Lancashire and the Peaks Feature

Brian Epstein was led to the Beatles in 1961 by a teenager who came into his record shop, NEMS (North End Music Stores) at 12-14 Whitechapel, and asked for a record by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers. He couldn't find it, but discovered that the backing band was the Beatles, a local group, playing at the nearby Cavern Club. Epstein heard the group, and the rest is history.

History lives on, though. If the Beatles Story, Mathew Street, Mendips, and 20 Forthlin Road can't sate your Beatlemania in Liverpool, you can add a guided tour of the essential and more off-the-beaten-path landmarks. The faithful celebrate the Beatles' enduring appeal at the annual International Beatle Week (www.cavernclub.org), usually held the last week in August. It seems the entire city takes time out to dance, attend John and Yoko fancy-dress parties, listen to Beatles tribute bands from around the world, and more. The event includes concerts, a convention, flea markets, and more.

If you have the money, stay at—or at least visit the bar of—the Beatle-themed Hard Day's Night Hotel on Mathew Street. Yeah, yeah, yeah!