Marsh-Mel-O's Adventures: UK Roadtrip Take Two

10th September

Contrary to popular belief not all of our days are pre planned! We woke this morning to no plan, so after a brief discussion we decided to nosey out to Liverpool and back.

After breakfast and sorting out the car, we set off, not knowing really where we were driving. The hiccup of the day was the when the Tom tom we were relying on randomly turning its self off each time we tried to use it! Thankfully we found this out early, but it still meant a day of following road signs and our noses before we found a map book and some internet (right at the end of the day) to lead us!

Our first stop was Warrington, where we continued our tradition of walking the town centre and doing some shopping! According to a parking man, there is no parking in Warrington, which was certainly true! We spent more time driving looking for parking than we did walking around! But we found time for a bit of a tea party with Alice!

From Warrington, we headed to Widnes, where we repeated our previous expedition and explored the shops and main town centre, before ordering some fish and chips for lunch!

Next stop was the Tudor Mansion and Gardens of Speke Hall. It is one of the finest surviving examples of a wood-framed wattle-and-daub Tudor manor house. It is owned by the National Trust and a Grade I listed building. Unfortunately the house itself wasn't open, but it might have been a blessing as I'm not sure I could get under the low beams and crooked stairs! The gardens and outside of the house were amazing and very well maintained. We didnt stop for very long as it was threatening to rain, but we headed into Liverpool.

Getting into Liverpool and to Albert Dock was ... interesting!

We followed the signs and still ended up in the city centre of Liverpool! Mum drove around randomly until I could 'borrow' some wifi from a building / bus that was close by to find out how to get to the Royal Albert Docks!

The Royal Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick. It was opened in 1846, and was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. As a result, it was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world. At the time of its construction the Albert Dock (as it was formerly known before receiving its Royal status in 2018) was considered a revolutionary docking system because ships were loaded and unloaded directly from/to the warehouses. Two years after it opened it was modified to feature the world's first hydraulic cranes. Due to its open yet secure design, the Albert Dock became a popular store for valuable cargoes such as brandy, cotton, tea, silk, tobacco, ivory and sugar.

It is now home to The Beatles Story, an immersive experience which takes you through the Beatles history. You are able to wander through special exhibitions, explore a replica of the Cavern Club, hang out at the Casbah Coffee Club, see extensive Beatles memorabilia and exclusive photographs, and hear exciting stories on the ‘Living History’ audio guide. You can even get behind-the-scenes at Abbey Road Studios and board the Yellow Submarine for an underwater ride. This immersive journey takes you deep into the madness surrounding one of the world's most influential bands. Your become witness to the story of their rise to fame, from humble kids with weird haircuts, to chart-topping global megastars who forever changed popular music. Needless to say it was remarkable. The best area was the replica White Room where they had John Lennon's glasses, piano and guitar on display with Imagine playing on repeat.

On our way home we became a little side tracked when we saw the Liverpool Cathedral and decided to stop for a look! Liverpool Cathedral is the Church of England Cathedral of the Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool. Liverpool Cathedral is the largest cathedral and religious building in Britain. The cathedral is based on a design by Giles Gilbert Scott, and was constructed between 1904 and 1978. The total external length of the building, including the Lady Chapel, is 189 m making it the longest cathedral in the world; its internal length is 150 m. In terms of overall volume, Liverpool Cathedral ranks as the fifth-largest cathedral in the world and contests with the incomplete Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City for the title of largest Anglican church building. With a height of 101 m it is also one of the world's tallest non-spired church buildings and the third-tallest structure in the city of Liverpool. The cathedral is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. We arrived just as Evensong was about to start and we ended up staying for majority of the ceremony. The acoustics were absolutely amazing and the choir and organist worked in harmony to make good use of the echo created by the vast space,

After Evensong, we hopped back into the car and headed home stopping at Sainsbury's on the way home to pick up some veges and sausages for dinner!