - simply a magical experience, evoking thoughts of the Gerry & the Pacemakers song and the opening credits of Brookside. The ride flanks the Birkenhead bank initially, calling at Woodside terminal, then crosses the mighty Mersey as we close in on Pier Head and the magnificent Liver Building. Combined with an informative running commentary, great views, lots of photo possibilites and a freshening breeze, this was undoubtedly one of the exploration highlights of 2010 - or any other year for that matter.
* Disembark at Pier Head, and after an RTA collision between Messrs Wood and Lunn, we catch the C2 Cumfybus city circular for our Moorfields Station connection. We initially find ourselves at the back end of Moorfields where the access is closed and the shutters are down, but we soon find the main station and descend into a subterranean atmosphere very (unnervingly) reminiscent of the Tube.
* The train to Southport, sampling a local suburban Merseyrail service. There seems to be an intermediate station call every 2 minutes or so, including places like Crosby, Formby, Ainsdale and Birkdale that sound familiar, whilst Woody discovers that an afternoon snooze is an effective way of avoiding some D9 bruises.
- Time for an afternoon nap-* Southport Station and a quick few photos of the trains in their bays. The station is a terminus for the Northern Line and services through from Wigan but I didn't think that much of it in truth - the main frontage onto Chapel Street was a solid greyish lump that rather intrudes into an otherwise pleasant streetscape.
* Getting our bearings, we just have time for a pint in the Hoghton Arms where I bit the bullet and coughed up for the most expensive round of the day - the price would've brought out the violins ordinarily but for the fact it was still significantly cheaper than Andy's legendary round in Sheffield! The Guinness went down well and then it's back on the train for the return ride to Liverpool - no naps this time so it's driving reconstruction punishment all round. The burning question remains - did Mr Wood visit Merseyside during his previous existence?
* We alight amongst the crowds at Liverpool Central and battle our way up the escalator and back out onto the street. A closing couple of pints will do us nicely, so we start with the Richard Jack Blackler Wetherspoon's. Heading into Saturday evening, the place was unsurprisingly crammed and the Lord Marples ale was off, so we settled for some Innkeepers, dropped lucky in finding a spare table and then got bemused by a parade of mix and match superheroes - I spotted Robin but where was Batman? No such confusion at the Crown but still plenty of punters - again the beer seemed to be running out but I was more than satisfied with my pint of Deuchars IPA. We found a quiet spot in the gallery upstairs for a Cheers photo and I even found myself a copy of Mersey Ale, the local CAMRA newsletter.
* Lime Street Station once more for food supplies and the train home. I did the guys proud by finding a table seat right next to the toilet just so that Andy was well catered for, although we were tempted to lock him in it at one stage. Running late out of Liverpool, the train made up good time, hence the rather comical sight of Mr Wood sprinting out of Wolverhampton Station hoping to catch his 256 back to Stourbridge.
* For Andy and myself, the day has one further treat in store as we call into the Posada for a closing pint. Brains' SA was our tipple here, enjoying the seemingly authentic surroundings - a fitting way to finish off what had been another absolutely brilliant day out. All I can say is, bring on the next one!!
And who will be on the next one?
ReplyDelete