Last day in Liverpool

 Monday 8th of July - Crosby Beach and Liverpool Cathedral

woke to sunshine as promised, I had saved this day for my trip to Crosby Beach as it looked the best weather wise. Caught the train to Blundellsands and Crosby and gold mapped my way to the beach - and wow! Another Place, the Sir Anthony Gormley men were there staring out to sea.

There are warnings not to stray too far out because of the tides and there being mud as well as sand, but tides were out and so were people and their canine friends of course right to the waterline.

I read somewhere the statues are there to look out to sea and watch all the shipping go past.

A couple from Shrewsbury on their second visit to another place, offered to take my photo so there it is, number 44 I think, there are supposed to be a 100 of them, they are quite a distance apart and and at different lengths from the shore. The couple said the last time they came it was a cold and cloudy day, the beach virtually empty so it was indeed Another Place. 

Very easy to walk a long way down the beach looking at each and every statue on the way, I took heaps of photos as you can imagine, so severely edited.

Here is one looking out to his mate already half covered in water

The tide was starting to come in, what I thought quite quickly, so thought I would wait until his feet were in the water, then I heard this roaring sound looked up and waves were starting to form and come in, was a little surprising and a wee bit unnerving. really, so moved back a bit and sure enough, not long before it was in water. As in other areas it seems that the tidal range is really high, I spoke to a local and she said it quite often covers all the sand. Most of the dog life had already disappeared

The statues are very moving, so solitary, keeping constant vigil over the bay, I’m so pleased I got to see them! Back in the train to Liverpool, was going to the hotel, but found W.C. At station and walking down Bold Street, full of restaurants with people eating outside, making the most of the sun. I went Lebanese and Morrocan, A vegetarian mezze platter with lemon and rose soft drink.

No I couldn’t eat it all, which was a little disappointing as it was yummy, Falafel, babaganoush, humus, tubules, salad and pickles. 

Walked up to the cathedral, the largest cathedral in Britain and 8th largest in the world, built quite recently between 1904 and 1978,

Unfortunately it wasn;t open for visiting as they were holding a graduation ceremony there, but I could visit the Lady Chapel and the back. It was very beautiful, and large enough, the stone is a reddish colour, with the light mortar making quite a pattern .

Yes it is massive and really hard to photograph, the Man at the gate had suggested that I also check out the cathedral gardens on the left hand side, he mentioned spooky graves, so down I went and part way down the path I realised it was lined with gravestones, mostly from the later 1800’s it was a bit spooky!!

These gravestones continued down and lined the retaining wall, as it turned out to be sunken gardens, well just trees and grass really. But very pretty. Lots of people sitting around or lying on the grass.

Whilst walking around you realise that you are walking on other tombstones, it feels quite dishevelled and abandoned, but you can just catch glimpses of the cathedral through the trees above you. I wonder if all the stones were moved there .

Back to the hotel, for a breather, then a wander out to get some tea. This is the hotel from the outside. Very in keeping with the area, except everywhere else seems to be clubs or pubs, the lane just after my hotel is called concert street. 

A lovely warm day, everyone was out making the most of it as I think more rain tomorrow.