We leave Belfast on the early morning HSS and travel directly to Southport, where we check into the Royal Clifton, our base for the next 4 nights.

The earlier arrival time means less rush before dinner and time perhaps, for a stroll along the promenade.

A morning at leisure with time to explore the resort. Try Wayfarers Arcade with its arched entrance, glass-domed vaulted roof and range of specialist shops, cafes and restaurants or stroll through Hesketh Park and the Botanic Gardens.

We leave Southport around noon and travel the short distance into Liverpool (20 miles) in time to have lunch and spend the rest of the day in the rejeuvenated Albert Dock area.

Again we have a free morning to relax and enjoy one of England’s finest resorts. In the afternoon we travel a short distance along the coast to Lytham St. Annes, on the north shore of the Ribble estuary.

Today we travel into the heart of Lancashire where a local guide joins us, with tales of the county’s past.

We visit Downham, the setting for “Whistle Down the Wind” and “Born and Bred”, and spend a few hours at Oswaldtwistle Mills Shopping Village. A shopping experience with a difference, it combines retail areas, attractions and craft workshops.

We leave Southport after breakfast in order to catch the mid-afternoon HSS from Stranraer back to Belfast, arriving at the Europa Buscentre around 5.00pm.