There were two cities on my rather long England Bucket List that I longed to visit…one was Liverpool (visited way back in February..or was in March, I forget!) and the other was Chester! Thank heavens for having a weird and wonderful New Years Resolution to visit every county as it’s making me tick off places from my very long list. Strangely, both were rather a toddle to get to once I realised I could catch a super fast train with Virgin Trains ex Milton Keynes.
Jumping on an early morning train, I was a tad excited about exploring Chester. Actually I was more than just a tad excited…I was at the having kittens stage…I knew I was going to have a magical day as everyone told me I would fall in love with the city!
Getting off the train and heading into the main area, I spotted many a gorgeous door….
…I did say many, it would be rude not to stop really. Quick question: is anyone else obsessing over the drama series, Victoria?
I think it was fair to say that I was blown away by Chester from the moment my birkenstock sandal touched the Chester train station platform…there is just so much to see…canals….
…beautiful buildings…
…bling baby bling…
…and more wobbly buildings.
I decided to take the stairs and walk around the city walls and it was the perfect way to see Chester…
…I paid that pigeon to fly into my photo, it’s easier than keeping one in your handbag as they’re a bit messy…that’s what people do when they have an instagram account!
I had the city walls to myself and it’s at times like this that it’s okay to look down on the world…or in this case, over Chester and just fall in love with a city…
…I should warn you know, you may need to do some finger exercises as there is going to be a load of photos to scroll through…disclaimer: if you get RSI do not, I repeat DO NOT blame me…I did warn you!
I basically took a million and one photos of this street…
…and…
…I….
…mean…
…a…
…million and one! You got off lightly as I have so many photos…sooooo many!
Time for a close up of that glorious clock!
I just kept walking around the old city wall snapping away…
…looking into back gardens…
…seeing pub after pub, not a bad thing really…
…there are a number of beautiful buildings just inside the wall…
…they are begging to be photographed.
Getting a rumbly tummy as I hadn’t had breakfast and well I had walked more than 1,000 steps (that’s what my phone told and that’s the story I’m sticking with)...I decided to take the next lot of steps down and explore the city centre but not before capturing the first autumn leaves in Chester…
…oh look a door…
…and another one…
…oh and a wobbly pub…
…and betty bo jangles, another wobbly pub.
Seriously if your boy doesn’t like to travel and only wants to sit inside a pub; take him to Chester, there are so many pubs that you will see enough of Chester just by going on a mid morning pub crawl.
Now not to shock you, I travel without a clue of knowing what I’m about to see (I had no idea about Petra until I visited Jordan years ago on a tour…it was a wonderful surprise trust me!)…so I was kinda surprised to see a river in Chester…
…while I hate surprises, I don’t mind them when they look as beautiful as that. I had a slight issue deciding on food or a boat trip…the next photo will fill you in!
My only research was finding out about gluten free cake (and there is nothing wrong about only checking out the gluten free options!) and found myself at the Mad Hatters Tea Rooms in Chester which offers…you guessed…
…gluten free cake; it was a bloody lovely carrot and orange cup cake, possibly one of the best gluten free cup cakes I’ve eaten…
…but I did have gluten free eggy bread as well…mum there is fruit…I can be a good girl sometimes…the white stuff in snow…not icing sugar!
After all that sugar and a cup of tea, I completely forgot that I was going to head out on a boat trip and instead *coughs* had a look at the shops…
…there’s seriously good shopping in Chester and if you love antique jewellery then you need to visit Chester…I’m still trying to get the drool marks out of my top, there was so much beautiful bling to admire.
Still forgetting about the boat trip, I headed in the direction of the Chester Cathedral and then ran into someone from Star Wars I think…
…there was a Comic Con thing on in Chester, it was all rather confusing…confusing yes, as I thought this was that Dark Vader person or whatever his name was (but am guessing that’s him behind this fella!)…why is this guy wearing a life jacket?!?!…I find Star Wars puts me to sleep within seconds every time.
Then I spotted a cute vintage truck…
…yes I digress in blog posts as much as I do while travelling…I did finally get to the cathedral.
Chester Cathedral is well worth a visit as it’s gorgeous inside…
…I finally got a candle photo after years of trying, thank you Chester for this…
…there was a lego display which made me giggle, as God was made out of lego…
…I managed to have time for a little cathedral shoefie (I promise I own more shoes and trousers than these which I’m always currently wearing!)…
…had a Fun with Flags moment inside the cathedral…
…admired the beautiful craftmanship that went into making this cathedral…
…sometimes you just need to stop and take it all in…
…found these lovely folks staring, they don’t look happy…
…possibly as I’m going to spill the beans about the secret garden inside the cathedral…
…it’s beautiful and totally worth a peek outside to see these two smooching.
Here’s the pretty red exterior of Chester Cathedral…
…pretty on the outside and just as pretty on the inside!
Remembering that I wanted to do the boat trip on the river, I wandered past various bits and pieces which obviously tickled my many fancies as I stopped to photograph them…in no particular order…red telephone boxes…
…a man in extremely tight tights…
…wobbly buildings…
…pretty black and white buildings…
…ummm more shops…I may have stopped to try on a dress…
…a church…
…past a live performance…
…before finally making it to the river again!
I found myself a boat and waited…there was a band playing in the band stand which was another of those special moments in Chester…
…before long we were off…scooting along the river…
…slightly faster than these love birds but not much…
…I couldn’t decide what house I wanted…this one…
…or maybe all of these?!?
Passing another pub…this one floats…
…I’m pretty sure it goes wobbly building, pub, wobbly building, pub…you get the drift right?
One last stop before heading back to Milton Keynes on the train was to visit the Chester Roman Amphitheatre which was more of a mural than anything else (more excavation needs to be done) however they are trying to save the site from developers…
…it’s so sad to think that this could all disappear one day and be located under a car park or office block.
I can’t thank everyone enough who pushed me to visit Chester…it was totally worth it and I would happily return again and again! If you’re undecided about visiting the city, just book it and go…it’s a great day out in England and one of the most magical spots I’ve ever visited in the country.
Travel Tips for Chester
- Instead of driving to Chester, catch Virgin Trains – my ticket ex Milton Keynes cost less than £40 and probably saved me at least 2 hours travelling time…if there is a group of you travelling then book via Virgin Trains as they offer a group discount unlike Red Spotted Hanky. The train station is a short walk from the main centre.
- I highly recommend visiting Mad Hatters Tea Room for gluten free food when in Chester.
- There is great shopping in Chester…be prepared to get side tracked on your travels
- Walking around the city walls is free and a great way to see the city…and a great spot to get a few instagram photos!
- I jumped on the ChesterBoat 30 minute river cruise on the River Dee that cost £7 pp (cheaper if bought online or you can pay by cash or card on boarding) and if you have a bit of time on your hands then why not catch the 2 hour river cruise down to Ironbridge. If you want to take photos then I would recommend sitting on the left hand side of the boat to get the best views.
- Chester Cathedral asks for a £3 donation on entry
- Take flat comfortable walking shoes with you as you walk the entire city
- If you want more information about exploring Chester then check out the official Visit Chester website here.
xx
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