Last week, our TwiTrip tour of the country rolled into Liverpool. I arrived with no plan whatsoever, armed only with a mobile phone and an optimistic hope that the good Twitterers of Liverpool would look after me. The tone was set before I had even got there. For the just-over-two-hour train ride I requested a little musical accompaniment. Music requests to scousers, it seems, is like a red rag to a bull.
Swiftly, a tracklist emerged. First in was Twiverpool with Jean's Not Happening by the Pale Fountains, swiftly followed by @johnlew with Sandstorm by Cast (see below), and @finny23 with The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen. Seventeen by Ladytron was up next, thanks to @beastyo, before @jimtopping nipped in with Comedy by Shack, and @djbilly finished me off with Ran by Flock of Seagulls. Just as I pulled into Runcorn, @car_hire brought the house down with Female of the Species by Space. An excellent start.
Before I knew it, I was in Liverpool, posing goofily as a railway worker called Steve snapped me under a Lime Street sign. As per TwiTrip tradition, the first request I slung into the ether was gastronomic. I required lunch, thanks. The Egg cafe emerged as a clear favourite, thanks to @themgidedmisils, @hectorthebat, and @chrishughes1878 - a cracking choice hidden in a loft above the Ropewalks district, where I gorged on slabs of cheese on toast.
And then, an invitation! @RichardEastwood asked if I fancied meeting for tea at the Leaf Tea Shop on Bold Street, which, after @lewisjamieson had directed me to the beautiful bombed out church at the end of the road, seemed like a suitably snug suggestion. My first Twitter liason of the day was a truly warming experience, accompanied by posh tea in complicated cups, a wedge of carrot cake, and Richard's body heat as we cosied up on the sofa.
Onwards. @Willdunleavy, @chrisallum, and @sewhipfolkie urged me to one of the city's blockbusters, the Anglican Cathedral. Now, I'm not usually one for cathedrals and the like, but this turned out to be one of the tips of the day. While the stained glass windows in the vast atrium were impressive, the real action was all upstairs. For £5, visitors can access the upper nooks of the vast 330ft-high cathedral, journeying up via two lifts and a confusion of corridors and winding stairways. Half way up, I emerged in the bell chamber, and was met with a sublime view – at 16.5 tonnes, the cathedral's bells are the heaviest ringing peel in the world. Up top, the view was even better, as I dangled my phone between a gap in the bricks…
My next tip took me from the pious heights of the Cathedral to the hidden rear of a local public house. Oh, how the TwiTrip rolls. In the back of the Philharmonic Dining Rooms, I edged my way past two nervous loitering ladies poking their heads into the gents, and basked in the marble glory of Liverpool's only Grade I listed toilets. The artistry! Intriguingly, this was my most tweeted tip of the day - thanks to @Matt_taylor9, @TamsinECox, @thespyglass, @Hazken, and many others.
In the next pub, I almost fell in love. Ye Crack had been tipped by @mattyjl9 and @misterfusty as a traditional Liverpool haunt that John Lennon used to frequent back in the day, where @ninetyka123 and @cheddarman recommended the knock-your-socks-off cider from the last pump on the bar. None of them mentioned the wonderful landlady, Zadia, who swore at every punter while giggling profusely, threatened to take advantage of me if the cider did me in, and ended up dancing to Michael Jackson in the middle of the pub.
My dinner debate was heated. Various Tweeters plumped for The Quarter on Hope Street, but, in the spirit of modern times, the students mobilised and twisted my ear. @NicolaHarwood, @TheWilk, @Dobster1878 and @louisemartin25 insisted that I made haste for Kimos, a north African budget favourite on Mount Pleasant. My kebab was marvellous – smothered in hummus and served on a bed of chips. In the interest of fairness, I went to The Quarter too, for a Lumpy Bumpy – a glorious collision between a teacake and an eclair. Cheers to @simonscanlan, @samontheweb and @markmcnulty, among others for the tip.
Into the evening. On a cold winter's night, @ChrisHughes1878 and @thespyglass came up with a blinder of a tip. In the belly of Parr Street Studios (beloved of artists from Coldplay to Echo and the Bunnymen), the Mouth of the Mersey collective were holding a storytelling night. Theme: Winter Tales. I dashed in from the cold, and joined a dozen or so locals huddled on sofas, taking turns to spin yarns, from tales of the Bielski Brothers of Belarus to wandering bagpipers who cut off people's feet. Brilliant stuff. Even better: in the bar, I found @Finny23 - she who had recommended Echo and the Bunnymen on the train earlier – supping pints with her brother in between stories.
Next, @extractorFran sent me to Mello Mello, an elongated slither of a bar in the backstreets of Ropewalks, where a solitary guitarist pined into the mic and a handful of onlookers nursed Monday night pints as the wind whistled outside.
And finally, a swift nightcap at the local church. My Liverpool TwiTrip ended in Alma de Cuba, a beautifully restored 18th-century church where the original alter soars over a swish double-decker candlelit bar, and on Friday nights, I'm told, locals swing from the rafters and gyrate through the pews. Cheers to @amesmgreen, @lexytopping and @joentess.
The end of another superb TwiTrip. A huge thanks to everyone who tweeted me on my way. Until next time…
• Benji stayed at Base2Stay Liverpool (+44 (0)151 705 2626), as suggested by @richardeastwood, where doubles start from £75. Virgin Trains run high-speed services to Liverpool from across the country. Search real-time ticket availability and the latest prices online at virgintrains.co.uk, or call 0844 556 5650.
