This picture means nothing of any value to anyone who doesn’t drive a ‘mid-life crisis’. Those who do will shout: FUCK ME, 30 MILES PER GALLON!!!!! those who don’t will bemoan the pollution and lack of economy or wonder what’s wrong with the car.

And such a thing could never happen in London, which is why I was, at that time, 174 miles from home. On the motorway approaching Liverpool. And we still had the top down on the car, even though the beautiful sunshine left us at about Stoke. Normally its ‘the will to live’ that departs at that particular junction on the M6 but not yesterday. Sunny in London, grey up north.

We knew the risk yet went anyway.

Liverpool’s an interesting city. A ‘work in progress’. Where what’s been developed, particularly around the fabulous old docks and wharves is wonderful. There’s some gorgeous old buildings too, one even with the ‘Liver Birds’ on top. The centre is a horrible, pedestrianised nightmare high street that pretty well defines what ruined shopping forever. Boots. BHS. H&M. Topshop. Primark. Costa Coffee (I can almost forgive them). KFC. McDonalds. Put them all together and you get ‘GET ME OUT’A HERE!!!’ Loads of money, but money can’t buy me love.

Go a few streets back from there and you get ‘old Liverpool’, which, Beatles aside, was not really much to write home about. So I won’t.

There’s tons of development in the area, which some might say it really needs. The un-sanitised docks first because they offer such massive buildings with wonderful potential. Though you then need to find people to buy/rent/occupy the spaces. Its all very well creating a Yuppie haven, but you need a few yuppies to… er… to yup.

The people are friendly though. In that very Scouse way that you’d expect them to. Arrrrrright Guys? They all say. Pardon? I reply.

Went to the Tate Gallery, lovely space in tourist central. But basically, after my 19 hours there, I’ve seen Liverpool. A daytripper, yeah.

So we left this morning and headed up the West coast-ish as far as Carlisle. On Hadrian’s Wall. This time we managed to get half way before stopping to raise the roof on the car. Rain. We’re actually staying just outside, in a gorgeous little town called Wetherall. The satnav took us to the middle of fucking nowhere and then we had to wing it for about 10 miles before stumbling upon it. This place is so quiet and far away from civilisation that they actually use their garages for cars. Imagine.

More tales from ‘up north’ to amaze you as the adventure continues. And hopefully the rain stops.

Happy Thursday

A xxxx