Wargamer's UK Summer Tour

First time ever Team Finland would participate in Saga World Cup Teams Tournament...

So as I would fly to UK anyway, I decided to look around a bit...

Liverpool

City of Fab4 is also an active wargaming city...

I was invited to visit Liverpool Wargaming Association's premises in down town Liverpool! They have about 80 active members ATM.

The alley where it was located looked a bit scary (after this colourful entrance)...

but luckily my old (we met at Warfare 2021) was there to welcome me!

Barry and his mates were playing a WW2 Italy campaign in 15mm - with rules of their own making

Club with thousands of miniatures to play with!

I was totally blown away by the amount of ready armies collected and painted by the members

through the years - and made available for people to use! Barry told me, that they have several members, that don't really own any miniature armies, but play with the armies at the club.

Some of threir assets were quite ancient already

Some of the stuff is already quite old - long tradition!

They also had 3D printer and a large collection of board games

...and plenty of RPG and wargaming rules for members to use.

Don't know what this is for and didn't dare to ask...

History department

Warrington

After visiting LWA I continued to local game store Just play

And another wargaming mate Brian picked me up and we picked up my Saga-army... 

And via stop at Penny Lane headed to Warrington and game store and a gaming venue called:

Brian had invited couple of his regular gaming friends and I got to play a game of ASOIAF with  Brian and a one more practise game of Saga against Joalf (Joel) and his Gauls

Brian was kind to lend me all the miniatures I needed for the ASOIAF game and these great dice too!

There's too many! But there wasn't in the end... managed a win.

Good game!

This pub was located next to Just play... so here the local players

must plan their... shenanigans!

Back to Liverpool and Western Approaches

Next day was all touristic - I had the whole day to explore Liverpool before catching a train to York

Met with the Fab4 of course

Western Approaches

This museum was recommended by Barry and it sure was worth the visit!

It was all about living in WW2 time Liverpool and focusing on the Western approaches HQ, which lead "U-boat war" and coordinated the convoys from the USA:

A bit of propaganda or brainwashing?

WW2 era high tech

THE operations room

Queen Victoria monument

The bombed church

A day without war

Nelson 

Queen victoria

York -  Yorvik - Eboracum

Harry Potter moment

Emperor Constantine the Great

Viking era 

Views from the Cathedral tower

The medieval wall

Watchers on the wall - our team for Saga World Cup gathered in York

Fort built by William the Conqueror

So the Roman legacy lives on!

Manchester 

After the Saga World Cup me and Petri headed to down town Manchester with 2 new Hungarian friends: Gabor and Csaba

Amesing 40K battle scene at the window of Manchester's Warhammer store

Reconstructed Roman walls 

Coming home...

 

Great trip indeed! Lot's of interesting stuff for a wargamer, plenty of good food and excellent beer.

Special thanks to companions, that travelled with me: Team Finland, and local friends - old and new, whom made this trip so much better: Barry and his mates at LWA, Brian and Joel & rest of their gang and Saga Wolrd Cup organising team: Jed, Andy & co.

You can expect good hospitality, should you journeys take you to Finland some day!