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Tourist information- Lancs, Merseyside & Cheshire - & Manchester

Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture 2008. Be new, be trendy. Go and have a look:

The Liverpool Sound Anfield Stadium 1 June 2008
It will be a multi-artist concert in front over 35,000 people at the Anfield Football Stadium on Sunday 1 June. Headlined by Sir Paul McCartney and his band. There will be lots more huge names at this event.

Liverpool Cathedral is an awesome, spectacular, beautiful building and yet also a vibrant living church attempting to live the Christian Gospel; a community of daily prayer and worship; a home to great art and music with our 60 boy and girl choristers and now with exciting, new visitor facilities.

Tate Liverpool. Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 4BB. 0151 702 7400
 

The Merseyside Maritime Museum tells the history of one of the world's greatest ports. Discover Liverpool's central role in centuries at sea as the gateway to the new world, how the Titanic, Lusitania and Empress of Ireland tragedies affected the city and how merchant navy ships operating out of the port have provided a lifeline in times of war and peace.

Located within Liverpool's historic Albert Dock, the Beatles Story is a unique visitor attraction that will transport you on an enlightening and atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture and music of the Beatles

For the most visited Liverpool attractions, visit the stunning Albert Dock which showcases the best of the city in a World Heritage, waterfront setting. Situated in the largest group of Grade I listed buildings in the UK, the Albert Dock houses many award winning visitor attractions including Tate Liverpool, the famous Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum and the new International Slavery Museum.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

The Tall Ships' Races 2008
Liverpool is the host port for the start of The Tall Ships' Races 2008.
The fleet will be berthed in Liverpool from 18 to 21 July.
The large Class A Tall Ships will be berthed in Wellington and Sandon Half Tide Docks. The Class B,C, and D vessels will be berthed in Albert, Canning and Canning Half Tide Dock.
The Tall Ships' Races 2008 will be one of the major highlights for Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture. From the moment the ships berth in Liverpool they will experience a welcome and celebration like no other in the world. Don't miss the boat - use the options on the left to find all the information you need.
For more details call 0151 233 2008 or e-mail events@liverpool08.com

 

The Wirral Way, a path on the track of an old railway, 12 miles long and goes from West Kirby to Hooton in mid-Wirral. It is situated within Wirral Country Park

Cheshire:

Outdoors:

Cycling in Cheshire, not too flat and not too hilly! Discover the real Cheshire as you cycle along quiet, tree-lined lanes, through gentle countryside and sleepy villages. There's always plenty to see along the way and places to stop for some well-earned refreshment! Former railway lines such as the Wirral Way and the Biddulph Valley Way provide safe, traffic-free rides for cyclists and horse riders alike.

Pathways through Cheshire through an English County. Here walkers are rewarded with intimate glimpses of peaceful English countryside, ranging from magical wooded hillsides and gentle pastoral lowlands, to the panoramic heights of purple moorland and wild hills. long distance trails along the beautiful Sandstone Ridge or dramatic Gritstone uplands of east Cheshire.

The Dee Estuary, on the North Wales / North-West England border, is one of the U K's premier birding locations for wetland and shorebirds. This Web site describes the best Dee Estuary bird watching areas with detailed maps and latest bird news for dedicated twitchers and casual birdwatchers alike. 

Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve offers a variety of walks, including an easy access trail through the woodland with restful views over the lake. Look out for birds and butterflies on the way, including the bright yellow brimstones

Stride out on the new Healthy Trail in Stanney Woods Local Nature Reserve, listening out for the woodpecker drumming or the screech of a jay as you go. Stanney Woods is an ancient woodland of oak and silver birch, with some hazel and holly. It is excellent for bird watching and also exceptionally good for fungi in the autumn

Utkinton Walk. Deep in the heart of mid-Cheshire, this route covers some of the rich dairy and fruit growing country for which the area is so famous. In fact, this quiet corner of the county has been inhabited and cultivated for thousands of years, as the nearby Iron Age hillforts at Eddisbury and Kelsborrow Castle testify.
The walk unfolds through a deep sunken lane and across a rolling patchwork landscape, with wonderful views across to the distant Peckforton Hills and beyond.
 

The Sandstone Trail The original Sandstone Trail officially opened in 1974. It has now been extended, so it now links the towns of Frodsham and Whitchurch. This not only makes it more accessible by public transport, but also means you can enjoy some of the excellent facilities available in each town
 

Museums, Houses & Gardens:

Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate One of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites, including complete working cotton mill, restored Apprentice House, mill workers' village and country estate set in the valley of the River Bollin. The most powerful working waterwheel in Europe
Practical demonstrations in the mill. Discover the effects of the Industrial Revolution on how we lived and worked.  Woodland and riverside walks provide a tranquil contrast

Styal, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 4LA. Tel: 01625 527468

Salt Museum. Salt has been produced in Cheshire for over 2,000 years and it is the only place in Britain where it is still produced on a large scale.

Located near Northwich in Cheshire, the Anderton Boat Lift is one of the greatest monuments to Britain's last canal age and known as the "Cathedral of the Canals". Built in 1875 it was the world's first and is currently England's only Boat Lift. For Scotland's fascinating and rather modern boat lift see Falkirk Wheel

The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port, Gloucester Docks and Stoke Bruerne bring the history of Britain’s waterways to life. Climb aboard historic boats and discover what life was like living and working on our waterways. Our collection of historic boats, the largest in the world, includes narrowboats, canal and river tugs, concrete barges and a steam powered dredger.
 

Lewis Carroll, or to give him his real name, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832- 1898), is best remembered for his two Alice books, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) was born in the Village of Daresbury.

Knutsford is the burial place of Elizabeth Gaskell (1810 - 1865). She was raised by an aunt who lived in Knutsford.

Gawsworth Hall. An ancient manor house.

Tatton Park is one of the UK’s most complete historic estates. The Mansion, Gardens, Farm, Old Hall, 1,000 acre deer park and speciality shops offer something for everyone along with over 100 events annually.

Dunham Massey Country estate including mansion with important collections and 'below stairs' areas, impressive garden and deer park.  Finest collection of Huguenot silver in Britain. 
Ancient herd of fallow deer in a stunning 101ha (250 acre) park
Scandal and romance retold in fascinating guided-tours
Majestic trees and richly planted borders – one of the North West's great gardens. 

Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 4SJ. Tel: 0161 941 1025

Little Moreton Hall Moated manor house – the 'icon' of English Tudor domestic architecture. One of Britain's finest timber-framed moated manor houses, Magnificent Long Gallery with unusual plasterwork, Delightful Knot Garden.  Little changed, if slightly crooked, after 500 years.  A recent role in David Dimbleby's 'How we built Britain' documentary (2007), Brought to life through guided tours and an exciting event programme
Congleton, Cheshire CW12 4SD. Tel: 01260 272018

Rode Hall A beautiful country house with extensive gardens near Congleton, Cheshire.  Snowdrop Walks in February Scholar Green.

Norton Priory Museum & Gardens is a fantastic day out, with an award winning museum, excavated medieval ruins, the spectacular St Christopher statue, the lovely Walled Garden and the extensive woodland and sculpture trail.

Arley Hall & Gardens Arley is a place of enormous character, charm and interest. Visitors are frequently struck by the warm and intimate atmosphere and the feeling that Arley is a much-cherished family home.
The Gardens, which are amongst the finest in Britain, are outstanding for their vitality, variety and historical interest and are particularly celebrated for the magnificent double herbaceous border. The Hall is an impressive example of a Victorian country house built in the Elizabethan style.

Chester is the county town of Cheshire. Sitting by the River Dee it is one of the best preserved medieval walled cities in the UK.

Chester began when the Romans built a fort next to the River Dee about 75 AD. The Roman fort was called Deva. At first the fort was made of wood. It had a ditch outside and an earth embankment with a wooden palisade on top. At the beginning of the 2nd century parts of the fort were rebuilt in stone. For more history of Chester try here
 

Chester inspired Henry James to write about the city in his novel The Ambassadors. You'll be able to enjoy Rows Galleries, the two tiered medieval galleries of shops - the home of shopping. The Three Old Arches is said to be the oldest shop front in England. Other features are the Eastgate Clock with its intricate metalwork. Chester Cathedral, a place of worship for over 1000 years and was originally a Benedictine Abbey, is one of the many attractions with in the city walls. In the summer go to the city centre Cross where the Town Crier welcome visitors at 12noon Tuesday to Saturday.

Transport in Cheshire. Excellent local council site for time tables and the like.

Lancaster Maritime Museum Located within two fine Georgian quayside buildings. Uses sounds, smells and reconstructions to tell the story of the port of Lancaster

Lancaster Castle See the place where the Lancashire Witches were convicted and condemned to die. Experience the dungeons and imagine what it was like to have been imprisoned there. Visit the Crown Court where thousands of convicts were transported to Australia and then marvel at the beautiful Gillow furniture in the Grand Jury Room and the famous display of heraldry in The Shire Hall.

Helmshore Mills Textile Museum Nestling side by side in the stunning Rossendale Valley are two of Lancashire's original textile mills: Higher Mill and Whitaker’s Mill which, together, are Helmshore Mills Textile Museum. We are upgrading the Museum buildings, displays, information and facilities, as part of an exciting project to Improve Access and Interpretation supported by generous grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Friends of Helmshore Museum, and others.

Queen Street Mill Textile Museum An experience you won't forget! Whether you're interested in local or social history, textiles and textile machinery or just looking for an afternoon out with a difference, the sights, sounds and smells of Queen Street help to bring history alive. There's something to delight and intrigue visitors of all ages. The worlds only surviving 19th century steam powered weaving mill
 

Turton Tower Originally built during Tudor times, and altered and extended during Stuart and Victorian times – Turton Tower now stands as it was in 1850.
It was at one point the home of Sir Humphrey Chetham, founder of Chetham's Hospital and Chetham's Music School in Manchester
 

Martin Mere Wetland Centre is home to over 100 species of rare and endangered ducks, geese, swans and flamingos.

The Forest of Bowland Situated in the North West, the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covers 312sq miles of rural Lancashire and North Yorkshire and includes the famous landmark Pendle Hill. It offers plenty of opportunity for quiet enjoyment such as walking, cycling, fishing and horse riding, and with newly opened Access Land, can now offer some of the most remote and rugged walking in the North West.

Arnside & Silverdale ANOB  There are many semi-natural ancient woodlands, wildflower-rich limestone grasslands, protected limestone pavements, coastal salt-marshes, rare butterflies and many other diverse habitats.

Leighton Moss is the largest remaining reedbed in north-west England. The reserve is well-known for its special birds: breeding bitterns, bearded tits, marsh harriers and avocets.

The full Witton Weavers Way circuit can be completed in two days however, within the 32 miles there are also four shorter circular walks that can each be completed during one day, these are: the Beamers; Reelers; Tacklers and Warpers trails.

Lancaster Canal
One of the most scenic canals now on the network, this gentle waterway offers wonderful views of the Silverdale coast, Forest of Bowland and rolling countryside of Wyre.
The Lancaster Canal is unique. Being a contour canal (built along the natural lie of the land), it has 41 miles without locks. This is the longest stretch in the country, and in fact the only locks on the main length are derelict! These are at Tewitfield, the southernmost point of the Northern Reaches, and as such are part of the £50 million restoration scheme to reopen the 14 miles of canal to Kendal.
 

Leeds & Liverpool Canal
This is the longest canal in Britain built as a single waterway - yet one of the least busy.
One of three trans-Pennine waterways, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is 127 miles long and, via its connection with the Aire & Calder at Leeds, offers a coast-to-coast route across the north of England

Blackpool     1 Clifton Street, Blackpool, FY1 1LY
Congleton    Tourist Information Centre, Town Hall, High Street, Congleton,CW12 1BN
Chester       Tourist Information Centre, Town Hall, Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HJ
Chester       Chester Visitor Centre, Vicars Lane, Chester,CH1 1QX
Knutsford     Tourist Information Centre, Toft Road, Knutsford, WA16 6TA
Lytham St Annes - 67 St Annes Road West,  Lytham St Annes,  FY8 1SH
Lancaster     (Gateway for Cumbria), Lancaster Services,  M6 North, White Carr Lane, Bay Horse, Lancaster,  LA2 9DU.

Local airports:
Manchester Airport: Enquiries 0161 489 3000
Liverpool Airport:     Enquiries 0151 486 8877
Blackpool Airport:    Enquiries 01253 343434
 

Blackpool attractions and entertainment.

Manchester  Manchester is one of Britain's most fashionable cities. Sleek contemporary buildings merge with superb Victorian architecture such as the Royal Exchange theatre. 

Taxis in Manchester

Keighley & Worth Valley Railways. Tel: 01535 645214

The Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre welcomes you to the world famous Lovell Radio Telescope and Jodrell Bank Observatory, the astronomy research centre of the University of Manchester

Oulton Park Motor Racing Tel: 01829 760301