In the period following the disbanding of the Beatles, a consequence of which was the apparent decline of Liverpool's mystique, the unassuming road designated the A41 (which for me starts at Woodside in Birkenhead and meanders through nine English counties, finally petering out in London's Oxford Street), came to represent, a lifeline to a better future; a potential 'Road to Riches'.
It was the road taken by the X1, the overnight coach and cheaper alternative to the train from Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston. The near mythical single decker would depart from Birkenhead's Chester Street at around midnight, to begin its slow route south.
Steering clear of motorways, and taking in stops at many ill lit unknown towns enroute, this was the transforming journey, dreamed of and taken by many thrifty and ambitious individuals, keen to break free from a now lackluster Merseyside, in search of the bright lights, excitement and wealth that they believed only London could offer.
