Liverpool March 2012

Liverpool March 2012

We visited Liverpool to view the sights of the city and visit the beaches at Crosby (Anthony Gormleys beach statues) and Formby (National Trust woodland for red squirrels).

First port of call was the Albert Dock. We parked at the large car park area at The Kings Dock (£8 for 6 hours) and walked through past the Echo Arena and Big Wheel to Albert Dock (only about 10mins walk).

The big wheel was good, costs around £8.50 for 3 slow revolutions and a really interseting commentary. Recommended.

We visited the new Liverpool museum, which is a new modern looking building on 3 levels displaying many aspects of Liverpool through the ages and varying themes from music, transport and architecture.
Its all done in an interesting way and is highly recommended. Almost all the museums in Liverpoool are free. The Maritime museum on the Albert Dock is also recommended but we did not visit on this occasion as we had been several times previously. 

The next day we visited the beaches north of Liverpool at Crosby and Formby, followed by Southport.

Anthony Gormleys "Tin Men" statues are on the beach at Crosby. 100 statues of Gormley himself left to natually grow barnacles and other weed and sea life. all very strange and somewhat eerie on a cold March day with the tide out.

After the cold eeriness of Crosby we moved on to Formby parking at the National Trust park (£4.50 per car), or free if you are a NT member (just signed up!).

There are several walking trails you can follow through the woodland with a chance to see Red Squirrels. Though numbers have declined by 80% since a disease epidemic in 2008, numbers are coming back and we managed to see two on the way to the beach area.

It was then on to Southport and a walk along the longest overland pier in the UK, and the pier tram ride back. A look over the shops and a bite to eat, before travelling back to Liverpool.

We explored the many shops in Liverpool the next day, including the new Liverpool One outdoor shopping centre. We even squeezed a gig in at the O2 Academy that evening as Kentucky rockers Black Stone Cherry were playing. Despite arriving late, the night was enjoyable, though the venue a rather cramped, sweaty old warehouse at the back of Lime Street Railway station and the Empire Theatre.

All in all an enjojable few days.