The once fashionable Arndale shopping centre should be pulled down. There are the usual suspects but the design is outdated, the lighting is not very good and there are many lots vacant. Only big names and big chains can afford to pay the rentals. When we attended on Tuesday late morning there were very few actual visitors. I actually felt lonely.

Manchester has two delightful cathedrals, both of which were so welcoming and multi functional; I felt better just going in the doors. There were helpful volunteers who made us feel at home. History really came to life.

CHESTER

My goodness this is a Roman town to die for. Properties dating from the Middle Ages. The main street has a quaint system of where there are shops on a second level so to speak, you have to reach them by a set of steps.

Chester has a new food market, built in 2022, where we had an excellent Thai dish. We struck up a conversation with a young man called Jack, 23 years of age, who was working his way through being  a naval navigator. His enthusiasm and clarity of mind was a joy to listen to in a generation where people only speak in short phrases and every other word is ‘like’.

Coffee enthusiasts need never worry because every other shop was either a fashion shop or a coffee shop.

LIVERPOOL

We were dropped off at the river Mersey front and my goodness how many millions of pounds have been spent on excellent museums and facilities all of which are free. We did not quite make it to the famous cathedrals and I was looking forward to seeing Penny Lane of Beatles fame but it was half an hour away and we just didn’t have the time.

I asked at the central bus station if they had bus timetables and they said no they didn’t produce them anymore, everything was online. I noticed that the famous Ferry across the Mersey only left once an hour so I don’t think that the service performs more than a celebratory historic tribute to The Beatles

If I practiced for six months I doubt if I could capture the Liverpool accent which is musical and gruff at the same time. It is one of the most distinctive accents in the United Kingdom and the other two would be the Geordie accent from Newcastle, a Birmingham accent not to mention Cornish

I do love the Liverpool sense of humour which is a play-on words and very direct. My own sense of humor goes down very well here – quick fire one-liners. My humour does not go down at all in Norfolk.

STARTING TIMES

I could have a debate about when is the best time to leave the hotel. We were told that all trips would commence at 9:30. The problem is that if you leave earlier the traffic will be even worse so maybe you wouldn’t get that much benefit. I took issue a bit with the return time of 3:00 when our evening meal was served from 6:30 PM.

I think they could have left at 4:00 PM without causing any difficulty with giving people some free time and letting them have a drink in the bar. Not everything is perfect for everyone all the time. These has to be a consensus and 3pm was it.