"Roll up for the magical mystery tour" goes the famous Beatles song. OK, the Beatles sights and locations around Liverpool are pretty well known - but not by us. Cycling down Penny Lane, towards Strawberry Fields and visiting Eleanor Rigby's grave brought much of the extensive Beatles catalogue to life.

### The Route
The various locations around the city are well known but Liverpool Cycle Tours have cleverly woven them into a neat bike tour using bike paths, quiet roads and even parks. You'd hardly know you were in a busy city - although this was the day after Liverpool won the FA Cup so the city may have been a bit subdued with a few sore heads around!

Our first stop was around the corner from the massive and impressive Anglican Cathedral. This was a sculpture 'A Case History', recognising many Merseyside luminaries, not just the Fab Four. Popularly know as The Cases it is of, well a pile of suitcases. In the background is the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) which was founded by Paul McCartney in his old high school. LIPA also took over the Liverpool College of Arts building - alma mater of John & Cynthia Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe.

![IMG_0541.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0541_884614c8cd.jpeg)  
*The Cases and LIPA  | Cycle Tours Global* 

The tour continued with other past and present stories about the Beatles and their various haunts, houses and schools. Stuart Sutcliffe, Pete Best, Brian Epstein and The Quarrymen were not left out of a very thorough tour. 

![IMG_0547.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0547_52e0ebd579.jpeg)  
*The Empress Pub and impressive Ringo Starr mural | Cycle Tours Global*  

### The Guide
"Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes" was coming from a speaker on the back of our guide Phils's bike, as we rode down Penny Lane. This was a lovely addition to the tour and Phil was full of stories, even about the street sign which has become a tourist attraction but is sadly not well maintained by the local council.

![IMG_0555.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0555_107be620aa.jpeg)  
*Penny Lane | Cycle Tours Global*

Phil is the owner of Liverpool Cycle Tours and is a local. He is full of stories and anecdotes - not just ones you can find online, but from family and friends who were there in the 50s and 60s (not him!) and knew John, Paul, George and/or Ringo. Phil is enthusiastic and cares deeply about his city and its legacy - he is also an environmentalist and a musician.

### Key moments
![IMG_0562.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0562_ab9db3c2e9.jpeg)  
*Eleanor Rigby's gravestone | Cycle Tours Global*  

![IMG_0567.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0567_68a057f335.jpeg)  
*Strawberry Field visitor centre | Cycle Tours Global*  

![IMG_0565.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0565_52c075b661.jpeg)  
*John Lennon's "Imagine" piano | Cycle Tours Global*  

![IMG_0563.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0563_d2e6740ca3.jpeg)  
*The original and long gone Strawberry Field orphanage | Salvation Army*  

![IMG_0571.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0571_d5b05f5cff.jpeg)  
*Liverpool waterfront ride back to the city | Cycle Tours Global*  

### The Bikes
Liverpool Cycle Tours supplied excellently maintained electric bikes that made the whole tour very easy. I never got out of Eco mode but there were several higher levels of pedal assistance - not that the route was hilly or demanding at all. Phil even carries a spare battery on his bike for the highly unlikely event that there's a problem or someone runs out of charge!

<><><>  

What we didn't see were the Beatles statue and the Cavern Club, which is still pumping. These are in the city centre so easily done on your own.  

![IMG_0596.jpeg](https://strapi-prod-media-library.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/IMG_0596_0c1415dee8.jpeg)  
*The Beatles Statue | Cycle Tours Global*  

<><><>  

The author paid for his own tour with support from [Liverpool Cycle Tours](/tour/liverpool-cycle-tours).


Liverpool Cycle Tours have a number of great bike tours exploring different aspects of the city. I chose the Beatles tour for my discovery. And why not - this is the city of the Fab Four!

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Magical Mystery Tour of Liverpool

A large majority of the bike tours listed on c[ycletoursglobal.com](/) are in well known countries and locations - and for good reason. They are generally very accessible and have good cycling and general infrastructure with travel logistics being relatively straightforward.

However there are tours in most corners of the world - and it is often in some of the less popular and less visited locations that the best experiences can be had. The reasons may be the exact opposite to those of popular areas, and may include being:
- Not  overrun with tourists
- A local experience with more authentic interactions
- Remote or off the beaten track
- Supportive of opportunity or resource-poor communities
- More environmentally and economically sustainable
- A unique experience
- Bragging rights!

That being said, there are many hidden and not-so-hidden pockets in much loved regions of Europe, North America and Asia in which you can have peaceful, local and unique experience too! Or check out the [map](/) and browse a country you may not have considered before.

That's the beauty of cycling and using a bike to explore the world - there is something for everyone, everywhere! 

It is often in some of the less popular and less visited locations that the best experiences can be had.

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10 great bike tours in lesser known locations

We've received some great feedback recently to share with you, from some of our most valued bike tour fans. 

And there's a great mix of locations for you to check out - Australia, South America, the Middle East, Spain and Italy!

If you'd like to share your feedback then just search for the tour(s) you did and add a review. The tour should be listed, but if not, please let us know and we'll add it!

We've got some great feedback to share with you from some of our most valued bike tour fans!

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Recent bike tour reviews

New South Wales (NSW) is Australia's fourth largest state by area - bigger than either the US state of Texas or the UK and France combined - and surrounds the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Home to Australia’s best known city and packed with stunning landscapes and huge national parks, New South Wales has endless beaches, famous surf breaks, rugged rock formations and vast bushland. The ACT is much smaller but is very well developed in terms of cycling infrastructure and bikeability.

Highlights
- Blue Mountains for stunning scenery
- The South Coast for white sandy beaches and beautiful coastal routes
- The food and wine scene of the Hunter Valley, Southern Highlands and Mudgee/Orange
- Rural landscapes of the Central West and regional areas
- Cosmopolitan Sydney
- The cool vibe and great cycle infrastructure of the federal capital Canberra (ACT)

___________________________________________________________________
*To see more tours from the tour operators listed below just click on the operator name. To see all the tours we list for New South Wales and the ACT please click [here](/explore/new-south-wales-bike-tours).*

With NSW becoming more cycle friendly the number of bike tours available is steadily increasing ...

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10 great bike tours in New South Wales (and ACT)

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Rest of the World Bike Tours

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Magical Mystery Tour of Liverpool

10 great bike tours in lesser known locations

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