Your February half-term guide with Merseyrail

Merseyrail can keep you and the family moving this half-term with a. host of destinations to get to with ease.

Half-term’s finally arrived in Liverpool City Region and, bang on schedule, there’s loads of things to do with the kids.

With gaming fun, crafts galore, and musical memories to be had, you’ll not be short of ways to keep everyone in the family happy. 

And if you want to keep on track and fit in as much as possible, the best way to get there is by train.

So many popular places are just steps away from a Merseyrail station, and hopping on the train means you don’t have to worry about traffic jams and how to get there, or parking when you finally arrive!

A family ticket (for a family of up to five) costs just £13 so it’s not going to break the bank, and with a Day Saver ticket you can travel to as many destinations as you like in one day.

All you need to do is decide is where you want to go – then concentrate on having a good time ith you and yours.

Fancy a day out at Southport? 

Destination Station: Southport 

If you jump on the train from Moorfields it only takes 44 minutes to get to the seaside resort and, once you’re there, there are plenty of places to visit including Southport Market which has been transformed into a fab food and drink market, with Mexican street food, perfect pizzas, traditional pie & mash, and more. There’s The Atkinson too which has got lots of Lunar New Year crafts and a new escape room experience, Unlock The Atkinson, all for free, and if you want to get a bit of fresh air there’s nothing better than the Sefton Coastal Path that takes in miles of coastline from Crosby to Southport and past highlights like Antony Gormley’s famous iron men.

Take a trip to New Brighton

Destination Station: New Brighton

It’s only about a 20-minute journey to New Brighton from Liverpool and when you get there there’s loads to enjoy. If you’ve got little ones, Bubbles World of Play (aimed at up-to-11s) has got the largest play frame in the UK and kids can explore more than 30 different countries and zones; and if you want the good times to roll, you can head to Riverside Bowl and see if you can score a strike, pot a pool ball, or target the fun at its LaserQuest challenge. If you get peckish, there’s a good few restaurants, cafes and bars at Marine Point Retail and Leisure – or what about good old fish and chips at the Mediterranean Sea Fish and Chip Shop?

Liverpool ONE’s got it all

Destination Stations: Central or James St

If you want to shop till you drop then this has got to be on your half-term agenda with so many high street stores as well as designer boutiques and lovely independents (and don’t forget all the bars and restaurants where you can grab a bite to eat if you start to flag, the ODEON cinema for the latest flick, or its incredible Heritage Trail). If thrills are your thing, why not try the latest entertainment venue, Gravity MAX, which has got electric go-karting, bowling, crazy golf, gaming and more? The only problem here will be what to choose – and how to drag the kids away! 

Albert Dock’s Fiesta of Fire

Destination Stations: Central or James St

This is one of the best half-term events across the city and the kids are really going to love it (nearly as much as you). It’s the return of the Fiesta of Fire, a dramatic spectacle of fire and light with choreographed fire shows and freestyle fire performers from Bring the Fire Project showing off their pyro-skills throughout the week. You can expect dazzling martial arts-inspired routines, flaming sword fights, and more on the Martin Luther King Jr. plateau! Visitors to the Dock will also have the chance to take part in a fire walk, and watch wide-eyed at the return of the three-metre-high fire-breathing dragon for the Sunday, February 17, finale.

South Liverpool 

Destination Station: St Michael’s

It’s just a 12-minute train journey and then the shortest of walks to Sefton Park, one of the best- loved parks in Merseyside. Grade One listed, the 200-acre spot’s got a boating lake, the replica statues of Eros and Peter Pan, the café, and the breath-taking Palm House that’s been beautifully restored. You’re close to Sudley House, the Victorian home of the philanthropic Holt family in Mossley Hill Road, boasting the only surviving Victorian merchant art collection in Britain still hanging in its original location, and of course Speke Hall, the 16^th century Tudor mansion now owned by the National Trust which, from crafting to trails and a hedge maze, has got a whole host of fun activities for the family this half term.

And don’t forget!

Merseyrail’s MtoGO stores have got shelves full of Valentine’s gifts to get your hands on between now and February 14 and, as always, lots of great merchandise if you want to treat the train lover in your life.

Visit the Merseyrail website to plan your journey HERE.

Get the latest for Liverpool HERE.