If there is a central heart, a crucial artery running through Liverpool that takes you back in time and forward into the future, it’s the River Mersey. Separating Liverpool from the Wirral Peninsula and flowing out to the Irish Sea, this channel of water was, and remains, a source of identity and lifeblood for the city.
Liverpool’s proud maritime history means that the Mersey has become part and parcel of the city and its people. Songs have even been written about this iconic stretch of water, in particular to the colourful ferry that crosses it.
However, when I think of the River Mersey, I think of what it connects. After moving to the city, I’d cycle daily to work down the riverfront path between my flat and the office. Traversing it, you can take in the sweeping views of the Wirral, the boats being built at Cammell Laird, or you can try to dodge the hordes of tourists in the summertime on the iconic Royal Albert Dock.
It’s a stroll along this riverfront path that best shows the quintessential changing neighbourhoods and landscapes of Liverpool. I start my journey at its southerly point in Cressington, a leafy suburb with a handful of great wine bars and a lovely cheese shop nearby; I pass the parks where families walk, kids play football, and dogs chase after all manner of thrown items.
Flowing through to Aigburth, the familial scenes continue, with picnics around the Sitting Bull statue, and the playground full of noise and chaos. Around the corner, I dip into a huge skatepark that gives way to forested paths through to the gateway of Sefton Park, the city’s largest and most beloved green space.
Approaching the St Michael’s neighbourhood, I find the entrance to the Festival Gardens, an enclave of spiralling forest trails and a Japanese garden. Cutting through this park leads to the independent restaurant haven of Lark Lane. A blend of students and locals mill about through the monthly street market, stopping for a glass at the wine bar (opened by namesake Keith in 1978), or grabbing a coffee and restorative breakfast at the cosy café run by brewing brothers Oli and Tito.
Rounding the corner from St Michael’s to the Dingle/Riverside section of the Mersey, I pass a pub, with its sprawling outside space, popular with families and groups of friends looking for an alfresco pint on one of Liverpool’s rare sunny days.
At this stage, there’s a shift. Greenery makes way for old industrial buildings. Once fuelled by the river, these estates are now home to a hodge-podge of trampoline parks, go-kart centres, and artisan coffee shops, all set amongst office buildings.
From this point, my fellow walkers and I are edging into the city centre of Liverpool, wandering along the cobblestoned path past the marina. Many of us stop and admire the boats, and perhaps wait as the bridge rises to let sailors pass between the river and the dock area.
As I round the marina end of the Mersey, I pause to take in the view from the Liverpool Watersports Centre, a not-for-profit initiative aimed at making water-based activities accessible to all. Here, you’ll see brave folks open-water swimming in the brisk temperatures, or friends peacefully paddleboarding or kayaking around the docks.
I divert slightly from the marina to the main road for a warming coffee and irresistibly sweet treat from an adorable coffee van run by a mother and daughter duo, parked up outside an equally delightful classic pub. Strollers might stroke a friendly dog, warm themselves up by the fireplace, and then head back to the waterfront.
Here, walkers will notice the crowds picking up. That’s for one crucial reason. They’ve reached the Royal Albert Dock. Formerly a UNESCO World Heritage Site, these historic docks are home to the Tate Liverpool, The Beatles Story, Museum of Liverpool, Maritime Museum, and International Slavery Museum. It’s a hub of culture, set in a location that has been so important for the city for centuries, for better or for worse.
I jostle patiently through the crowds around the docks, taking in the boats and the small businesses along the way. Past the Albert Dock, tourists are swarming around a particular statue of Liverpool’s four favourite sons, The Beatles. Opposite, I spy the ferry building, made famous by the Gerry and the Pacemakers song. Even to this day, the ferry across the Mersey is an icon of the city, as well as a handy commuter option.
As you wander, make sure you look up. The Three Graces is the collective name given to some of Liverpool’s oldest and most important businesses, the most famous of which is the Liver Building. You can see them from this part of the riverfront path, and the architecture is incredible. As I pass, I take note of the two birds on top of the Liver Building. The story goes that the one who looks out across the city is Bertie, protecting the people who live here, and the one looking out across the water is Bella, welcoming sailors to the shore.
Continuing north of the city centre, I pass the new Everton football stadium, the Hill Dickinson. With this new development, regeneration has followed. Blue-pennant-bedecked pubs, the sporting club’s dominant home colour, mark the way. The blend of old warehouses and new building projects comes together in a tapestry of times past and up-to-the-minute progress.
If you were so inclined, you could continue to walk north, bypassing the freight and cruise terminals, and rejoining the river at Waterloo and Crosby. The tarmac path disappears and makes way for stretches of golden sand. Take a break and breathe. Look out past the men that stick out of the sand, known as Another Place by Antony Gormley, and gaze out over the Irish Sea.
The 100 cast-iron figures, modelled on the British artist’s own 189cm tall body, patiently face the ocean. Spread out over a 3.2km stretch of beach, they’re revealed and submerged in turn by the ebb and flow of the tides, and altered by weather, water, and the marine creatures that colonise them. Rather controversial at first, they came to Liverpool in 2005 after temporary installations in Germany, Norway and Belgium. Now, over 20 years on, they’re a popular permanent attraction.
I usually sit on the sand dunes, or as a treat, book myself in for a revitalising hot-and-cold experience at the nearby wood-fired sauna with its picture window, celebrating the natural beauty of Crosby Coastal Park. The Mersey continues up into the Irish Sea, flowing onwards, providing coastlines and communities throughout the city and beyond.
This central artery that weaves its way along the edge of Liverpool guides you through centuries of history. It takes me, and the many other locals and curious visitors who venture this way, through neighbourhoods of all kinds, with local businesses that encompass the region. Friendly, unique independents that are proud of the Liverpool heritage and know how important the Mersey is for the city and for their trade, as it has been for centuries.
