[AD] This is a paid partnership with National Express, however all opinions stated in this blog post are my own
Having only visited a couple of places in England, two of the places that were on my list when I came to stay for a few weeks in Leicestershire, were Liverpool and Manchester. As I don’t drive, I have been travelling for the last few years by public transport. I am really excited to have partnered up with National Express for this trip and share about my journey with their coaches to both cities.
The booking process was quick and easy and there were no booking fees. There are different fare options available to offer more flexibility.
We took the coach from Coventry to Birmingham Bus Station which took about an hour and we had about half an hour to explore a bit of the centre. Then we took the coach from there to Liverpool which took about 2,5 hours.
The journey was smooth, and the coaches had charging points, free wifi, air con, and toilets on board as well as generous luggage allowance. They have put additional measures in place, in line with government covid guidelines so it definitely made us feel safe and more comfortable.
When we arrived in Liverpool, we went straight to Mathew Street where the Beatles Museum is. The entry cost £15 per person (or £10 if you are a student). You can find more information about the museum, including prices and opening times on their website.
We then walked down to the waterfront where we took the views and had a stroll around the little shops at Albert Dock. We had a local beer at Turncoat Bar’s patio while we enjoyed the sunshine and watched the paddle boarders go by.
I was going to take a photo of the famous Beatles statue, however there was a festival on so the street it was on was closed. However, later that day we headed to Mathew Street again and went to a few bars to listen to the live music and one of them, the SGT Peppers bar, had a Beatles statue where people were taking photos. We also went to the famous Cavern Pub and got to look at all the memorabilia of The Beatles as well as some others’ such as Michael Jackson and Ben E. King.
We had dinner at an all-you-can-eat Pan Asian buffet at Bon Pan in Clayton Square and it was amazing. There were plenty of vegan options and everything tasted great.
After dinner we headed towards our accommodation and stopped at an Irish pub called The Liffey Bar where they had live music. While we were there, a lovely man sat down next to us and told us about his job as a magician. He was kind enough to show us some magic tricks with his cards which was fun.
We stayed in the International Inn which was £50 a night for 2 people and it was about a 15-minute walk to the city centre. Usually you can find loads of cheap stays in Liverpool, however, as I mentioned earlier, because of the festival going on that weekend, the prices were a little higher than usual.
In the morning we woke up quite early, around 6:30 so we were checked out and ready for the day by 7:30. We walked around the quiet streets of Liverpool, took some photos, grabbed a coffee (and a chai latte for me), and headed to the waterfront as we had another hour before we had to get the coach to Manchester. Early morning city walks are definitely my favourite. The air feels fresh, the streets are empty, and it just feels so relaxing. We were very lucky with the weather as the sun was shining and it was warm enough for just a t-shirt.
The journey to Manchester took about an hour. When we arrived, we spent a few hours at the shops in Arndale shopping centre. I particularly enjoyed looking around the food court in Harvey Nichols and the view from there was lovely. We also visited Central Perk from the “Friends” television show in Primark.
While we were walking around the city centre, looking at all the street murals, we came across the Manchester Food and Drink Festival. There are many different food and drink stalls including a few vegan ones. I treated myself to some vegan chocolate from Cocoa & Bloom and they were so pretty! I had the pina colada one, a dark chocolate and blueberry, and a millionaire’s shortbread and they tasted incredible. We also played a throwing game where we won a free beer from Sixes Cricket Club which was just down the street from the festival.
After exploring Manchester for a few more hours, we went to V Rev, a 100% vegan diner on Edge Street. I got the banoffee milkshake and then we got the jumbo hot dog topped with mac n cheese and bacon, the chicken burger, and baconnaise fries to share. The staff were friendly and the food was delicious.
In the evening, we walked through China Town, and headed to the bus station where we got the coach back to Birmingham and then to Leicester.
We had an amazing weekend in Liverpool and Manchester and going with National Express made it the journey even more enjoyable and relaxing. Whether you don’t drive or you just want a car-free weekend, there are so many destinations that you can get to with the UK coach company. You can find out more about their services on their website.
Where would you like to visit in the UK? Let me know in the comments below.
-Marisa
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