ALMOST Cruising around the UK – Day ‘Minus 2’

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Morning all! We’re on our way to Liverpool. We’ve got two days to kill, before we pick up our Cruise Ship for a 10-day sailing adventure around the UK.

It’s another holiday where we’re NOT taking the car (it doesn’t float too well at sea!) but spending two days beforehand exploring even more of Liverpool (we were last here back in May, 2025).

But first we had to get there! That involved getting the train from Kettering to Nottingham, then onto Liverpool, Lime Street – just four hours door-to-door! 😊 (although we could have driven it in just over three).

All our connections seemed to be as advertised, and it was actually a beautifully warm day as we waved goodbye to sunny Kettering and settled down for the 46-minute hop to Nottingham.

Onwards to Lime Street

So far, so good! Although the signage on the platform was crystal clear, once we’d taken our seats, an error in the onboard announcement system suggested a different destination – Skegness! – and we’d therefore picked the wrong train (together with about 100 others!) 😮😮

We held our nerve (some didn’t) and after a series of repeated WRONG announcements, the train eventually switched to the correct stations along our route. How we laughed! 😳😮🤔

Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful journey – all 174 minutes of it – but it passed pretty quickly, although we did arrive 10 minutes late. Next stop? Our Hotel, a short, 10-minute taxi ride away. It was a good job we chose to take a taxi! as, right on cue, the heavens opened and it absolutely hammered it down.

Clearly, our taxi driver, Joe, had been a Monk in a previous life. No, it wasn’t the suspiciously concentric bald patch – instead, he had clearly chosen to continue his ‘vow of silence’ in his new career and didn’t utter a word for the whole journey – even when we attempted to charm him. And let’s face it, who could resist my charms, let alone Mrs P’s?! 😆. No ‘hellos’, ‘where are you from?’ or ‘how long are you here for?’ – nothing vaguely approaching the warm, welcoming banter we’d enjoyed last time we were here. Actually, that’s not quite true… as soon as he saw me reach for my phone to settle the bill, he mumbled it was cash only! 😮. Yes, he did speak perfect English! Who knew? Probably no-one! 🤔

Malmaison Hotel

Our temporary home is the rather well-appointed Malmaison Hotel, near the Albert Dock in Liverpool (You can just see the iconic Liver Building in the background). Inside, this turned out to be a very modern-looking hotel with modern decor to match. Its strapline?

“Decadence on the Docks”

…that all sounded a bit sleazy to me, but maybe that’s my slightly warped mind!!! 🤔. Perhaps! Not only is it well known for its funky decor, but they also found a dead body in one of their rooms back in January 2026 (yes, really!). No suspicious circumstances, though! 👍

We arrived bang on time for the 3pm (earliest) check-in, and after a series of ‘upselling opportunities’ explained by the very courteous Receptionist, we succumbed to the temptation of a Full English Breakfast for our two days here, whilst side-stepping the ‘all our steaks are half price’ ‘opportunity’. To sweeten the deal, they threw in a voucher for a free cocktail for each of for each night we’re here! 😵‍💫

Room 309 beckoned, and we were soon in our new home for the next few days. No dead bodies so far, so that’s a bonus! 👍

This was all very tasteful, with everything we need and, unusually, as you can see, we got a bath AND a separate shower too! Nice! 👍

Plans?

Any plans we had for exploring the local area this evening were immediately scuppered by the deteriorating weather – and it was actually turning colder too (remember ‘cold weather’? 🤔 – it was a grey 14℃ here!).

We thought, therefore, this would be the perfect opportunity to cash in one of our free signature cocktail vouchers! Oh yes! 😁😁

Is 6pm too early for a cocktail? Probably! 😀

Well, they were both super-strength and super-delicious – and slipped down a treat! 😉

To complete our first evening here, we grabbed a bite to eat in their rather impressive Restaurant. There was even a Christmas Party in full swing (that’s early, even by our standards!) 🎅

Whilst Ann tried the Chicken Breasts in a Butter-Bean cream sauce, I fancied some pheasant. Both dishes were impressive and packed with flavour. The service was well above what we expected for ‘just’ a hotel restaurant, and they looked after us like royalty.

…and to finish..?

Neither of us could manage a Dessert, so it was either a night on the town, soaking up the buzz that is Liverpool, or an evening around the TV watching Ludwig. Decisions, decisions!

Tomorrow..?

It looks like an inside job tomorrow, just in case the weather turns. We’ve pencilled in the nearby Western Approaches Museum. It’s an old WWII secret bunker that has been frozen in time around 1945, where visitors in later years once had to sign the Official Secrets Act to get in! These days, it’s all a lot more relaxed, and the self-guided tour takes between 1 and 2 hours.

We’re also catching up with nephew, Oli, after his very first week at work!

See you tomorrow! Nighty Night! 💤💤