St Helens

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St Helens is a town in Merseyside, England, and was traditionally part of Lancashire.

	st helens Travel Guide : 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By train 2.2 By bus 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 5.1 Other local attractions 6 Learn 7 Buy 8 Eat 9 Drink 9.1 Club 10 Sleep 11 Stay safe 12 Get out

Understand

St Helens is a growing, vibrant city, which takes most of its influences from nearby city Liverpool. The town was established from the unity of local townships Sutton, Parr, Windle, and Eccleston. A town hall was only constructed in 1839, and St Helens became a parish of its own right in 1852. Originally an industrial district providing success in coal mining and glass manufactoring, St Helens is now a young and populous town, famous for its retail, nightlife, wildlife, and diversity.

Get in

St Helens is situated at the heart of the region's motorway network (M6, M62, M57, M58) and midway between the urban and cultural hubs of Liverpool (13 miles) & Manchester (22 miles) plus their respective airports - Liverpool John Lennon (14 miles), and Manchester Airport (28 miles).

By train

Rail is the easiest public transport to use when visiting St Helens. St Helens Central rail station is situated directly in the town centre, and all the towns attractions are no more than a short walk away. This stations lies on the Wigan to Liverpool line making it easily accessible from both. Other stations on this line that station in St Helens include Thatto Heath, Eccleston Park. The Liverpool to Manchester line serves St Helens at Rainhill, St Helens Junction railway station, Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows and Lea Green. St Helens town centre is easily accessed from Lea Green station via the A569.

By bus

National Express (http://www.nationalexpress.com), the U.K.'s largest scheduled coach company has routes leading through and stopping in St Helens town centre.

Get around

Most of St Helens attractions are a short walk away, but bus travel is still a handy and quick way of navigating the town. The best place to start is by visiting the main bus station, which isn't easily missed, and is 200 yards from St Helens Central rail station, and next to the town hall, public library, theatre and shopping arcade. The main bus station has a tourist travel information centre which are open during typical office working hours, and can help with information on getting anywhere within Merseyside. Bus stops are frequent and plentyful throughout the town. For safety, the buses are best not used after 7pm. They are not necessarily dangerous, but can often make a person feel hostile and not a pleasant way to travel late at night. To be safe, get a taxi. There are plenty of taxi ranks and cab services throughout the town, all of which are easy to find, and usually situated near popular nighttime venues. Everyone knows at least one taxi number, so it might be worth asking a local for a contact.

See

St Helens is not necessarily renowned for its architecture, but does provide varied places to see for different people.

• Carr Mill Dam provides picturesque lakeside trails and walks as well as national competitive powerboating and angling events. Located at Old Garswood Road, WA11 7LZ.
• Colliers Moss Common was created on the waste from a power station and is a diverse landscape with water features (including lagoons, streams, wetland areas and a fishery), focal points, artworks, seating areas and an amphitheatre all serve to make the whole site a beautiful and peaceful place to explore as well as important habitat for wildlife. Great for walkers, cyclists and horseriders. WA5 4XX
• Sankey Valley Country Park Visitor Centre - a 7 mile linear park, runs from Carr Mill Dam to Newton-Le-Willows. Has many footpaths and cycleways. Identified as a site of special scientific interest.
• Sherdley Park holds a 18 hole golf course and driving range, formal garden areas, open woodland, ponds, children's play areas, pets corner, and hosts some of the most popular summer events in the North West. Located at Marshalls Cross Road, WA9 5DE.

Do

• Citadel Arts Centre is a performing and visual arts centre. The centre also presents a wide ranging programme of music, theatre, dance, poetry, comedy, storytelling, visual art and film events. Commonly known as "The Citadel", the centre provides fantastic opportunities for local unsupported bands and acts. Recently refurbished with glass elevator, a new café/bar and balcony, plus dance studio. Located on Waterloo Street, WA10 1PX. Citadel.org.uk (http://www.citadel.org.uk/)
• Haydock Park Racecourse - the most visited racecourse in the country, especially for the William Hill Sprint Cup in September, the Red Square Vodka Cup in February and the North West Masters in November. It is also an excellent venue for other events, exhibitions, conferences, dinner dances, Christmas Parties and weddings. The racecourse has a certain high standard to the clientele it receives, which can often make it too exclusive for a fun day out. Located: Newton-le-Willows, WA12 0HQ. Haydock-Park.co.uk (http://www.haydock-park.co.uk/)
• Knowsley Safari Park is a world of its own, awarded Merseyside Tourist Attraction of the Year 1994, and is consistantly a popular day out for the family. Vistitors can enjoy a 5 mile safari through 450 acres of historic parkland, home to hundreds of animals from around the world including Lions, Tigers, Zebras, Rhinos, Bison, Ostrich, Camels and more. The park also allows children to enjoy a small farm home to a large selection of farm yard animals, a bug house, and a sealion performance show. The park also has its own amusement park with over 20 rides including a minature railway, pirate ship and two rollercoasters. The food and drink is fantastic, and the whole park is set on breathtaking scenery, which may be disheartening when the weather can be bad, but beautiful on a good day. Located on Prescot Road, Prescot, L34 4AN. Website (http://www.knowsley.com/safari/).
• St Helens Rugby League FC is home to the world-famous rugby league club and one of the most successful teams in the Super League. A visit to St Helens without experiencing its rugby ties would be a missed opportunity. The "Saints" are a cult hero team of the town, and have become the leading advertising item used by the council due to it's deep popularity running through all who live in St Helens. The grounds are at Knowsley Road Stadium, Dunriding Lane, WA10 4AD. See also SaintsRLFC.com (http://saints.merseyworld.com/)
• The World of Glass is the towns own personal record of its sucess in the glass manufactoring field. The architecture alone is fantastic, and the museum is informative as well as impressive to anyone who visits. The museum features live glass blowing demonstrations, multi-media shows, underground tunnels, galleries, special exhibitions, cafe, and a gift shop selling hand-crafted glassworks. Worth visiting to see the fantastic display alone. Located at Chalon Way East, WA10 1BX. WorldOfGlass.com (http://www.worldofglass.com/). Also homes the St Helens Tourist Information Centre. Visit St Helens (http://www.visitsthelens.com)
• Theatre Royal is a 700-seat theatre with a varied year-round programme of drama, dance, opera and musicals. The theatre has been plagued with financial stress, and has suffered chance of being shut down many times, only to be saved by the support of the public community. The theatre is often visited by travelling events and shows, as well as some of the biggest national celebrities and performances, often being the only venus in the north west for seeing certain shows. The theatre also supports local events and ceremonies, and St Helens' very own celebrity comedian Johnny Vegas. Located next to town hall and St Helens main bus station, and a short walk from St Helens Central rail station, on Corporation Street, WA10 1LQ. St Helens Thatre Royal.co.uk (http://www.sthelenstheatreroyal.co.uk/)

Other local attractions

• Cineworld Multiplex Cinema (site) (http://www.cineworld.co.uk/) - a multi-screen cinema, with selected screens with deluxe quality visual display, comfortable furnishings, and superior sound quality. The cinema has enough screens to provide a great choice of movies for any time of the week.

Learn

• St Helens College is the towns leading education centre. Provides pleanty of part-time or full-time courses for all ages and all levels of study. Website (http://www.sthelens.ac.uk/)

Buy

• Church Square Shopping Centre consists of two arcades that are built around the local parish church. This centre provides the most popular high-street chains and an open-space coffee shop providing take-away food and drink.
• St Mary's Market is within Church Square Shopping Centre and provides a variety of small private market shops, with friendly shop owners and constantly changing stock. Each stall adds something to the retail standard of the town which common high-street shops don't. Great value for money. Located at St Mary's Arcade, Church Street, WA10 1AR. The centre of Church Square is 3 minutes walk from St Helens Central station.
• Hardshaw Centre is the other main shopping centre to the town. Located on Bickerstaffe Street, WA10 1EB.
• Hardware retailers and warehouses are found on retail parks located outside town centre. A small electric bus makes a frequent trip on a route around town providing a free trip to and from each of these parks.

Eat

• Chicago Rock Cafe - Linkway West, Chalon Way, WA10 1BT - 1 (http://www.chicago-rock-cafe.co.uk/)

As well as providing one of the best nights out, Chicago Rock provides great quality food during the day. Open from lunch until around 7pm each day, this bar provides a great daytime atmosphere for a good meal and drink. A great start to a night out, as after your meal, the bar suddenly becomes vibrant, with the best music from the latest decades. See Drink for more details.

• Chloe's Cafe Bar 8 Ormskirk Street, WA10 1BJ

This cafe is right in the middle of town centre and is difficult to miss. Chloe's provides a more stylish place to eat, and the food is fantastically presented. The shame is the place is not as comfortable as it appears to be, and does not provide much of an opportunity to relax, but rather somewhere people stop for a drink and then move on. Chloe's is alos a popular addition to St Helens nightlife - see Drink.

• Colours Restaurant - Water Street, WA10 1PZ - 2 (http://www.sthelens.ac.uk/college/facilities/colours.asp)

Colours is an elegant, sophisticated haute cuisine restaurant located on the college campus of the town. This restaurant is a training restaurant but still provides fantastic cuisine from varied cultures. Not a place where you can kick off your shoes and put your elbows on the table, but a place you'd most likely meet with your boss.

• Le Frog Bistro - 2 Haydock Street, WA10 1DA - 3 (http://www.lefrogbistro.com/sthelensfacts.html)

Great continental food in a stylish atmosphere. This restaurant provides a great opportunity to try something new.

• Pizza Hut - The College Leisure Scheme, Linkway West, WA10 1BL - 4 (http://www.pizzahut.co.uk)

The traditional international pizza dining restaurant with eat-in or take-out. Value for money, and can be great place to take the kids. Not a good example of local dining, however.

• Red Cat - 8 Red Cat Lane, Crank, WA11 8RU

Award-winning and legendary, this pub has a great history. The food has a very northern and home-cooked flavour, and the only downside is the place can be a little difficult to reach, but worth mentioning here.

• The Royal Oak - East Lancashire Road, Eccleston, WA10 5QN

A great, family pub with entertainment for the kids. The food service is fantastic, and the atmosphere is very comfortable. To the side of the pub is a large complex with climbing frame, ball pool and adventure playhouse all indoors for the kids. A great evening meal.

• The Glass House (JD Wetherspoon) - Market Street, WA10 1NE - 5 (http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/)

The Glass House provides a place for a cheap drink or a cheap meal making it popular with students and youths alike. Families are welcomed, but kids will get bored. The restaurant is pushed to the back of the bar, and is down some stairs, so you feel a bit hidden away and squashed in. No music is played in any Wetherspoons bars, so the atmosphere can get dull.

• Yates Wine Bar - Chalon Way West, WA10 1BL - 6 (http://www.yatesbars.co.uk/)

Not very well known for its food, Yates does serve lunch and light snacks, but serves better as a bar rather than a restaurant.

• Be sure to check out local pubs for traditional home-cooked northern foods, each providing their own selection of specialities, and can be really inviting especially to families.
• Also, many of the bars below serve food during the day and switch to providing great nightlife in the evenings. Be aware that most stop serving food about 6pm-7pm because of this.

Drink

St Helens has an exciting and extensive list of bars and pubs, catering for all tastes. Monday and Tuesday nights don't provide much excitement, while Friday and Saturday are the busiest nights out. There are enough bars and pubs in town centre to stop you getting bored, so it's often good to try the different spots and see what suits your taste most for yoir night out. There's a good mix of age, so don't feel like you'll be surrounded by students. There are few youth-only bars so people don't typically feel out of place. There is no dress code for a night out but don't expect to be refused entry if you haven't at least made the effort. Jeans are ok for most places, but trainers/sneakers aren't usually allowed for popular nights when the bar is already populated. Jogging pants, shorts, tracksuits will never get you accepted into any of the bars no matter what night. 'Casual smart' is the typical unspoken dress code. Be warned, like most towns and cities, certain bars and pubs may make you feel hostile because of the way you are dressed or the way you act. Make sure to check the Be safe section when in town at nightime.

• The Assembly - 16 Hardshaw Street, WA10 1RE

A popular club for students and youths, but many young adults enjoy going too. Very lively on a Thursday night, though not very popular on a Friday. Saturday nights host a DJ which plays classic "old school" music from 1990s. Large big screen good for sports events. Pool tables and food served during the day. Not family-friendly.

• Bar X - 46 Bridge Street, WA10 1NW

A bar only alive at nighttime, with two floors and a bar on each. Dancefloor with the latest popular music. Sometimes a bit unfriendly. Definately not family-friendly.

• Chicago Rock Cafe - Linkway West, Chalon Way, WA10 1BT

After a day of serving food and quiet drinks, the bar very suddenly comes alive and offers a fantastic night out. Tuesdays are kareoke night, but don't be put off by this, it's usually a lot of fun and the club is big enough to be able to ignore what's going on at the other end! Wednesday nights is one of the most popular nights out of the week in Chicago, when it hosts local bands and tribute acts which can be almost as good as the real thing providing fantastic live entertainment. Thursdays to Sundays is a typical night out, with popular dance music from the 70s onwards, with something for everyone. A very safe place to go for a good night out and a good place to dance. A bar that's all about the music and less about the drink.

• Chloe's Cafe Bar - 12 Ormskirk Street, WA10 1BJ

Chloes is quiet during the day and sometimes carries on like this into the night. Not a hotspot, but does host one of the most popular events in St Helens - Fragile. Drinks aren't cheap.

• The Dali Bar - 64 Westfield Street, WA10 1QJ

A good little bar, which is very popular, and a friendly place to go

• The Glass House (JD Wetherspoon) - Market Street, WA10 1NE

Quiet and clean, a good place to go for a drink and a chat, but doesn't play any music. Suits some people, but not those who are out for a dance.

• Ice Bar - 58 Ormskirk Street, WA10 2TF

A small bar, with good drinks, nice atmosphere, but not a great deal going on

• Maloney's Cocktail Bar - Waterloo Street

Fantastic bar, but don't expect something different than a cocktail when ordering. The bar staff are trained to flair and put on a show spraying alochol everywhere. It's a novelty, but it comes at a price. The drinks are very expensive, but the nights out are sometimes worth the money.

• Nexus Cafe Bar - 5 Westfield Street, WA10 1QA

Underneath St Helens' only nightclub, this little bar is open during the day and serves as a nice place to rendez-vous.

• Yates's Wine Bar - Chalon Way West, WA10 1BL

A nice stylish bar, providing a place where you can sit listening to good music, but not a lively night out

• Zoo Cafe Bar - 52 Westfield Street, WA10 1QJ

Mixes entertainment and a night out on the tiles, "The Zoo" has a regular programme of great bands, comedy and acts. It's worth checking out the website (http://www.zoocafebar.com/) for what's on. Those who are dressed up smart or trendy won't really fit in.

Club

• Nexus Night Club - 5 Westfield Street, WA10 1QA

St Helens only night club can provide some of the best and worse nights out. The only place to go for a good dance and the whole place can get very populated quickly. Be safe, especially if its your first time here.

Sleep

The main hotel in St Helens is the Hilton Hotel (http://www.hilton.co.uk), Linkway West, WA10 1NG (Tel 00441744 453444). This can be a bit expensive though, with the average room cost being £160 per night. There are cheaper, though they are a little bit out of town, but never more than a short taxi ride away.

• Travelodge - A580 Piele Road, Haydock, WA11 0JZ - 7 (http://www.travelodge.co.uk/) - around £45 per night
• Haydock Thistle Inn - Penny Lane, Haydock, WA11 9SG - 8 (http://www.thistlehotels.com) - around £68 per night
• Travel Inn - Eurolink, Lea Green, WA9 4TT - 9 (http://www.travelinn.co.uk) - around £48 per night
• Waterside Premier Lodge - Garswood Old Road, East Lancs Road, WA11 9AB - 10 (http://www.premierlodge.com) - around £48 per night

Stay safe

St Helens is a very friendly place, where any friendly looking face will willingly help you find your way about if you simply ask them. However, there is the opposite to this rule. People can be very hostile and uninterested, if not agressive. People tend to walk through town not necessarily acknowledging anyone else.

There are persistant beggars on the streets at every time of the day, though not usually on the busiest shopping days. They may hang around streets which are frequented often, or near cash machines. Although St Helens is a town, people often exclaim that it suffers the same hostility as a city would. It's not a good idea to take your wallet or phone out in public - this is just advertising to thieves.

In the winter, when the sun sets earlier, the centre of town can be less friendly. There is a small gap between shops closing and bars becoming populated where the town is overun with disrespectful youths or beggars.

Beggars look like they need your help but in fact they don't. St Helens suffers little from homelessness, and it's certainly something you won't see. Anyone who comes up to you on the street asking for money - no matter how little - doesn't need help. Typical begging stories include a girlfriend who's recently fallen pregnant, lost her child or is ill, or a dog that hasn't eaten, or a person needs to get a bus home. This is seen so often that locals know these con artists by name and saying hello then discourages them from asking!

Nighttime is safe, as long as you take care of yourself and those you're out with. Don't walk anywhere on your own, and you will be fine. Police are often patrolling or monitoring the streets. Disagreements and conflicts do occur on the streets, usually alcohol-fuelled, but the trick is to keep out of the way and not become involved. Taxi ranks and take-aways are not the friendliest places to be when a night comes to a close, and you may be waiting for quite some time. It is very difficult to get a taxi home at the end of a night, so it is a good idea to leave those 15 minutes early to beat the crowd.

Don't be discouraged, this warning is only here because you might come into conflict, but you're more likely to have a simple fun night out now that you know what to expect.

Get out

While you're in the North West, why not travel locally outside St Helens and see a few places.

• Liverpool - via train, go to St Helens Central station, and catch the train to Liverpool Lime Street. 12 miles.
• Formby - fantastic beach, sand dunes and pine woods. See the National Trust website for more info (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-formby/).

Catch the train to Liverpool, and take the Formby train from Liverpool Central station. 19 miles from St Helens.

• Blackpool - home to Pleasure Beach (http://www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/) theme park, Blackpool tower, and a fantastic light display for half the year, Blackpool is a great beside-the-sea city.

Catch the train from St Helens Central to Blackpool North. 45 miles.