CHESTER CHESHIRE
England's Fanciful Walled City Tourist Gem
Tucked
into the corner of western England where it meets north Wales at the
edge of the Pennine Hills
and the
Peak District, the gentle rolling
green landscape of Cheshire has evoked more than a few fancies. Lewis
Carroll – real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson – who grew up
in the village of Daresbury, the son of a parish vicar, was inspired
to invent Hookah smoking caterpillars, Mad Hatters and Alice’s
looking glass wonderland. King Arthur of ancient legend and his knights
of the round table are said to reside in the sandstone cliffs of the
wild landscape of Alderley Edge, merely asleep to return once more by
the wizard’s well.
The
city of Chester, the areas main city is at once one of the most fascinating
of English cities and one of its most popular local tourist
destinations. Entering the pedestrian zone streets of Chester between
the rows of half-wood medieval, Elizabethan merchant buildings and Georgian
houses, is like walking into a fanciful England of a century past. Free
of modern cars but certain not free of people. On weekend of good weather
the popularity of this unique destination is self evident by the throngs
of visitors wandering along the Chester Rows and under the Eastgate Clock,
the second most photographed time piece in England after Big Ben (see Big
Ben Anniversary).
The
Chester Rows are essentially a shopping mall medieval style. In continuous
existence since the 13th century, added to and rebuilt in
the Tudor and Elizabethan era, and again in the 1800's these marvelous
two-tiered half-timbered buildings above and market stalls below have
been selling goods since the Romans left. Town Criers still roam the
streets announcing the news, at least in the spring through autumn. Even
the royals have shopped in the eclectic stores and merchantiles for generations
(see Chester Luxury Hotels).
The Chester Cathedral is where
Handel first rehearsed his opus The Messiah in its 800 year old nave
and 14th
Century choir stalls. A magnificent
example of early gothic style, with red stone cloisters and green spaces
for relaxing when the sun shines. The medieval shrine of St. Werburg
to an ancient
princess’s healing power is one of the cathedral’s
attractions, a famous 200 year old "cobweb" painting
and stain glass window a mix of old and new. The Chester Cathedral's
best kept
secret is the lunch room. When the Chester Row street food stalls are
packed for lunch, the cathedral restaurant, located in a former monastery
dining hall is a secret getaway from the crowds as quiet as, well, monks
at vespers.
Walk the
Chester town walls, the most complete in England, a forty-five minute
tour of the old city
highlights,
under the clock to the river
Dee with riverside cafes and river cruise boats, Roman Ruins and the
site of England’s best example of a Roman amphitheater. Alexander’s at
Rufus Court is a café by day
and popular jazz club at night. Chester
Boat Co. offers
half hour cruises and showboats for charter, and for a dinner cruise
the Mill
Hotel provides a 4 course dining experience.
The Grosvenor
Museum and
Dewa Roman Experience explore the
city’s Roman heritage. At Dewa explore a reconstructed Roman Galley
and the sights and sounds of Roman Chester.
Check the visitor center across from the Cathedral for local minibus themed tours of Alice in Wonderland, the North Wales Borderland, Secret Valleys and Dragons of Cheshire and Shropshire. Outside the city in the Cheshire countryside, visit the rocky crag of Beeston Castle and the Peak District National Park and Alton Towers Theme Park.
Chester is about 25 minutes from Manchester Airport (see BMI Manchester Gateway) and about an hour from Birmingham. Parking for the central old town is in private and public parking lots at the edges of the pedestrian zone. The rail station is a few longish blocks from the walled central tourist area. If you pop into town unannounced without a hotel a check at the visitor center will help you locate accommodation at many bed & breakfast style hotels. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Chester
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See Also:
LAKELAND MOTOR MUSEUM
MUNCASTER CASTLE HAUNTED
