PAGE 30 The Herald, Saturday February 11 2012THX-E01-S2

Holidays

TRAVEL factsBEATLES WALKS: LONDON Walksoffer more than 100 walks around thecapital throughout the week.There are at least three Beatles-themed tours, but the firm also offershistoric, ghostly and Olympic walks.Visit www.walks.com for furtherdetails.

TRAVEL: FIRST Great Western offers30 direct trains a day betweenPlymouth and London, including theovernight sleeper service.Prices start from £13.50 each waybetween Plymouth and Paddington.All fares and timetable information areon our websitewww.firstgreatwester n.co.uk

ACCOMMODATION: ONE ALDWYCHYOU’d be hard-pressed to find abetter-placed award-winning hotel incentral London.One Aldwych boasts luxury at anaffordable rate, and comfort inabundance.The hotel is situated right in the middleof London in Covent Garden, betweenthe City and the West End.It’s within walking distance of 15theatres; shopping; the financialdistrict; art galleries (Tate Modern,Somerset House, National Gallery, theSouth Bank); the London Eye andS h a k e s p e a re ’s Globe Theatre making ita perfect home from home for many ofLondon’s attractions.Its much talked-about restaurant, Axisat One Aldwych, is also worth abooking in its own right with high-quality food and a lovely ambience.Rooms at One Aldwych are priced from£239 plus VAT per room per night.They boast complementary wirelessbroadband in every room; Bowers &Wilkins iPod docking stations; Bang &Olufsen televisions; and fresh fruit andflowers daily.For further information, call OneAldwych (London WC2B 4BZ) on 02073001000 or visit www.onealdwych.com.

Walking in footsteps ofthe Fab Four is capital

During a trip to London, TRISTAN NICHOLS decided to avoid the usual shopping andtourist haunts to seek out a stroll with a difference – a veritable magical mystery tour...

WHEN you’re in need of help,magical mystery tours at theweekend can rekindle yourspirit of adventure and awakenyour soul.

And if you’ve had a hard day’s night,and been working what seems likeeight days a week, it’s worth consid-ering getting away for the weekend.

So while many people visit London togo shopping or visit the countless at-tractions on offer, it’s worth consideringthis day trip-per.

Okay, I’ll stop the puns now.If you’re a fan of The Beatles, and

fancy a wander, why not walk in thefootsteps of the Fab Four?

During my trip to the country’s cap-ital I booked myself onto one of LondonWa l k s ’ Beatles Walks tours taking inmany of the most famous areas whereBeatlemania struck a chord with thenation’s heart.

Now I know what you’re thinking...London? Beatles?!

Why not go to Liverpool – i.e. theirbirthplace?

Good point. However, much of theband’s life was based in London withthe four moving from Liverpool in a bidto further their careers.

On this particular tour, named the‘In My Life’ walk, I was amazed real-ising that many of the areas of LondonI have previously strolled through andpast, were in fact backdrops to some ofthe Fab Four’s most famous exploits.

Marlyebone Station, which I havevisited on countless occasions, was thesetting for many of the early scenes inthe film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’.

A short distance away is MaryleboneRegister Office where Paul and Ringomarried their sweethearts in the1960s.

The site also recently played host tothe recent wedding of Paul and partnerNancy Shevell.

A short distance away in MontaguSquare is the flat which Ringo owned

and leased out to John and Yoko in thelate 1960s.

The flat became famous in its ownright as the site where the couple werephotographed nude for the ‘two virgins’album cover.

It’s also believed that Paul wrote‘Eleanor Rigby’ here.

And just a few streets away fromhere is The Beatles’ former Apple office,and the house where Paul wrote thefirst chords of ‘Ye s t e r d a y ’.

For a passer-by, as I have been untilnow, many of these sites are simplysoul-less buildings, now lived in bynormal people like you or me.

But it’s only when someone pointsout the small circular blue plaquesfixed to the front of the properties thatyou realise what once lay within.

The plaques act as guides to visitors,offering a small snippet of informationon the site’s history.

Of course, a Beatles tour of Londonwouldn’t be complete without a trip toAbbey Road Studios and its famouscrossing – featured on the album coverAbbey Road.

The site is now what it was then, I’msure – pretty unspectacular.

Saying that, though, there is a buzzaround the place.

As it’s on a busy main road the trafficis relentless – even when people aretrying to re-enact the famous albumcover shot – and the only truly colourfulaspect of the scene is the graffiti writ-ten all over the walls of the studio’sfront entrance.

Even so, the site is a chapel to musicfans with some of the finest albums andartists in the land having capturedmoments of beauty here.

It’s only really when you take part ina tour like this that you realise just howimportant and incredible The Beatleswere for this country – and indeed howloved they are even today.

So as I walk away from the hustleand bustle of the big smoke with myticket to ride, I have to say: I feel fine.

ABOVE: TheBeatles are seenrunning up thisstreet in thebeginning of thefilm A Hard Day’sNightLEFT: Tour guideRichard Porter infront of a propertyin Montagu Square,London, whereJohn Lennon andYoko Ono lived

ICONIC IMAGE: A Beatles tour of London wouldn’t be complete withouta trip to Abbey Road Studios and its famous crossing, right, featured onthe album cover Abbey Road. Above: A plaque tells visitors why aproperty is important