Mayor of Ryde Michael Lilley says he would like to officially welcome Sir Paul McCartney to Ryde to revisit the seaside town that inspired The Beatles hit, ‘Ticket to Ride’.
During a recent appearance in London, Sir Paul McCartney confirmed – for the first time – that the song came out of a hitchhiking trip with John Lennon to visit his cousin Betty, who had a pub in the town.
It has long been believed that ‘Ryde’ had been replaced with ‘Ride’ in the song. To have confirmation after all these years has been very much welcomed.
Mayor, Councillor Michael Lilley, has said:
“It is official, the Beatles hit song “Ticket to Ride” is, in fact, about Ryde! We now have now two connections with the Beatles as Ringo Starr was in the movie ‘That’ll be the Day’ filmed in Ryde. Any time Paul, or indeed Ringo, would like to visit Ryde then they officially have a standing invitation to come at any time – we will even buy their ticket to get here!
“Ryde has a really great music tradition and with our internationally recognised Carnivals and Mardi Gras we are a place to gave a great boogie in. So get your Ticket to Ryde, thank you Sir Paul for your confirmation. Great news.”
If anybody knows which pub that Paul’s cousin Betty used to run then Ryde Town Council would like to know. Email them at [email protected].
One expect he will be enamoured with the now even longer sewer pipe running aside the canoe lake.
The drunks and wasters on benches, and classy shops now gone forever and replaced by tat.
Truly it would be kinder to let him keep his happy memories of this now ruined town.
And given how strapped for cash the Council are and given Sir Paul’s wealth then if he does decide to visit I think he should buy his own ruddy ticket!!
If he was hitchhiking now, he might think twice at the price of a ticket.
The ticket he was singing about was the one to get him out of this dump.
Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight, if it’s not too dear.
Didn’t the Beatles get given a ticket to Ryde when the song came out? What happened to it?
The Bow Bars, Union St.
You sure that’s the Mayor? I would swear his name is Del Trotter.
The pub was the bow bars it is now bar 74 .