A guide to exploring UK cities beyond London

With its stunning architecture and landmarks, Liverpool is the birthplace of the Beatles Group. So without further introduction, it is known as the hub for art, music, and culture. Beside that, the Albert Dock is a World Heritage site with its maritime history. The city in recent time is more popularly seen as Home to Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C. , the major football giants who play in the English Premier League. In fact, more than 70% of visitors to this city is mainly to experience the electrifying atmosphere of these stadium on match days. 

Upon arrival into the main airport of London, (Heathrow), simply hop on the train from Heathrow to London Euston, 1 hour ride away. Connect to the long distance train from Euston to Liverpool Lime street, taking in another 2 hours ride (depending which train you takes).

St George’s Hall : Located opposite Lime Street railway station in the centre of Liverpool, the building contains concert halls and law courts. The hall exterior façade make it an ideal spot to capture some memories of the city.

St Luke’s Bombed Out Church: The church was badly damaged by bombs during the Liverpool Blitz in 1941 and has been a roofless shell ever since, giving rise to its nickname.

Liverpool Cathedral: Britain’s largest church, this magnificent neo-Gothic building is also the world’s largest Anglican cathedral.

LFC mural photo stops across Liverpool city: The wall murals of Liverpool FC famous players are scattered across the Liverpool city. However, one can find a larger concentration around Anfield Stadium. So do allocate around 45 minutes walking around the vicinity of Anfield Stadium to capture these wall murals. For more detailed address of each mural, check out this link here.

Anfield Stadium Tour: The tour is self guided with allocated entrance timing. As this tour is highly sought after, ensure you purchase your tickets first before arriving. One will get to experience the press conference room, the players interview area, the pitch side, the famous “Liverpool FC Sign”, players tunnel , dressing room, players dinning area and have a full view of the entire stadium. If you are a keen Liverpool FC football fan, allocate at least 2 hours on this self guided tour.

Cavern Club, Beatles pub: Famous live music venue that was a key part of the Beatles’ rise to fame. A fun fact is that Beatles played the Cavern Club nearly 300 times!

Albert Dock: You will easily find shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, and museums in the area. The Albert Dock is listed as a World Heritage site due to its collection of historical buildings.

 If you plan to catch a football match, then you need at least 3 Days/ 2 Nights. Reason being ideally, the first day upon arrival, you can have a tour of Anfield Stadium followed by shopping at its outlet. This will take around 4 hours if you take photos around the stadium. After which, you can visit the other attractions around the city. Liverpool city is not that huge but still, if you wants to travel from Anfield stadium to central city area (near to Albert Docks), give an allowance travel time of 30 minutes. Factor in another 4 hours to take in the sights around the city harbour, cathedrals and experience the night life by drinking at the many pubs in town such as Cavern Club.

The next day, after the late night out, you may like to take it slow by leaving your room around late morning (11am). Have an early lunch , walk around the city shopping district to soak in the match day atmosphere where you will likely see people wearing Liverpool FC Jerseys, preparing to head for the match. The usual kick off time is around 3pm, it mean people starts to go to the stadium around 12pm. You will need to queue for the public buses and my personal experience, took me around 30 minutes to catch the bus.  Factor in another 30 minutes of travel time to stadium, so one will arrive 2 hours before kick off. Soak in the pre match atmosphere and buy the scarfs that is specially designed for that particular match. Match last 2 hours and likely, end around 5pm. By the time you walk out of stadium to the public bus stop, it will be 6pm. There will be no public bus transport till usually 45 minutes after the match. One may wait up to 1 hour for the bus as many are also vying for the bus to go back city area. By 7pm, you may arrive back to city, hence 1 full day is spend watching the match.

 

Things to See: Famous for its Roman history and medieval architecture  and also its black and white buildings including the Rows, medieval two-tier buildings above street level with covered walkways.

Chester city walls: This town has the most complete city walls surrounding it. The walls were built in the past to protect the city of Chester, England from raids and rebellions.

Chester Cathedral: One of the most significant heritage centres in the north west of England. The history dated back to almost one thousand years! 

Eastgate Clock: Chester’s most famous landmarks is the second most photographed clock in the UK after Big Ben. This clock is built in the 19th-century, atop a former Roman fortress gateway. It is now an icon of Chester in the historic heart of the city.

Getting There : Allocate 40 minutes to drive from Liverpool to Chester.

Stay Duration: 4 hours to explore in this town is enough as the attractions are all nearby. The main pedestrian shopping / food area is near to Eastgate Clock.

Birmingham being the 2nd largest city of United Kingdom, it is filled with a typical city with offices buildings. It is also home to the university of Birmingham.

Birmingham Library: One of the most beautiful modern libraries in Europe. Level 3, 7 (secret Garden) & Level 9 has the Shakespeare room and the skyline view.

Victoria Square: A pedestrianised public square in Birmingham, England. It is home to both the Town Hall and the Council House.

Brindley place: Where one can find International cuisine. The location being along the canal make Brindleyplace one of Birmingham’s most picturesque and sought after place to go to.

#4) Cotswolds ; consists of Bibury / Bourton -on-the -Water / Stow -on-the-World

The Cotswolds is a beautiful area of rolling hills, honey-coloured stone villages, and charming market towns in England. It is a popular tourist destination and is known for its Picturesque villages, Romantic countryside and Honey-coloured stone architecture. In my opinion, it depicts a scene of a small laid back English town, far away from civilizations. 

Bibury: Cotswold stone cottages, also known as “the most beautiful village in England” certainly lived up to her name. On the banks of the River Coln, the Arlington Row cottages show you a glimpse through the regions farming history, making it the most photographed attraction in the Cotswolds.

 #5) Stratford-upon-Avon

A medieval market town that is more than 800 years old located in England’s West Midlands. This town is popularly known as the 16th-century birthplace of William Shakespeare, the composer of world famous plays that include ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

Avon River: This river is made famous by the numerous times that Shakespeare mentioned in his writing. Having physically seen it, one could then understand why Shakespeare repeatedly mentioned it. This short town centre circular walk includes some stunning gardens and takes one past the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre and lots to admire on the route. Visiting all the houses related to Shakespeare’s life.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace: A well restored 16th-century half-timbered house in which William Shakespeare was born. You may pay an entrance fee to visit the building. I strongly suggest shopping or enjoying brunch or afternoon tea in the many nearby cafe.

Holy Trinity Church: One of the most visited church in England, the exterior is absolutely gorgeous coupled with a well-maintained garden. This is the last resting place of William Shakespeare. His grave is located inside the church. An interesting fact is this church is also where Shakespeare was baptised and where he worshipped.

A historic city with many attractions, including museums, colleges, and gardens. This city with its historic university buildings, were the inspiration to film some of the most iconic and mesmerising scenes from Harry Potter. 

Christ Church College: One of Oxford’s largest and most famous colleges. If you are a Harry Potter big fan, this is the inspiration whereby the scene of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, includes the Great Hall, the staircases and the cloisters.

Oxford University:  Obviously the central focus of any walking tour so be sure to visit at least some of the colleges. Some are free and others (the more popular ones) require a small entrance fee. Trinity College used to charge 1 GBP and Balliol College charges 2 GBP to enter. Everyone teenager on the streets of Oxford seems to be smart, considering this is one of the top university in the World.

For more detailed information on how to plan up an itinerary to include above mentioned towns, visit the link here.