London Stopover Trip

January 22, 2010December 25, 2009 PerryGolf Staff

We decided to stop off in London for a few days – so much to see and do! Fortunately the weather was perfect for sightseeing and we were quite happy to explore on foot. Our hotel was not far from the River Thames and we walked to the Millennium Bridge, taking in St. Pauls Cathedral on the way, and then along the Embankment to the London Eye. This is a must for everyone on a London trip and includes a short 4D film – the fourth dimension being atmospherics as you ‘travel’ through London.

After the Eye, we continued our walk and went over Westminster Bridge to the Houses of Parliament. London is really well sign-posted for tourists anyway, but every time we opened up our tourist map, someone would ask if we needed a hand! These were ordinary people going by and they were so helpful. We continued our walk past Westminster Abbey, found Downing Street (we could only see No 10 from the security barrier), and went onto the Horse Guard’s Parade to watch the changing of the guard. The two regiments that guard the palaces are the Household Cavalry (in red tunics) and the Blues & Royals (in blue). The horses were magnificently turned out and so patient with everyone wanting their pictures taken next to a horse. The troopers looked so young but maybe that was just me!

We continued our walk through St. James Park and up to Buckingham Palace(so many people and so many nationalities, but all just enjoying being there) and then on up Constitution Hill to Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, the Princess Diana Memorial garden and the Serpentine. London is full of statues and memorials and you could spend a day just exploring these. We were getting pretty hungry by now and found a pavement café for an excellent lunch and then heard someone say that downstairs was Prince Harry’s favourite nightclub. Setting off again, we retraced our steps through the park and down The Mall to Trafalgar Square to see Nelson’s Column and the lions. The National Art Gallery (located on one side of the square) is a very impressive building, but we didn’t have time to visit it on this occasion. Must go back!

We wanted to see a show while we were there and headed to Leicester Square and the returned ticket booths – discovering Covent Garden on our way. This was once the original fruit and flower market for London but is now two storeys of small trendy shops, stalls selling all sorts of jewellery, handbags, scarves, etc, and courtyard areas where ‘living statues’, musicians, singers and entertainers amuse the shoppers. One tiny teashop specialises in very large iced cupcakes in every conceivable flavour and with amazing decorations; we had to try them…and with a (very English) pot of tea!

Theatre tickets purchased, we headed back to the hotel for a rest before our evening ahead and to plan how we could fit in the Tower of London, Carnaby Street, Soho and China Town, not to mention shopping in Oxford Street and Harrods!

By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne Shaw has worked for PerryGolf for over 9 years and is a member of our Administration Team.

Golf on the Lancashire Coast of England

January 17, 2010January 17, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Lancashire Coast in England’s North West; and what a place it is for golf. I was only there for a couple of days but I managed to visit the top 8 courses in the area. Of them, I was lucky enough to play Royal Birkdale which is one of, if not, the best course I’ve ever played. It brought back memories of the 2008 British Open when Padraig Harrington lifted the Claret Jug – especially his awesome 5-wood into the 17^th leading to an eagle on the final day. I also hit a 5-wood for my second shot, but I could only muster up a par 5!

Other than Royal Birkdale, I also saw Royal Lytham & St Annes and Royal Liverpool, both of which need no introduction given their prominence on the British Open rota…but it was the quality of the lesser known courses which impressed me most. Whilst I didn’t play them all, I did walk out onto the courses and spent time in the clubhouses enjoying the hoards of memorabilia each club displays. Wallasey, near to Liverpool, was one which intrigued me greatly. Not only is the course spectacular with what looks like one of the best finishing holes in links golf, but the club as a whole is steeped in history. The Bobby Jones portrait (the only one he ever signed because he liked it so much) is without doubt the centre of attention (that was where he qualified for the Open which lead to his grand Slam); but the club is also the home of the Stableford format, as member Frank Stableford came up with the idea whilst on the 2^nd fairway. There are some great pictures and stories on the walls about them both; so if you’re there, be sure to pop in for a look.

The PerryGolf Team at Royal Liverpool Golf Club

One of the best things about the area is the location of the courses which make it possible to play 8 great courses (and I’m not exaggerating when I say great) from just one hotel. You’ll never have more than an hour’s drive to play the three Royal’s, Wallasey, Hillside (generally regarded as the best links courses never to have held the Open), Southport and Ainsdale (twice host to the Ryder Cup), Formby and West Lancashire. If you’ve ‘done’ Scotland and Ireland, the North West of England is definitely the next place you should go. You will not be disappointed.

By Keith Baird – Golf Travel Specialist. Keith Baird has worked for PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of the members of staff responsible for our British Isles programs.

A Great Restaurant in Southport, England

December 24, 2009December 10, 2009 PerryGolf Staff

On a recent trip to Southportin the North West of England, I was glad to see how much the restaurant scene had improved since my last visit 6 or 7 years ago. Myself and some of the other sales team at PerryGolf ate in Warehouse Brasserie; located in the town centre on West Street, just off of Lord Street. It is very convenient for those using Southport as a base for a golf trip.

The main restaurant, which is decorated in a modern Art Deco style, is located downstairs and has a warm and friendly atmosphere. No need for jacket and tie here. The menu is varied and offers dishes from local fish and game to Asian curries and Chinese-influenced noodles. I opted to have the black pudding hash brown with mustard mayo and poached egg followed by the local Fleetwood Cod with Crab and sweet corn risotto with ginger spring onions. Both dishes were excellent and certainly merited the 2 AA rosettes and Michelin Bib Gourmand the restaurant has been awarded. A number of my companions went for the Duck Spring Rolls which were also excellent, as was the fish pie. Unfortunately we did not have space left for dessert – but I was very tempted by the Dark Chocolate Tart with pecans and caramel ice cream.

All agreed it was an excellent meal and it was made even more special due to the fact we were seated beside a table of local professional soccer players who play for Liverpool Football Club.

Check out the Brasserie’s website for more information and to view their fantastic menu http://www.warehousebrasserie.co.uk/Menus.htm.

By Alastair Niven

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