Day out on the Mersey, Liverpool
Join Julie on the Mersey
Hello to you all, Whispering Wanders Category is a sort of travel, come information section of our book blog, where we will be sharing with you our adventures, holidays, places of interest, etc.
Having driven through the Mersey Tunnel several times, we decided we could delay a crossing by boat no longer and travelled to Liverpool to take the River Explorer Cruise.
We were staying in Hoylake and caught the train from Manor Road to James Street via MerseyRail. Walking down the road from the railway station to Liverpool Waterfront took no more than a few minutes.
We bought our River Explorer Cruise tickets from (it must be said) a rather indifferent sales operative and had just a few minutes to wait until our ferry arrived. It runs on the hour from Pier Head between 10:00am – 16:00 Monday to Friday and has different seasonal weekend and Bank Holiday arrangements. See website for more details. www.merseyferries.co.uk/cruises/river-explorer-cruise
Our tickets enabled us to get off and on again at Seacombe and Woodside. We got off at the latter to visit the U-boat Story.
It was blustery and overcast to begin with and definitely a day to hang on to one’s glasses!
There is a ferry commentary after a quick blast of ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ by Gerry and the Pacemakers. (I confess to enthusiastically joining in, much to the embarrassment of Mr JH.) The Three Graces of Liverpool Waterfront are of particular architectural interest; they consist of the Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and the former offices of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/exhibitions
We had planned to have lunch in the ferry terminal café but it was closed so we wandered into Birkenhead through Hamilton Square and visited a delightful deli.
This photograph was taken at Woodside after the weather had brightened up. The waterfront backdrop consists of the Radio City Tower, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King with the Albert Dock in front and Liverpool Cathedral to the right.
The U-boat story was very interesting with a video on a continual loop and lots of exhibits and artefacts, as well as the U-boat itself which sank after sustaining depth-charge damage to the aft torpedo room.
Our ferry tickets included the U-boat exhibition but it is possible to purchase tickets at the exhibit itself.
We also found The Resurgam – a replica of the first steam powered submarine designed by Reverend George Garrett in the Wirral. Sadly, it sank off the coast of Rhyll in 1880. This full-sized reproduction stands at Woodside Ferry Terminal. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurgam
We completed our ferry trip by boarding at Woodside and disembarking at Pier Head. This gave us time for a quick visit to The Museum of Liverpool.
We barely scratched the surface of all that Liverpool has to offer on this brief trip into the city and plan to return soon to explore a bit more.
In addition to the above, there is the Beatles story and the cathedral.
Cost of the river trip = Adults £10, Children £6.50, Concessions £9 and Family (two adults and up to three children) £28.
This was a very good and relatively inexpensive day out. I would definitely recommend a trip on the river if you are in the Liverpool area.
And finally, a few photos synonymous with Liverpool. The Beatles, The Waterfront featuring the Three Graces in the centre and the Liver Building.
