We left Anglesey by train and headed south to spend some time in Birkenhead and Liverpool. Northern England is famous for being a major creative hub. The area is renowned for its music scene, history and legendary scouse humour. Situated along the river Mersey, it is a great place to stop in for some laid back fun.
* Scouse is the distinctive English accent that you'll hear while on the Merseyside. It is almost like a language of its own and can be difficult to understand for an untrained ear.
I love travelling by train in England. It is so relaxing to sit back and see the sights and towns as the train whizzes past. For the longer rides, there is usually a snack car where you can buy yourself a drink or something to eat. Like popcorn. If you love popcorn and find yourself in England, get your hands on some Proper Corn and thank me later.
When you make your train booking, you can also select seats. We usually pick a table seat so that we can play cards or use our laptops. On the trains, even numbered seats are aisles and odds are windows.
We stayed in Birkenhead and got around primarily on foot and by bus because it’s a great way to see the area. Just about every building has a story and it’s usually a pretty interesting one. Many of the places that you will see have been around for hundreds of years and if you’re present, you can feel the energy of years gone by in every moment. The Halfway House is my favourite beautiful old building in Birkenhead dating back to the 1870’s. It has been various types of businesses over the years and is currently a local watering hole. We also enjoyed visiting the Swan Restaurant, which is housed in another historical building.
The action can be found in Liverpool which is right next to Birkenhead. One can get over to Liverpool via bus or ferry. The ferry is more fun because of the views and listening to ‘Ferry Across the Mersey’ by Gerry and the Pacemakers as you make the crossing.
While in Liverpool we hit up the iconic Cavern Club, shopped, looked at the buildings, wandered around, until we had to catch the last bus back to Birkenhead. We danced, laughed non-stop, pub-hopped, listened to live music, heard amazing tunes (thanks to Shazam, many of those tunes are now on my running playlist), joined in sing-alongs and talked with people we met along the way. Liverpool city centre is a great place to just wander around because it seems like there is something interesting around every corner. It was an absolute blast. My favourite was the Baby Croc for the sing-alongs. It was such a great time for a girl who isn’t usually into sing-alongs.
We spent a lot of time visiting family (Tim’s family is from Birkenhead) and I have to give huge thanks to our cousin and all-around awesome person, Amy for showing us another amazing time despite having a busted arm.
After our Birkenhead visit, we cabbed it to Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport for our next adventure – the Spanish island of Ibiza!
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