“Once upon a time there was a Priory full of monks on the left bank of a mighty river who were pleased to run a ferry service to the little village on their opposite bank. And all was well until times changed, as times will. Then the monks and their ferry were gone, the village became a city and the river filled up with much grander ships.
Not everything changed though, not everything. So read on…”
This was a fantastic day, my second Left Bank walk inside a week. Covering the rest of the Left Bank’s Liverpool-facing coast from Port Sunlight back to Birkenhead, where I’d got to to from New Brighton last Friday.
From the train station to Port Sunlight I’ve walked into New Ferry and down to its shoreline, from where another ferry used to sail, long after the days of the monks but well before now
When I was living in Port Sunlight a few years ago, writing a story about there, I’d often come down here in the evenings for a peaceful read of someone else’s stories as the sun was setting. And would occasionally walk on along the riverbank as far as Rock Ferry, before turning for home and sleep. Today though I’m going to find my way beyond Rock Ferry and it’s Tranmere Oil Terminal, on around Cammell Laird Shipbuilders (that’s their big white building behind the oil terminal in the second photograph below) then on to see what those monks left behind them when bad King Henry ran them out of their Priory in 1536.
Let’s go.
To get to Cammell Laird from here some shuffling away from the coast along residential and industrial roads1 turns out to be needed for a mile or so, before turning back towards the river along the mysteriously named Campbeltown Road. Mysterious because it doesn’t lead to anywhere called Campbeltown, it leads to Cammell Laird’s.
And of course this is as close as the walk gets to simply walking into Cammell Laird’s. But more, much more of what’s happening in there will be seen once the walk finds where that spire is. Half a mile’s walking beyond those entry gates is what remains of the monks, their Priory.
And obviously I’m up there for ages and take loads more photos than I’ve used here. Fascinated by the shipyard and the views. But it’s a hot day and when I come down from the tower I’m wishing I’d brought a drink with me. Which is when a miracle occurs (it is holy ground here after all).
The miracle being that I overhear a helpful conversation about “Actually there’s a place next door with a lovely café you could go to”. Which is how come I follow a whole outing of other Priory visitors into here, into Start-Yard.
So time passes, more than pleasantly…
“And when time had passed and the traveller was rested and cooled, a short walk took him down to the river’s bank from where the good brother monks were pleased to ferry him back across the river to his home in Liverpool”.
I wish. Instead and in the absence of a second miracle, I walked up to Hamilton Square and got the train back.
It was a fantastic day though, another one.
This walk from about half way through this linked guide to the Wirral Coastal Walk. And more about The Left Bank here, where those magazines on the Start-Yard counter come from.
That is a fantastic trip, even without those magic words 'lovely cafe'.
You have tempted me yet again. Such an interesting way to describe your adventure