With the Docks at Liverpool given Royal assent so now known as The Royal Albert Dock a visit was in order.

However before visiting I had to travel from Douglas on the Isle of Man by the Australian built Cat Ferry.

Arriving with plenty of time to spare before departure a large number of motorcycles had already gathered but one window had only two bikes lined up so that was the gate choosen.

Processed almost in the blink of the eye I was directed to an almost vacant line labelled panniers. I switched off to wait only to be signed "start enginesänd it was onto the ferry the bike secured near the exit point, I made my way upstairs and got lunch. Infact lunch was finished before we departed.

The trip was so smooth that it was hard to tell we had even crossed the ocean.

Arrival in Liverpool was not new as in 2015 I had left from Liverpool to attend The Classic TT and being near the front I was soon at our hotel The Hallmark and followed soon by Greg & Kerrie.

That night a short walk and an English pub dinner completed another sucessful day..

We visited the two two first up.

The Liverpool Cathedral due to its sheer size and presence on the landscape is world class. It is a Grade 1 the Top listed heritage listing as it has a number of UK and World firsts.

Built in the Gothic Revival style this Anglican cathedral was constructed between 1904 & 1978. It is the largest Cathedral or religious building in the UK. Lengthwise it is the largest Cathedral in the world and at a height of 100.8m ranks overall as the 5th largest Cathedral in the world.

Just up the road is a striking contrast as one looks at The Metropolitian Roman Catholic Cathedral. It was finished in 1967 and obtains a height of 84.86m with a central altar.

There are a number of other iconic buildings that are a must see by anyone visiting Liverpool

Next day the Sunday we left and after a McD breakfast we arrive at friends of Craig's.

Peter & Tracey made us welcome with peter showing us some of his immaculate collection of classic Japanese motorcycles many of which are low numbers in production.

Leaving their home we rode to three great venues all of which where motorcycle haunts.

The Pinnies moorland was the site of the forst stop and after finding a small free spot we had a good look at bikes from 1950"s to 2017 coming from many different manufacturers and off all types from standard to highly customised.

The next stop saw me indulging in English breakfast tea and Victoria sponge.

The third stop was at the Southport city waterfront. It is a typical storybook English seaside town where the sun loving English flock for their holidays. We have had sunshine all of our visit to IOM and it has followed us to Liverpool so the parking situation was a real premium next to a historic merry go round now while still operating is protected from the elements by a sail.

In that true English tradition it was a piece of Haddock (fish) for dinner and shared chips.

Our third and last day in Liverpool was a self guided walking tour as our Hotel was centrally located.

The Royal Albert Dock was first up and we almost left immediately as upon arrival we were confronted by an oversized rat who seemed to be holding guard over the dock.

Closer investigation quickly set us at ease as it was but a sculpture, in a similiar vein to others such as Billy Fury,the working horse etc that are scattered around the enormous precident.

No visit to Liverpool could be complete without a Beatles experience. Whether one liked or disliked them they hold a place in musical history that no other group has.

The dock area has the Fab 4 cafe, statues and The Beatles Experience story which traces the hisory from the lads at school until their deaths or present day lives.

Finished at Royal Albert we ventured into central Liverpool and found The Cavern. We were unsure if it was even open? was their an admission fee?. Our first experience was a closed door saying this was the original door to The Cavern. Was that the end of our journey?

No just up the street was an open door to The Cavern. For those who wonder why we were keen to see a bar called The Cavern it lies in the fact that The Beatles played over 290 times at that venue.

After going down numerous steps we arrived at The Cavern which not only was open but operating and live music was underway as indeed it is everyday.

While The Beatles Story was interesting this place reeked history and still creates it and if you are there on a Saturday Night after 9.15pm the mic is open so you can sing or play on what is one of the most famous music stages in the world.

With Greg, Kerrie & my friend Captain Morgan we enjoyed soaking up the live music as did every one with the majority being of a similiar age with a sprinkling of young people who came in family groups assuring an on going legacy.