The Sefton Coast – Cycling it from Ainsdale to Crosby

Yesterday, together with Roy Connell (who is often credited on this blog site for unearthing interesting subjects) I cycled from Ainsdale to Crosby (and the Iron Men) along the Sefton Coast through Formby, Hightown and Altcar Riffle Range.

Despite having lived in Sefton all my adult life I had not previously done this route either walking of cycling.

The stretch from Formby through Hightown and onto Crosby is very interesting and the cycle/footpaths are in great condition.

Well worth tackling this stretch of the Sefton Coast if you have access to a bike or like a long walk.

The photo above is sadly of me (or is that of a sad me?) and was taken by Roy and dubbed the ‘Yellow Peril’ – I wonder why?

I may well start to blog about cycling trips in the future if readers are unlucky!

Merseyrail – It’s 40 years since Liverpool’s underground was completed

Who would have thought it was 40 or more years since we lost Exchange Station and indeed the overground Central Station in Liverpool for them to be replaced with new underground stations. Not forgetting of course that Liverpool had been blessed with an underground railway from the Wirral for many years prior to that – The Mersey Railway.

An old Mersey Railway tinplate sign which is on display at the National Railway Museum in York

And here’s what the new underground network looked like when completed in 1977. The Northern Line (Blue) was subsequently extended from Garston to a new terminus at Hunts Cross.

Click on the photo’s/graphics to enlarge them

Birkenhead Tramway Celebrates 80 since the Town’s last Tram

Birkenhead Tram No.20 lovingly restored and running last Saturday.

An interesting day out last Saturday (with Lydiate photographer Keith Page) at Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society’s 80 year anniversary event held to commemorate the passing of all those years since the last public service tram ran in Birkenhead.

The modern tramway has been laid in more recent times and runs from Woodside Ferry Terminal to the Society’s Tram Shed/Museum at Taylor Street.

A modern recreation of a Birkenhead Tram. In fact it’s a former Hong Kong Tram in disguise

The tramway is run by volunteers and operates at the weekend and at other times during school holidays and is well worth a visit. Please check opening/tram running times before you set off though. At only £2 for a return trip on an historic tram its an economical day out too.

Here’s a link to the Society’s Facebook page:-

www.facebook.com/wirraltransportmuseum

The first photo is also amongst my Flickr photos at:-

www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/

Ormskirk – That Gingerbread Town in West Lancs

A packet of Ormskirk Gingerbread

I posted a while back (May 2016) about the market town of Ormskirk and made reference to it being famous for Gingerbread. That posting can be accessed via the link below:-

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2016/05/01/ormskirk-end-of-the-line-well-end-of-two-lines-actually/

Quote from my previous posting – ‘The market town of Ormskirk (famous for its gingerbread and for having a very rare Parish Church with both a tower and a steeple) nestles in a rather awkward spot sandwiched between Preston, Southport, Liverpool, Skelmersdale and Wigan.’

Well there I was recently standing outside M&S Ormskirk wondering about the large gingerbread man outside the store when I caught sight of this poster:-

And the Community Partnership web site which promotes the connection between Ormskirk and gingerbread can be accessed via the link below:-

www.ormskirkcp.org.uk/gingerbread-project

Nice to see that an important part of Ormskirk’s history is being celebrated.

Bootle – The things folks will do to find out what’s going on in Sefton Council’s bunker

Bootle Town Hall

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/boy-14-taken-hospital-after-13329753

What an odd story (see link to the Liverpool Echo’s web site above), with clearly more to come.

Bootle Town Hall is a really nice building although sadly having been bombed during WWII it not as grand as it once was because of a 1960’s refurbishment.

A previous posting of mine from 2014 about this significant building can be accessed via the link below:-

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2014/06/07/bootle-town-hallrochdale-town-hall-buildings-of-victorian-civic-pride/

Birkdale – It’s tramway into Southport – An historic photo

Whilst at the Merseyside Transport Trust Open Day on 9th July I came across and purchased this photo of a horse drawn tram in Birkdale:-

Is this shot taken on Cemetery Road, Southport? Can it be dated by anyone?

Click on the scanned photo to enlarge it

The photo is also amongst my Flickr photos at:-

www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/

Here are links to my previous postings about Southport’s long-gone trams:-

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2014/01/12/southports-tramways/

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2014/02/24/more-on-southports-trams-with-a-wallasey-twist/

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2014/05/14/sefton-the-only-tramway-in-the-borough-southport-pier-tram/

Sadly since my May 2014 posting about Southport’s Pier Tram it has also ceased to run and been disposed of. I understand this was said to be the result of it being too heavy for the aging pier.

BTW – Are the 3 chaps in the photo my old friends and Birkdale Ward Councillors, Richard Hands, Simon Shaw and Iain Brodie Brown?:-)))