Welcome to my bio, I hope it will help you find the best guide for you and your group. I'm the most enthusiastic tourist and expert Beatles guide and historian you'll meet and I've met Sir Paul McCartney and Pete Best, the Beatles original drummer.
As a published local history author, with my book A-Z Liverpool Hidden Walks, a reference book (in all major retailers and on Amazon) I will be delighted to show you around the city, with the walks all based on my own research.
I have been guiding as a qualified Blue Badge Professional Liverpool & Chester Tourist guide for nearly 15 years and have taken many wonderful explorers (such as yourselves) around not just Liverpool, but Manchester and Chester but also North Wales, Stratford on Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace) as well as Yorkshire and the Lake District. I have also taken people to find their relatives and discover where they came from, which is always fascinating.
Myself and guiding colleague Neil McD (also a top ToursByLocals Guide) ran Liverpool Beatleswalk and Brilliant Tours and now we work as freelance guides. Neil's son, my step son James G (Also on Tours by Locals) is also part of our Blue Badge (nationally accredited) guiding group. So one of us is usually free to give you a high quality tour with a nationally accredited tourist guiding qualification, as we are all Blue Badge Tourist Guides from the Institute of Tourist Guiding, (the ITG). I also have three Master's degrees, in business and education. We all have experience as Tour Managers and itinerary planners in other companies as well as freelance. So if you are wanting to plan a full UK tour, one of use will be able to assist.
In 2023, I was approached to write a Liverpool history book for global publisher Harper Collins, as part of the A-Z (Maps) Hidden Walking Tour series. The project was complex and required detailed research that the only person to work with was Neil, my guiding partner. We worked away tirelessly researching all kinds of subject specific walks around Liverpool and on Wirral (on the other side of the River Mersey) and we are very proud of our efforts. If you are with us for the day, we usually have a copy on us!
Prior running our tour guiding business, I was head of marketing for National Museums Liverpool and absorbed so much history and art from all the amazing collections in our art galleries and museums across the city. We mounted exhibitions on The Beatles, The Titanic, American Transatlantic History, The Slave Trade as well many others on aspects of life in Liverpool and international art exhibitions from the 1400's to contemporary times. I now work part-time as an art teacher, business consultant and educational mentor.
I will be simply delighted to show you around Liverpool, no question is a silly question, though I'd hate to disappoint those of you who might assume Abbey Road is Liverpool, as its in London, I'm afraid.
So whether you are simply interested in a general tour of the city, a tour based on your own interests or want a more specific highlights tour including The Beatles, I will do my best to make your day memorable.
Very best wishes and I look forward to meeting you.
Claire
Blue Badge Tourist Guide - Institute of Tourist Guiding 2013
Private Hire Licensed Driver (Taxi) Guide Badge No. PD0344 - Liverpool City Council
Member of the Institute of Tourist Guiding (ITG)
Msc Services Marketing
Certificate of Education, Teaching Certificate
D32/32 Trainers & Assessors Assessor's Award
BA(Hons) Degree in Business Management
Member of the Liverpool City Region Tourist Guides Association
Public Liability Insurance & Insurance to guide
Met Paul McCartney in 2003 when helped organise his art exhibition at The Walker Art Gallery when was Marketing Manager of the Gallery
Met Pete Best, October 2019 (ex member of The Beatles)
I have no guiding restrictions
