I absolutely love Liverpool. I moved here 7 years ago to attend Uni after only ever visiting the city once in my life, and i’ve stayed ever since graduating. My whole time here i’ve never once needed a car, with everything you need a walking distance away (fun fact: it’s a 3rd of the size of Manchester, with double the students), and living in town it has great transport links if you want to head out.

However, I recently got a car again, mainly for driving to work in Cheshire, but it’s given me the options to venture out of the city, and i’ve found so many great places a Driving Distance away. Of course you can always rent a vehicle too, to check these out. So here you go:

Crosby Beach

Google “Liverpool coastline” and you’re hit with images of this fantastic Beach not far north of the city centre. You’ll probably recognise the ‘Another Place’ sculptures on the beach, from the artist Anthony Gormley, but aside from that the beach itself is fantastic. In my opinion, the best time to drive there is at sunset, as it sets right over the river, which can be a nice backdrop for eating chips or walking the dog. Now I just need to get a dog.

Snowdonia National Park

I actually didn’t know how close we were to North Wales until I started working that way, but it’s only about an hour and a half drive away, and probably the closest National Park to us? I grew up visiting the Lake District a lot so have to get my fix of trees and fresh air when I can, and is a nice step away from the hustle and bustle of Liverpool. If you’re in to walking there’s some absolutely outstanding views from the top for those Instagram likes, and if not then the drive itself is actually very scenic and relaxing.

Jodrell Bank Observatory

This is pretty cool to be fair. Even if (like me) you’re not that in to space, this is quite outstanding and something a little bit different to the above natural spots. It’s essentially an observatory with a number of radio telescopes, but it’s pretty cool to look at. I was amazed by the mobile replica of our solar system, giving a reminder of how small we are compared to the universe (here me out here), but it’s actually a bit of mechanical genius. Situated in Cheshire, it’s just over an hour’s drive from Liverpool. Give it a go before slating it. If you’re in to music too, there’s a festival called Bluedot here which looks insane!

Have you got any recommendations of places near Liverpool to drive to? Let us know in the comments below…