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Chester Travel Guide: What to Know Before You Visit · UK Travel Planning

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: There is a city where you can walk a Roman wall, shop in a medieval gallery, and be in Wales 20 minutes later.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: In this episode, Brian Lee Wilson shares what to see in Chester, how much time to give it, and how to use it as a base of North Wales, Liverpool and Manchester.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when I was recording the autumn episode a little while ago with Briany Wilson from Mountain Goad, she mentioned that she'd spent 10 years living in Chester, and I thought straight away that she would be the perfect person to come back and tell us all about it.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now, Chester is a walled Roman city, compact enough to see on foot, a direct train from London Euston, and it puts North Wales, Liverpool, Manchester and Wrexham all within easy reach.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: It is somewhere Doug and I have loved every time we visited.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Briony has walked those city walls more times than she can count, so here is everything worth knowing before you go.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it seems like just five minutes ago since I spoke, last spoke to Brianie Wilson from Mountain Go all about the Lake District, and here we are a few weeks later to talk about Chester.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: And came about basically because when I was talking to Briney about beautiful places to visit around the Lake District and other places actually might go leave from, we we could start talking about Chester.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_02: And Brianie, you lived in Chester for a while, didn't you?
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: I did.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: I spent 10 years in Chester.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: So after the Lake District, it's probably my next favourite place in the UK.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: So who else but to invite on to talk about Chester?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: But Briney.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: So welcome again to the podcast.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Lovely to chat with you.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: So this is again another one in our kind of before you go series because we're trying to do a whole series of the different places to visit in the UK and the things that you need to know before you go.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you're planning a trip and you don't know the basics, then you don't know where to start.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: So the first thing we're going to talk about, Brian, in exactly the same as we did with when we talked about the Lake District a few weeks ago, is actually just to say to people, to tell people geographically where is Chester and where is it near?
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so Chester again is in the northwest of England.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's in a county called Cheshire.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it sits on the River Dee and it's really, really close to the Welsh border.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's sort of very close to Liverpool and Manchester.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you can get direct trains from London.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of people consider Chester to be commuter city for London because it's just two hours away, um, but it's also less than 40 minutes across to Liverpool and less than an hour across to Manchester all by train and roughly similar travels by cart.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, with it being on the doorstep to North Wales, it's a brilliant place for sort of a base for a trip for a couple of days with access to so many places.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: Direct trains go sometimes every 20 minutes from London Euston straight through to Chester.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: The journey takes about two hours.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Liverpool is just 18 miles away, and Manchester is about 42 miles away.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, as I said, about 30 minutes by road or rail, and both of those cities have international airports, which make it a very easy place to get to.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: And lovely northern cities.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: As a northern girl, I like to be promoting the north of England, um, so it's always lovely to talk about somewhere northern.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, also, I I guess some people on the podcast, you may be listening thinking, I've not heard of Chester.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, what do you want people to know about Chester before they arrive or even to consider actually adding it into their itinerary?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, as you say, a lot of people haven't heard about it, but I think once you're in the know, it's one of those places that you just keep going back to.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, Chester is actually a walled Roman city, and so much of that history is actually still part of your everyday life as you as you walk around the city.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: So you can walk around the Roman walls, you can see a big chunk of one of the Roman amphitheatres, you can explore the rows, which very few of the cities have, you can move through the streets and you can see these things that have been there for centuries and how they're used in different day-to-day life now, which I think is a living history, love it.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the city has so much culture, and if you're visiting in the summer, I would highly recommend visiting the theatre that they hold in the park.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: You've got wonderful places like Story House, which has an MBL theatre, a cinema, a theatre, a library, very impressive.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: There's the new built Chester Market, which has got all this wonderful food and retail offering, and there's just so many opportunities as a city to work with independent establishments, whether they're hotels, places to eat, local retail places.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: It really is a big city with um sort of a small mindset, like there's so much independent culture, which is just amazing that I've seen in no other city like it.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, with it being so compact, which can surprise people, you can get so much done in one day, and you can do it by foot.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you can get from the Roman Walls to the Cathedral over to the River D to the race course, all within minutes of each other.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: But there's so many more other attractions.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: So Chester is more than one city.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: There is so much on your doorstep just outside the city.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: If you're here for a little while, there's real bucket list items that I would recommend doing.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: Visit Joderal Bank, it's a UNESCO World Heritage site that many don't know about it.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's a working observatory with the Lovell Telescope.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we've got Taton Park, we've got Dunham Massey, these are amazing heritage houses that, especially in the Christmas season, are somewhere that is just a must visit, in my opinion.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Then you've got amazing things like Chester Zoo, Chester Race Course, Cheshire Oaks.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: These are full day activities if you want to make it into one.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I think there's lots of things that you'll have heard about Chester but never quite connected.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: The dots, and I think that's something that hopefully I can help with today.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, definitely.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's true.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: There's lots of kind of personalities and sides to Chester.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's it, it's it's a very multi-dimensional city, that's for sure.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's it's somewhere that Doug and I absolutely love to visit.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's very easy to get there by train.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so if you're planning a train itinerary around the UK, it's a really easy one to fit in.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and do you want to talk a little bit about the the train, how to get there by train, Briani?
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so the most straightforward way from London is the train.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um there's direct services from London, Euston, and the quickest journeys are just over two hours.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: It can take a little bit longer if you um if those timers don't work for you.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: There's a city just outside of Chester, about an hour away, called Crew.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: 20 minutes by train, but an hour by car.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that explains Cheshire as a county for you.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that means that it gives you a lot more options if you're willing to not have a direct train and maybe only add five, ten minutes to um your itinerary.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: You can make this manipulate the times to work much better for you by diverting through crew.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: International visitors, Liverpool and um Manchester both have international airports, these are great useful gateways, they've both got really good rail connections towards Chester, but also by bus.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you've got a number of opportunities.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: It really is a convenient city and an easy one to get to.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: Plus, once you're in Chester, if you do come by train, you're only 10 minutes from the city centre, and it's a very safe walk.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: So once you're out and about, I feel like even by foot, it's a very comfortable city to be in and be around.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: And as I say, it's actually quite an easy city to just um you know to walk around.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um I mean, there are Ubers and taxis available.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think the last time we came into the train station, it might have been pouring down the rain or something, but I know we got a we ended up getting a taxi just to our hotel.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: We stayed actually at the Hotel Indigo, which was lovely.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: It was one of our favourite stays, actually.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: The staff, actually, big shout out to the Hotel Indigo staff in Chester, because I think you are some of the most fabulous and some of the most favourite staff that we've we've actually worked with when we've been in the UK, so they were absolutely fantastic.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and as you say, that's not that far from the train station.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so talking about kind of for anybody kind of planning to walk around Chester, is it difficult to get around as like is it cobblestone?
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Because obviously a lot of the UK cities have got cobblestones or you know, not so great to to walk around or get around.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but so how's Chester?
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the main thing I'd say about Chester is it's quite a compact city.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, as I said earlier, it's a walled city, so a portion of the city is really within that small area, a little bit sort of like Marrakesh in that sort of um city, just compare it to another sort of international area.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I would say the best way to explore it is by foot.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: If you have a car with you because you've been coming, you've made it part of that journey, absolutely fine.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: There's loads of car parking.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's not cheapest, but there is lots of car parking, and there is a park and ride service, so you can drive out of the city, park up for cheaper for a couple of days, and then get back into the city.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: And you really don't need your car for exploring things within the city.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: But if you're wanting to make it into a wider area of a journey using Cheshire and some of the other local areas, then having a car is never a bad thing.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: But I do think you'll experience it best on foot because it's such an old city, you can expect uneven surfaces.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: There is steps throughout, there is quite a lot of level changes, and a lot of the sort of um the street textures vary quite a lot from different roads to different areas, so it can be somewhere if you've sort of got um uneven footing or you've got site problems where it can be a little bit of a challenge, and for that, I would recommend coming with some other guests that can definitely help you navigate.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the rows are elevated, and traditionally they're reached by steps, although there are accessible routes on all of the sections, and again, with the city walls, there is a number of step puts and steep sections, so most of it is accessible, but not the entire thing by wheelchair, and so it's worth just keeping that in mind that you won't be able to do a complete circuit, but you will be able to get definitely get the vibe and experience most of it for yourself.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um there are local buses if you want to go further out, and there is other ways to experience as well the city, like you can use a river cruise going up and down on the river D, and it's a great way to just see the city from a different perspective.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now you mentioned the Rose a few times, and I can guarantee that that some of the listeners are thinking, is that R-O-S-E?
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, no, that's R-O-W-S.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: So that they are the rows.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: And would you like to explain a little bit about what the rows are, Briani?
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so um the core area of Chester, you've kind of got a central area called the cross, which doesn't look really like anything.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: It isn't a cross shaped, um, kind of looks like a little nubbin randomly.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that forms a cross between what you have as what would it be of Northgate Street, Eastgate Street, what should be Westgate Street was actually Watergate Street, and then ironically, round South Gate in typical Chester style, we have Lower Bridge Street, uh, because it heads towards a bridge, which I believe was probably built before the cross, but I can't guarantee that lots of Chester was built in a way to navigate to try and confuse the Welsh because we didn't get on at the time.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: So um you'll see highlights on Eastgate Street, like the Eastgate Clock, which is beautiful, which sits just outside of the Chester Grove now, which is one of the five-star hotels, which is often um on the bucket list for a lot of people to see.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: But that cross sort of really creates the fork and the sort of navigational point of the centre of the city to navigate your way between.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: And whilst it's not exactly halfway, it sits within the walls, and so it's sort of that centre point.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: So um the cross forms the center part of the rose, and from there you'll be able to look up, and they're typically two or three-story buildings, and they're typically sort of white painted, and they've got this beautiful white pattern, and you can head up there a number of um stories deep, and from the bottom, you've typically got restaurants and sort of um street level where you can walk along.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: You can go up onto the next room that's typically retail, or these days you've got a lot of people that have like beauticians and different appointments, and they're often small independent businesses that are set along the rows.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so they form all of the sections across Northgate, Eastgate Street, um, Watergate Street, and Bridge Street, which is a lovely area.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: And they're a little bit old, aren't they?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: They're actually medieval.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, they are um a real sort of heritage item, but Chester's one of those interesting cities that has really grown and changed over the years.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: So whilst we use these for retail and shopping now, um back in the medieval days, a lot of people would have lived in them, but you've also got that sort of experience that we are a Roman city that then has sort of the medieval different areas, so you can really experience the city from a number of different sort of time zones, if that makes sense.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, no, that absolutely that's exactly right.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: That kind of as I say, that kind of multidimensional kind of time travel, you do have it because there's just so much to there really is so much to the city.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now we kind of we talked a little bit about um obviously where where I stayed when I when I went with Doug last time to Chester.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but what part of Chester would you kind of recommend as a good base for people?
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I think it really depends on the type of visit that you're having in Chester, um, because some of the accommodation is sort of brilliant within and without.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: So whether you want to stay centrally within the walls or if you want to go a little bit further out.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're coming without a car and you want to be right in the middle of everything, staying within the walls is a great option.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: You can walk out of your hotel, you're straight amongst the royals by the cathedral, the shops, the restaurant, the bars, you're really within everything.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: So for a short simplicity break, that's amazing.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but if you are driving, you want a little bit more space, you want a more relaxing stay.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: There's some fantastic hotels just outside of the centre.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you'll often find more parking, larger grounds.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Some of these are in these heritage buildings, so you get that little bit more of a bougie stay.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a lot of these have sort of spas, pools, leisure clubs, just have a wider range of facilities that you can enjoy because there's a little bit more space out of the city.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's a really good mix of accommodation across the city with independent hotels, properties, uh guest houses, but then also some really good, well-known chains.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: So you've got plenty of choice, and it all sort of varies around your budget.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: There's some beautiful Airbnbs and a real variety depending on what you're comfortable in and what works best for you.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: I can guarantee you'll find it in the walls and outside in Chester.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: There's plenty of accommodation.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: What I definitely say is worth checking is practical details before you book, just because some of Chester's properties are a little bit older.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: Whilst it gives them lots of character, it does mean there's a lot of stairs, um, lots of sort of different levels, and it can limit access somewhat.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of them don't have sort of step-free entryway unless you've discussed with the hotel prior.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: And that a lot of them have ramps, but they might be portable ramps that somebody might need to assist your entrance with.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: And um we're kind of I was gonna ask you about if you had only had one day in Chester, what you'd do.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: But before that, I mean, I feel that you need to have more than one day in Chester.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: So what would you recommend?
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Because again, it's a great, it's a good base to go to some explore some of the areas close by as well.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so what do you reckon a couple of nights, would you say, Briany?
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: Two, three nights in in Chester?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I think you can tick off the Chester bucket list in one day.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the real highlights for me is walking a section of the walls, going to see the amphitheatre, exploring the rows, seeing the cathedral, and then heading down to the River D.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you can fit all of those into a day without feeling like you're constantly rushing from one side of the city to another.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, however, definitely extend your stay if you're wanting to do any of the big ticket attractions.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: So, Chester Zoo, that's a day in itself.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: If the races are on, that's a day in itself.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: Even if you're not there for the races, but if the races are on, that will impact your day.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: This will make the day a lot busier.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: The city um is mental when it's a race day, it's a really lovely vibe, it's great, everyone's dressed up.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: You can sit in a car, you can sit and have a coffee, you can check out people's outfits.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: Great day for people watching and seeing what people do.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: The restaurants and the um the entire city is just a little bit of a buzz.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but because of that, it will make it harder for you to get to and from attractions.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: The streets are crazy, they close down some of the streets.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're driving, it does make it a little bit more challenging, but also it will just be harder to navigate places like the walls.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: There will be bigger crowds and things.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: So whether you're coming for the races or not, if it's races on, if I'm honest, take an extra day and go see some horses.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's one of the most famous still-working racetracks, it's beautiful scenery.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's one of my favourite things to do in the city, so I definitely recommend it.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think Chester works really well as a sort of three to five day break.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's got brilliant restaurants and brilliant bar scenes, so even if you want to go off and do different things in the day, to come back to that every evening, I think is the perfect opportunity.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: You can spend a day exploring Chester itself, another day at the zoo, another day at the races, and then you can use it as a good starting point for seeing the wider region.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: If you have the Cheshire countryside on your doorstep, and where it's quite different to the Yorkshire Dales, where it's quite different to the Lake District, it's a very rural farming community once you get out of the cities, and I think that's a really interesting thing to see.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: If um, maybe I'm just a country girl at heart, but it's something I always loved about Cheshire.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, North Wales is just on your doorstep when I lived in the area.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: I used to go into Wales every day from a petrol because it was closer than going across the other side of the city and crossing the water.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: So one of those things that it is literally so close, and you have so many opportunities that for that I would say Chester is a great place as a base for you to explore all of these other areas.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: So talk a little bit about um North Wales because as you say, it's on the doorstep of North Wales.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: So if I was planning to, I could, you know, use Chester as a base and do some trips in North Wales, where would you recommend I go?
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: I know that Mountain do some tours in North Wales.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, where what sort of places do you head to?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: So North Wales is way bigger than every anybody ever thinks about.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the size of so where Chester sits on a map, um, this is quite hard without having a map for reference, but where Chester and Liverpool sort of sit on a map, they go, they sit about a third down into where North Wales is.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: So you can go all the way from Chester, it's about an hour up to Bangor, which is one of the highest points.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: North Wales continues all the way down, then past Anglesey, which from Chester is about two and a half hours across and down.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: But that sits about in line as from what I can remember, as about Birmingham.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: So when we say North Wales is a long area, it's not very wide, but it is very tall.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: So North Wales is covers a lot of ground, and then you get into South Wales, which is where you'd be heading towards Cardiff and things.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: I think from Chester Cardiff is about six hours, but obviously, North Wales consider takes over a lot of that space of like travel time in between.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so on the Mountain Goat Tour, which I think gives you a great experience, and it takes you into Every, which is the name of the national park, which is where Snowden sits, in the area of Snowdonia.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we take you across to um you get to see Landudno, you get the whole sort of archway of the tour, we go to Conway just for a short stop.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: You can see the castle, you can go through the market town, we go to Canarven, we have a proper stop there.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: You get to go through the castle, and we take you up through some of the passes so you can see the different areas of sort of Snowdonia.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a lovely tour.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you get to really experience a lot and coming from the cities like Liverpool, Chester, Manchester, it's a proper chance to get out of the city and see green and see these amazing scenery.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, I would recommend it to everybody.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, absolutely, not only do you get to kind of explore Chester and everything that Chester offers, as you say, medieval rose, you've got the um Roman amphitheatre, Roman walls, which is what um if you get the name Chester in anything, you kind of know that the the Romans have been involved.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: So Manchester, Chester itself.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so you've got all of that as well.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: And as you say, you've got lots of potential day trips out if you I've never been to the zoo, actually.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's literally one of the best zoos in the country, so I would highly recommend.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: I I have heard that actually.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, and then and then the ability to go if you're in, you know, you're visiting the UK and you're gonna primarily spend the time in England and maybe go up to Edinburgh because that's really popular, and you think, oh, actually, I want to I want to experience Wales, I want to say I've been to Wales, then that's a great opportunity to base yourself in Chester and take a day trip out to Wales, get a taste, and you'll probably want to go and explore a little bit further next time.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's a bit like the Lake District, isn't it?
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: You go and see these places and you go, Oh, next time I want to spend, I want to see a little bit more.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um I mean, for football fans as well, it's a great base because with from Chester, you're only 20 minutes from Wrexham.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's on your bucket list.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: But also, if it's a match day, you've got great opportunities for whether you've got two football teams in Liverpool, obviously, Liverpool and Everton, and when it comes to Manchester, you've got Manchester City and Manchester United.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: So, again, for a game day with access to the trains and so.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: If you didn't want to be in those cities, which can be a lot on a game day, you're only an hour away from the big cities, 20 minutes from Wrexham.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: So football fans, you've got an opportunity to be able to get the Because Wrexham's so popular now.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: We've always been asked about Wrexham.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I should have I should have actually remembered about that.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, my husband will say though that there's only one football team up there, and that's Liverpool, he's a Liverpool diehard Liverpool fan.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know I mean nothing I can do about it.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: He's been a fan forever.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a Newcastle fan, so what can I say?
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if anybody's planning to visit Chester and it's gonna be the first visit, and again, it's that kind of what would be the number one tip that you'd share with anybody who thinks actually, you know what?
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: Chester sounds great, sounds like something I want to add into my itinerary.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: So what would you recommend?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I'd start have start with a really good day and go for a really good breakfast.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so personal favourites of mine is Cookaborough Bake House.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: They aren't open on a Monday or Tuesday, so then I'd definitely go somewhere like the flower cup.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this gives you a really good option to, from where those ones are based, to head up to Northgate, top of Northgate Street, and start on the steps there, which gets you onto the Chester City walls.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then walk anti-clockwise.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: I know I'm being precise, but there's a reason for it.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this gives you brilliant views from that section, you're walking towards the race course.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: You then continue round, you get to see Chester Castle, you get to see the River D.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: And because you're so early in the day, this gives a really good option to get you bearings from this sort of section of the walls.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: You can actually start to understand how compact the city is, but for later on the day, when you want to come back and explore things further, it gives you a good idea of where stuff is and understanding that that cross is in the central and which sections you've come from.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: At different points, you can always look over the bridges and you can find the cross.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we're always good sort of help there.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: Continuing um anti-clock continuing anti-clockwise, um, I'd then say continue around the walls, stop for photographs around the along the way.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: This is going to take you probably an hour to do the whole circuit just because you're stopping.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: There will be a lot of people on the walls.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: People use this as their like route to work.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I know a girl that used to go to one of the private schools in Chester, and they used to do the P lessons running around the walls because it's just shy of two miles, so you'll see all sorts on the walls.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, about halfway from where your starting point was, you'll get to the Eastgate clock.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: This is quite famous.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: I would say this is one of like the signature photos that everybody wants, and you can get on and off the walls here.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: It is by steps, um, but I would strongly recommend taking photos at the top on the clock, but also going down onto the main street by uh the Chester Groverlet, and you can get images there as well, depending on what timing works best for you and how busy it is.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: With it being one of the most recognisable landmarks, it's something that you're going to want to take away with you.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: You then continue back round, this will get you to where you started, and you effectively completed the circuit.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: But I think that's a really good position to be in, probably for early morning where you're going to be.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: From there, you can see the town hall, which isn't always open, but is a very stunning building.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: And then just to the right, um, you'll see Chester Cathedral.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: Now they do tours all over um Chester Cathedral.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: You can go in, you can pay your respects.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: Again, a stunning building.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: There is tons that goes on at the cathedral, they've always got loads of events and things on now.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: They're really making use of it.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're around anywhere um near Christmas, then this area outside the town hall, near the cathedral, is where Chester City Christmas Markets takes place.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the area is busy, don't be fooled.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: And on a Thursday evening it's crazy because there is parades every Thursday, so there it is a real hub of activity in this area.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: This is where I'd stay for lunch, and just beyond behind this town hall, is where they've built the New Chester market, and this area I'm a massive fan of, I have to admit.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's something for everyone.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: There's probably 20 different food vendors in there, lots of street food.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: They do it on a buzzer system so everyone can eat together.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: There's loads of little retail shops in there, you've got proper butchers, a fishmonger, all sorts.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: This is a real sort of hub of activity for Chester, and I think that's where you should spend your lunch.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: I've been back many a time, I've been there for lunch and dinner several times in a day, I've got to admit, because some of those foods are just amazing.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: Once you've had your lunch, I would then head out um during the afternoon and get stuck into some Chester history.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: So from this area, you'll see Chester um information centre.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're wanting to start a good guided tour for the day, that's where there's some wonderful people.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: You can get led around by a woman, by a gladiator.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like if this is if history is your bag and you want to know more about it, that's definitely an opportunity.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_01: They also do ghost tours, food tours.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: As a city, they're really proud of their heritage, and there's people willing to shout about it all day long.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: So you can really get immersed into these sort of opportunities.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: If you aren't quite as much of a history buff and you don't want to be shouted at by a gladiator and told to march around a city, um, then I can recommend doing it yourself.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: Now, people see the Romans and go, oh, they built the walls.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: This is like that's the main feature.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: That's one of the features.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: You we also have half of an amphitheatre.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: So the other half, unfortunately, was covered up by some crazy history, which I really don't understand.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: So you can see half of it, you can sit inside of it.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: There's some beautiful tiled sort of um mosaics in there.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: I would highly recommend getting a visit into there.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: And if you follow down past the amphitheatre and go down towards the right, you can see the Roman gardens.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this is something that a lot of people miss, and I think it's such a shame.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's an amazing piece of little history, it's a long, thin garden that steps down, and um, you can go down and you can see the old underfloor heating system that the Romans used to use heading down.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_01: There is some beautiful again mosaic um features on the ground, a real good little bit of history, but one you can take in your own time, you can work out for yourself.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: And as you get guided through down to the garden, this takes you right down to the river D.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's some fabulous Chesh Farm ice cream and snook breeze down there, so you can sit by the river, you can get an ice cream.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: If you wanted to, you can go out on the chester boats and get to see up and down the river, or you can spin yourselves back around as if you're heading back up towards um the town and past the amphitheatre, and there's the lovely groves, um, so you can have a little bit of an afternoon in the Groven Park, which if you'll visit in the summer, I would highly recommend.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_01: They do the theatre in the park, um, and I've never seen shows like it.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: They're always entertaining, they always contain music, and they're just a real good vibrancy and a great way to spend an afternoon if you've got it.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: Then for the evening, I'd head back up to that central hub that I mentioned earlier.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: That is the cross that leads you in between the four main streets, and from there you are gonna find some incredible independent restaurants, loads of options for food.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: I've never seen a city like it that's got something for everyone.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: Incredible Italian, French, Thai, a little bit of everything.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: I have too many favourites, so I'm not gonna rattle them off.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I would highly recommend once you've finished at the cross, get yourself onto Watergate Street.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: I know that as Bar Street, and I've got people that come to visit, that's where I go.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: You have got some of the best cocktail bars in the city.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and there's places dotted around, but Watergate Street holds the most of them in such a good area, and you can just bar hop if that's how you want to spend your evening.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_01: There's wine bars, cocktail bars, something for every for every palette.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it sounds lovely, it really does.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm gonna I'm gonna end on a quick fire.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna I am gonna get some of the names of some of those restaurants and places out of you now.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, what would be the one place people picture, do you think, when they think of Chester?
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: I think the clock.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think the clock is what's in people's mouth.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: It is said to be the second most photographed clock in the UK.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: After Big Ben, I'm guessing.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_02: After Big Ben.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_01: What about the one place to stay?
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_01: My place to stay.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: So there's so many amazing independents, and whilst I love a chain, you know what you're gonna get.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: I love to stay with an independent personally, so my place to stay would be Oddfellows.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the team that have just recently taken this over have incorporated more theming than ever before, and this is Alice in Wonderland themed.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: So they have loads of um interactive events, and they've got a Harry Potter event, or sorry, a wizarding themed event, they've got Alice in Wonderland themed tea parties, they've got some wonderful food, a lovely secret garden at the back.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: That would be my online hit list to stay at.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that sounds really, really good.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: I like the idea of that.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now one thing to eat or drink, or I'm gonna ask obviously one place to eat or drink.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, what would be, and I know I'm really putting you on the spot, but if you were to I was gonna say kind of pop out and go Chester Market.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many different options, and in there I would recommend the pasta store.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: They do a truffle risotto, which is my favorite thing.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, perfect.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what about one view worth effort?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'd say head down to the groves, have an ice cream, and look at the city.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like, look at the water and just see it.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_01: Take a breath out.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: Just because you've seen the city's so immersive, you can't put it in a picture, you can't put it in a postcard.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think head down to the water, take the time out and enjoy it for the break that is.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: One thing to bring home, chess cheese.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's what we're known for.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many different companies that do it.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of them are waxed, so they're great for transport, but they do loads of weird and wonderful flavours.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_00: I love cheese, so I'm easy on that one for sure.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_00: One thing to book before you go.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'd say one of the various different tours.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_01: So whether you come out with Mountain Goat and we take you off to North Wales and do something exciting, or whether you explore a little bit more of the city.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, ghost tours, food tours, history tours, there's so much on offer.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: As a city, you don't necessarily need to book things.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: Places like Chester, um, Chester Zoo have got so much availability.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: You don't it will be busy, but you don't need to book in advance necessarily unless you want to go at Christmas and do one of their sort of events.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: But one of the tours I would say is worth getting in your diary before you go.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: Or if you're going to come for the races, just being cautious of those dates is worth getting your tickets early.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're planning to visit, I guess check that if you're not wanting to go for the races, make sure that you check that the races aren't on because it sounds like it would be a it sounds really busy.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thanks so much, Brianie, for coming on this week and sharing all about Chester.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: It was great to have a chat with you.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: And and hopefully, um, some of our listeners will um start considering putting Chester into their itineraries because it's a it's a fabulous city, absolutely worth visiting, as I say, another northern city.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I love always talk about York, Chester, Durham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: We've got some fantastic, fantastic cities to go and visit, and obviously, and also surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside as well.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, thanks again, Brianie.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: That brings us to the end of another episode.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: Briony's full day in Chester is written up in the show notes at uktravelplanet.com forward slash episode 224 from the walls and the amphitheatre to the market in the rows, along with a note on where the accessible routes are.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if a mountain goat tour out to Wales sounds like your sort of day, our code UKTrav10, that's UKTrav10, gives you 10% off.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: And the booking link to Mountain Goat is on that same page in the show notes.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: And the booking link is in the show notes too, as well as our free UK trip planning roadmap if you are still in the early stages of planning.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if this episode has raised a question about your own itinerary, do leave me a voice message through Speakpipe and I will do my best to answer it on a future episode.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_00: Until next week, though, as always, happy UK travel planning.