The Complete Foour Seasons Collection 2019/2020

F estive C hester , M erseybeat & S team

Chester is stunning in the lead up to Christmas, with its own Christmas market in full swing and the famous Rows beautifully decorated. Staying at one of our favourite hotels, explore Chester and enjoy two very different excursions. A ferry across the Mersey leads to Liverpool and our ‘fab four’ Magical Mystery Tour, and there’s steam nostalgia on the East Lancs Railway, with Christmas lunch included as we steam through the Irwell Valley. Fares From £409

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

★ ★ Spend time at Chester’s Christmas Market ★ ★ Take the ‘ferry across the Mersey’ to Liverpool ★ ★ Included Beatles-themed ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ ★ ★ Free time in Liverpool, with its Christmas Market ★ ★ Lunchtime steam on the East Lancs Railway ★ ★ Christmas lunch included as we steam along the Irwell Valley ★ ★ Free time at the Bury Transport Museum DAY 1 We arrive in historic Chester , where our hotel is conveniently close to the railway station. Before dinner, why not explore Chester’s famous rows, its lovely shopping streets and the 70 traditional wooden stalls of its charming Christmas Market. (D) DAY 2 Our Merseyrail train whisks us from Chester onto the Wirral peninsula, where we alight at Birkenhead to join the ‘ferry across the Mersey’ , viewing Liverpool’s proud and historic maritime cityscape from the stretch of water from which it built its fame. Arriving

DAY 3 Heading into Lancashire by train & tram, we have some free time to explore Bury Transport Museum with its stunning collection of restored vehicles and fascinating original artifacts. The museum is located just across the road from Bury’s preserved Bolton Street Station where we join the heritage East Lancs Railway . From Bury we steam along the Irwell Valley through Lancashire’s wintry hillsides in beautifully decorated carriages, whilst

at Pier Head, a short walk takes us to Albert Dock to board our ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ . A two hour coach tour is led by an expert local guide, viewing the childhood homes and schools of the ‘Fab Four’, as well as locations that inspired some of their songwriting, such as Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. The tour ends at the famous Cavern Club, after which you have free time in Liverpool , which also has a Christmas Market, before we return to Chester by ferry and train. (B,D)

Visit: www.railtrail.co.uk – for full tour details and fares, and to book online

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