Suggestions for Beatles fans in London & Liverpool
May 11th, 2006, 07:51 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Suggestions for Beatles fans in London & Liverpool
I've got 6 days at the end of August in London. We'll be staying at the Royal Horseguadrs hotel. I'm interested in Beatles related sites. I'm considering somehow getting to Liverpool (if it's not too long of a trip)for the events happening there (rail, air???). I'm looking for suggestions for museums and traditional tourist sites also. We don't want to rent a car so we need to rely on public transportation. Should I get a London pass or perpaid travel card of some kind? Any and all suggestions are welcome. Has anyone been there that time of year and if so what weather can I expect? Thanks for all replies and suggestions!
May 11th, 2006, 08:01 AM
#2
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 488
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I know that London Walks does a Beatle themed walking tour - look at www.walks.com. You can also take the Tube to St. Johns Wood and find the zebra crossing used on the album cover of Abbey Road, and have someone take your photo walking across it. I am leaving for London on Saturday and that is on my list of things to do.
May 11th, 2006, 09:37 AM
#3
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi
In Liverpool there is the Beatles Story -
www.beatlesstory.com
The National Trust owns (and you can visit) McCartney's childhood home in Forthlin Road
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...inroadallerton
and also Lennon's childhood home
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...lace/w-mendips
There's also a Magical Mystery Coach Tour
www.visitbeatlesliverpool.com/attraction_mmt.htm
My husband was at University in Manchester at the height of their fame and saw them perform at the Cavern Club - which gives him loads of street cred with his kids!
M
In Liverpool there is the Beatles Story -
www.beatlesstory.com
The National Trust owns (and you can visit) McCartney's childhood home in Forthlin Road
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...inroadallerton
and also Lennon's childhood home
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...lace/w-mendips
There's also a Magical Mystery Coach Tour
www.visitbeatlesliverpool.com/attraction_mmt.htm
My husband was at University in Manchester at the height of their fame and saw them perform at the Cavern Club - which gives him loads of street cred with his kids!
M
May 11th, 2006, 10:46 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 507
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I did a Beatles Walk with the "London Walks" outfit last year.It was interesting but with 40 people on the tour it was hard to hear everything. Mind you this was on a cold March weekday so I can imagine it would even be more crowded in August.
However the the guide giving the tour whose name is Richard Porter has written a very good guidebook that basically replicates his tours.
Therfore I would buy his book and just do them on your own and not fight the London Walks crowds.
His book is called "The Official Abbey Road Cafe Guide
to The Beatles London" and is for sale at the Abbey Road Cafe in the tube station at St. John's Wood,or you can order it online to look at before you go.
The Cafe"
http://tinyurl.com/o3zfu
More info about Richards book:
http://tinyurl.com/nzamh
However the the guide giving the tour whose name is Richard Porter has written a very good guidebook that basically replicates his tours.
Therfore I would buy his book and just do them on your own and not fight the London Walks crowds.
His book is called "The Official Abbey Road Cafe Guide
to The Beatles London" and is for sale at the Abbey Road Cafe in the tube station at St. John's Wood,or you can order it online to look at before you go.
The Cafe"
http://tinyurl.com/o3zfu
More info about Richards book:
http://tinyurl.com/nzamh
May 11th, 2006, 04:36 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The websites already mentioned here are good. Yes, you should take Richard Porter's Beatles walking tours. He has two of them. Both end up at Abbey Road. You can find out more at:
http://www.beatlesinlondon.com
When you visit Abbey Road, take along a black felt tip pen to sign the wall. They expect it! You can take your photo at the crosswalk, but there's a lot of traffic there, so be careful. The employees will not mind if you walk into the car park and stand at the front door for a photo. There's a webcam at the studio :
http://www.abbeyroad.co.uk/virtual-visit/webcam
As for Liverpool, what time in August do you plan to be in London? The August Bank Holiday (which should be August 28, correct me if I'm wrong, native Brits!) hosts two different events in Liverpool: the annual Beatles convention (Beatleweek), and the Mathew Street Festival.
The convention usually draws four thousand people or so for several days, and the Festival (which is a series of free concerts) pulls in about 200,000 (or so says the tourism office.) I've been to the convention once, but not since they started up the Mathew Street Festival. It's too much of a mob scene for me.
If you want to visit the city then, just know it will be very crowded.
You can take the train up to Liverpool in one day. It's a three-hour trip (one way) from Euston. The earlier you go, the more expensive it will be. I did a day trip up to Liverpool three years ago, and the train fare was 102 pounds. That's pounds, not dollars.
http://www.virgintrains.co.uk
The coach tour usually runs three times a day during the summer. There's one at 2 PM. You'll see the Beatles homes, Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, and the tour
winds up at Mathew Street.
You can write the Liverpool tourism office, and request their 2006 tourism brochure:
http://www.visitliverpool.com
Also:
http://www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/beatleweek
http://www.merseyferries.co.uk
http://www.albertdock.com
http://www.mathew.st.
http://www.liverpoolhotels.com
http://www.icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk
(Echo newspaper)
That should keep ya busy for a while. Let us know if you need anything else!
"Once there was a way to get back homeward..."
http://www.beatlesinlondon.com
When you visit Abbey Road, take along a black felt tip pen to sign the wall. They expect it! You can take your photo at the crosswalk, but there's a lot of traffic there, so be careful. The employees will not mind if you walk into the car park and stand at the front door for a photo. There's a webcam at the studio :
http://www.abbeyroad.co.uk/virtual-visit/webcam
As for Liverpool, what time in August do you plan to be in London? The August Bank Holiday (which should be August 28, correct me if I'm wrong, native Brits!) hosts two different events in Liverpool: the annual Beatles convention (Beatleweek), and the Mathew Street Festival.
The convention usually draws four thousand people or so for several days, and the Festival (which is a series of free concerts) pulls in about 200,000 (or so says the tourism office.) I've been to the convention once, but not since they started up the Mathew Street Festival. It's too much of a mob scene for me.
If you want to visit the city then, just know it will be very crowded.You can take the train up to Liverpool in one day. It's a three-hour trip (one way) from Euston. The earlier you go, the more expensive it will be. I did a day trip up to Liverpool three years ago, and the train fare was 102 pounds. That's pounds, not dollars.
http://www.virgintrains.co.uk
The coach tour usually runs three times a day during the summer. There's one at 2 PM. You'll see the Beatles homes, Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, and the tour
winds up at Mathew Street.
You can write the Liverpool tourism office, and request their 2006 tourism brochure:
http://www.visitliverpool.com
Also:
http://www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/beatleweek
http://www.merseyferries.co.uk
http://www.albertdock.com
http://www.mathew.st.
http://www.liverpoolhotels.com
http://www.icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk
(Echo newspaper)
That should keep ya busy for a while. Let us know if you need anything else!
"Once there was a way to get back homeward..."
May 11th, 2006, 10:10 PM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 538
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Trains to Liverpool aren't particularly expensive. But prices are structured to rip off the honest businesspeople who keep this country going, forcing them to subsidise the feckless.
Pretty much the only way to get to Liverpool from London by train and back in the same day without spending £100 or more is to allow yourself only a couple of hours in Liverpool.
If you travel off peak though, prices drop very sharply to about £25 return. This almost always means you have to overnight in Liverpool. Play with schedules at www.nationalrail.co.uk, following them through to the "show fares" option to see how changes in timings transform the price you have to pay. There may be special offers at the Virgin Trains site.
There are few, and generally pricey, flights betwen Liverpool and London: www.flyvlm.com. There are buses (www.nationalexpress.co.uk), though they're quite slow
Chosing the right transport pass for London is a highly complicated art. Few of us natives have the foggiest idea about what's right for you, but a number of regular visitors have written PhD-worthy theses on the subject elsewhere on this board.
Search this forum for 'Oystercard'. But just remember: whatever pass you buy, you'd almost certainly have found a more suitable deal for you if you'd spent three weeks searching and could predict with perfect accuracy every single journey you were going to take.
There are many better things to do with your life, including watching paint dry. Buy the Oystercard deal that strikes you as best then get on with your hols.
Pretty much the only way to get to Liverpool from London by train and back in the same day without spending £100 or more is to allow yourself only a couple of hours in Liverpool.
If you travel off peak though, prices drop very sharply to about £25 return. This almost always means you have to overnight in Liverpool. Play with schedules at www.nationalrail.co.uk, following them through to the "show fares" option to see how changes in timings transform the price you have to pay. There may be special offers at the Virgin Trains site.
There are few, and generally pricey, flights betwen Liverpool and London: www.flyvlm.com. There are buses (www.nationalexpress.co.uk), though they're quite slow
Chosing the right transport pass for London is a highly complicated art. Few of us natives have the foggiest idea about what's right for you, but a number of regular visitors have written PhD-worthy theses on the subject elsewhere on this board.
Search this forum for 'Oystercard'. But just remember: whatever pass you buy, you'd almost certainly have found a more suitable deal for you if you'd spent three weeks searching and could predict with perfect accuracy every single journey you were going to take.
There are many better things to do with your life, including watching paint dry. Buy the Oystercard deal that strikes you as best then get on with your hols.
May 11th, 2006, 10:20 PM
#7
You have received TONS of good info. All I'll add is I wouldn't even consider going to Liverpool unless I could do an overnight. There is a lot to see/do and the sights are quite spread out.
(Actually, if the Beatles are a major reason for your trip it would have been 100000% better to fly open jaw into Manchester and out of London. 2 days in Liverpool and then train to London for the rest of your trip. But it is probably too late to change your plans now)
(Actually, if the Beatles are a major reason for your trip it would have been 100000% better to fly open jaw into Manchester and out of London. 2 days in Liverpool and then train to London for the rest of your trip. But it is probably too late to change your plans now)
May 12th, 2006, 10:44 AM
#9
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 109
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Also don't forget to go to 3 Saville Row (the old Apple Studios). It's a short walk from Piccadilly Circus.
Don't know if you can still do this, but quite a few years ago, I went into the building next door - took the elevator up to the top floor - walked up the steps to the roof. Then I walked over & was on the Apple Studios roof! It was a cool experience.
Don't know if you can still do this, but quite a few years ago, I went into the building next door - took the elevator up to the top floor - walked up the steps to the roof. Then I walked over & was on the Apple Studios roof! It was a cool experience.
Jun 23rd, 2006, 07:06 AM
#11
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi all
Thanks for the comments about my tours - Lovejoy, I'm sorry you couldn't hear everything. I do my best but sometimes traffic noise can be rather loud. However I do repeat things if asked if people can't hear. Actually a group of 40 is unusually big - we normally average around 30.
I can also do private tours - you can get info on these on my website http://www.beatlesinlondon.com
all the best
Richard Porter
Thanks for the comments about my tours - Lovejoy, I'm sorry you couldn't hear everything. I do my best but sometimes traffic noise can be rather loud. However I do repeat things if asked if people can't hear. Actually a group of 40 is unusually big - we normally average around 30.
I can also do private tours - you can get info on these on my website http://www.beatlesinlondon.com
all the best
Richard Porter
Aug 6th, 2006, 05:28 AM
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wow! Great responses from all of you. I'm very grateful. Thanks!
I think we've decided to forgo the trip to Liverpool due to time restrictions. We've purchased a London Pass with the transportation option. I'm hoping we can use it enough to recover the cost of the purchase. I'm also going to look into some of the suggestions you've all made for things in London proper. There is so many choices I'm overwhelmed. Two weeks away now and really looking forward to the visit.
I think we've decided to forgo the trip to Liverpool due to time restrictions. We've purchased a London Pass with the transportation option. I'm hoping we can use it enough to recover the cost of the purchase. I'm also going to look into some of the suggestions you've all made for things in London proper. There is so many choices I'm overwhelmed. Two weeks away now and really looking forward to the visit.
Sep 17th, 2006, 03:20 PM
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, we're back from the trip a couple of weeks now and we have memories that will last a lifetime. What a town is London! As much as I would have been willing to do it my wife and I decided not to take the time to train up to Liverpool so we opted for Abbey Road. We were truly surprised that there was not crass commercialism there. It was just a simple crosswalk. The only way I knew that I was at the right place was from viewing the webcam on the Internet before leaving. Very low key. We went to many, many, places around the city and I have to say that we tired ourselves out just doing those local things. I'm ready to go back and spend more time there. The only down side to the trip was the expense. Everything is so expensive there. When we went the exchange rate was about $1.98 to 1 GBP. It was worth it though. Thanks again to everyone who suggested things.
