If you're looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, there are a number of picturesque villages you can visit in and around Liverpool.
With cosy pubs and charming architecture, these villages provide the perfect day out for the whole family. Each area has its own unique qualities, from the only free-standing post-medieval courthouse in Britain to John Lennon's childhood home.
Here we look at what they have to offer and what makes them desirable places to live. If there's any areas you'd like to see added to this list let us know in the comments below.
READ MORE: Thomas Cashman trial updates as woman describes alleged affair before Olivia Pratt-Korbel shooting
West Derby Village
West Derby Village is steeped in history, which attracts tourists from across the region and beyond.
The village was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, making it older than the city itself. However, it was during the Victorian period that the area underwent a real transformation as it was largely rebuilt by the 4th Earl of Sefton, William Philip Molyneux, whose family lived in Croxteth Hall for generations.
If you take a walk around the village today much of this charm and character remains, from the Yeoman's House to Manor Court House and the redbrick cottages surrounding the entrance to Croxteth Country Park.
The Tudor courthouse in the centre of the village dates back more than 400 years to 1586, when it was built on the order of Elizabeth I and cost just £40 to construct. Back then, the courthouse was used to issue fines for offences like not attending church or keeping a pig without a ring in its nose. If you didn't pay the fine you could be put in the stocks for up to six hours.
It is now the only free-standing post-medieval courthouse in Britain and is open to the public between 2pm and 4pm on most Sundays between April and October.
The grade II listed Lowlands building on Hayman's Green was once home to the basement Pillar Club where 'Mersey Sound' bands played during their early days in the 1960s. This included the Beatles, or the Quarrymen as they were then known, as well as Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Hollies.
Today Lowlands is home to the West Derby Community Association who run 20 different clubs as well as private functions there.
Stephen Guy, 74, chairman of the West Derby Community Association, said the area has "a sense of history and a sense of place", which helps to attract visitors to the area, but it has also changed in many ways over the years.
The area has now become something of a night time destination, thanks to a wealth of independent bars and restaurants attracting visitors from across Merseyside and beyond.
Properties in West Derby Village had an overall average price of £113,500 over the last year according to Rightmove.
Woolton Village
If you take a walk through Woolton Village it almost feels like you're stepping back in time.
Woolton only joined Liverpool 110 years ago. Before that, it was a village on the edge of a growing city until the urban sprawl spread beyond it.
As the birthplace of Beatles legend John Lennon, fans regularly flock to the area to visit his childhood home on Menlove Avenue and other landmarks including Eleanor Rigby's grave at St Peter’s Church.
One business which has stood at the heart of the village for 23 years is the Scotch Beef Shop at number 23 Woolton Street.
The butcher's prides itself on its award winning sausages and beef which is done "the old fashioned way", by being hung for 21 days.
The Liverpool Cheese Company is another traditional business in the village, based in a Grade II former dairy. The shop sells over 200 different types of cheese from the strong Lancashire bomber to the charcoal black cheese.
Other long standing businesses include The Elephant Pub And Bakehouse, Annetta Florist and popular Chinese restaurant Ying Wah.
Woolton Picture House first opened in 1927, but has remained closed since the pandemic. Everyone in Woolton wants to see the cinema restored to its former glory and showing films again, not least because so many contributed to the crowd-funder for its reopening.
The ECHO has reported extensively on the saga of reopening which has featured broken promises, false dawns, missed deadlines and lost hope. Last week, The British Film Institute (BFI) confirmed it remains in contact with the cinema's owner about the reopening process.
Properties in Woolton had an overall average price of £299,901 over the last year according to Rightmove.
Hale Village
Hale Village is characterised by its thatched cottages, a plethora of green space and coastal walks to its lighthouse.
Despite being just two and a half miles from Speke, Hale sits just over the border with Merseyside in the county of Cheshire. With a population of approximately 2,000, Hale is markedly different to Liverpool and its southern suburbs, despite their geographical proximity.
The village is quaint, quiet and leafy. It was these characteristics which provided welcome change of scene and local escape for many Liverpudlians during times of lockdown restrictions.
The walk to the lighthouse offers views of the Mersey, where the elegance of Hale meets industrial parts of the North West, while the thatched cottages and leafy village streets are unlike anything in modern Liverpool.
Legend has it that one of the tallest men in history came from the village of Hale. The so-called 'Childe of Hale', John Middleton, was said to have stood at 9ft 3in tall and had to sleep with his feet sticking out of the windows of his cottage in Church End, Hale.
In a previous interview with the ECHO, Anthony McGorry, 59, who has spent most of his life in the village, said: "The village is a little oasis on its own. I felt privileged to grow up here.
"Hale is such a strong community. It’s like Emmerdale - that’s just the way Hale Village is. There are so many friends here.
"It’s a fantastic community to live in and there’s great pride in the area. There’s camaraderie, friendship, people look out for each other. A lot of that’s been lost in this world nowadays."
Properties in Hale Village had an overall average price of £319,938 over the last year according to Rightmove.
Hightown
Nestled behind a railway line and along the coast is a village dubbed the 'poshest' on Merseyside.
The Daily Telegraph, in partnership with Savills plc, listed Hightown, in Sefton, as one the most desirable places to live in the country last year. The rural village is a quiet community with one road in and out - and according to one resident, that's just how they like it.
It has a population of around 2,000 and is tightly packed with a handful of shops, pubs and restaurants. And, as it sits on the coast, it has its own hidden enclave of sand, which is slightly set in between the Crosby and Formby beaches.
When the ECHO visited Hightown some people expressed a feeling of unease over the word 'posh' which they saw as a negative word.
Mr Short said: "To me, posh does not mean approachable whereas everyone in Hightown is approachable. They're all relatively friendly, they're well off, they're comfortable with all their bits and pieces but I wouldn't say posh. I would perhaps redefine that.
"We've lived here for 20 years, in three different houses and we've basically moved up the social scale. We like where we live, it's suitable for my work and it's safe.
"When we moved here[...] it was always a very safe place to live."
Properties in Hightown had an overall average price of £298,641 over the last year according to Rightmove.
READ NEXT:
Thomas Cashman trial updates as woman describes alleged affair before Olivia Pratt-Korbel shooting
Massive Eurovision Song Contest Party coming to St Georges Hall
Woman spent time living on streets after home shot at in ‘targeted attack’
Met Office issues further weather warning as snow and ice continue to hit Liverpool
Argos selling 'small but mighty' £60 dehumidifier shoppers say 'works a treat'
