Mersey Tunnel Tour
Mersey Travel
Hidden in plain sight is a unique way to experience Liverpool; from the underground!
For just £10 per person, Mersey Travel offer a unique tour of the Queensway Tunnel which runs under the River Mersey and connects Liverpool and Birkenhead together.
Lasting approximately 2 hours and limited to 20 people at a time, the tour takes in the original control room, giant ventilation fans, the rescue areas underneath the roadway, a section of the Old George Dock, and even out onto a gangway of the tunnel whilst cars are driving through.
The tour starts with a small exhibition which details how the Queensway and Kingsway tunnels were built, along with the differences between the two. This isn’t a large exhibition, but the detail within and the models of the tunnels are an excellent introduction and really help to illustrate what you are about to experience.
The exhibition area is also where each person is kitted out in a high viz vest and hard hart. There are a variety of sizes available and the guides made sure everyone was wearing them at all times. Once they’re happy everyone is equipped and aware of the basic rules, the tour properly starts with a walk up to the original control room. This is about 4 flights of stairs, but there is a lift available for this part of the tour.
The old control room is like stepping into a time warp where everything looks very space-age and sci-fi film-esque whilst simultaneously looking like a 1970’s office space. There are some more pieces on display in this room, such as log books. This room is very much like a time capsule.
From the control room the tour then heads underground. This is probably the longest continual stretch of stairs, but as they are all heading downwards you don’t really feel how many stairs you are doing. There is no lift available for this part of the tour, and the sheer distance covered doesn’t feel possible as you flow through the heavy doors and stairs combo. This is also the part of the tour where you could get dirty. The guides warned us before we started descending that the carbon from car emissions is on the handrails and not to touch your clothes if you touch the rails as it will leave marks.
Once underground, the tour spends some time looking at the giant ventilation fans. The fans are even turned on so you can fully experience the lower speeds of the fans. The hard hats definitely helped to keep the wind swept look under control!
One of our favourite sections of the tour was looking at the old section of dock. This part of the tour is so deep that the Mersey is just on the other side of a wall, which the guides illustrated by bringing up some of the Mersey water through a section of the wall which had originally housed a wooden beam as part of the dock construction. This very much felt like being in another world underneath current Liverpool.
The tour also provides the opportunity to go out into the tunnel and stand on the gangway as traffic is travelling past. This is a view that is totally unique to this tour and worth the price of the tour alone. Counting how many cars slow down as soon as they see the high viz jackets is amazing (and mildly unnerving).
Finally, the tour heads under the roadway to one of the refuge areas where the tour guides share details of all the different films that have been shot in the tunnels. They also use this time to answer any questions that anyone has, and generally give people about 10 to 15 minutes to have a rest on a bench before heading back up the stairs, away from underground Liverpool.
Our tour guides were Phil and Ryan who brought an array of Scouse Charm to the tour. Their jokes and sound track added to the enjoyment of this tour, but they were also incredibly knowledgable. They made sure that everyone could always hear the commentary and most importantly they didn’t rush people on the stairs. Everyone was able to walk the stairs at their own pace, which with so many different levels of age and physical ability was extremely valuable.
Given that the tour consists of around 800 stairs, this tour isn’t suitable for those with mobility issues. The tour is also only for children over 10 years of age.
This was an educational and fun experience, and well worth the cost. Tours currently take place on a Tuesday and Thursday at 5pm, or on a Saturday at 10am. The tours on a Saturday often sell out 6 weeks in advance, so if you’re interested in this tour make sure you book in advance.
We really cannot rate this highly enough and think this could honestly be one of the best kept secrets of Liverpool.
For more information about the tour, check out the Mersey Travel website. Tickets are available via Ticket Quarter.
Originally posted: