Having organised to visit a friend today we decided to take the long way around – as one does when on holidays.  Driving from St Annes our first port of call was Liverpool to do the Beatles thing – or Beatles experience they call it there.  Like Newcastle NSW Australia- the foreshore of the river Mersey, which was once heavy industry is now being reinvented.  Old disused factories turning into smart apartments and a huge new entertainment centre has been built.  But there are times when they just shouldn’t mess with the important things, wanting to catch the “Ferry Cross the Mersey” – our navigator  went via a tunnel under the river.  Now you drive along and £1.50 later you pop out on the other side.  Hmmmph!

Next port of call was Chester – now there’s a remarkable town.  Drove into town, down into the first car park we saw, walk into the shopping centre above and asked the attendant at the information desk where the beautiful Tudor buildings were that this town was famous for.  He looked at me as if I was mad and nodded to over my shoulder.  If I had turned around before asking I would has seen a magic street of well maintained stylish black and white buildings.  Just gorgeous.  Sorry Clitheroe but Chester has stolen my heart.

Drove further on down, crossing into Wales and the land was getting flatter the further south we went – but still pretty as a picture everywhere we go.  Headed back to have a great afternoon with our friend including a visit to a local micro-brewery. Eventually we had to head home so we tucked some bottles into our car and competed with the locals in the afternoon rush hour.  When the traffic is so congested that it gets down to 40mph or even to a standstill they are not happy chappies.

Thursday night saw “goin doon tu tha lucul fa a pint”.  And that’s exactly what they did.  The old pub called ‘Taps’ with its wooden floor and bare brick walls had so many types of beer on tap it was hard to choose.  With a pint in our hand we tucked ourselves into a corner table and watched as a continuous flow of locals came in, had a pint, chatted, then left.  Interestingly enough there were no youngies – average age of well dressed business men and women would be about 50.