Chester

We chose Chester as a brief scenic stop between the Cotswolds and the Scottish Highlands. Despite being more brief than planned it was worth it.

Today was our most complex travel route and we muffed it, ending up with kind of an adventure. The bus we were going to take from Chipping Campden to Cheltenham to catch the train doesn’t run any more, but we found that out from the people at the bus stop AFTER the new Cheltenham bus went by in the other direction. So, we had to take the bus to Moreton-in-Marsh and ad lib, which meant buying new train tickets. It was a little stressful. Then the train to Chester was late. Then we had trouble with directions to our B&B. Stairs down to the canal, or up to the wall? But we found it, with local help. I was so frazzled when we got there that our host, a lovely English gentlemen with cats, was completely taken aback.

We have an early train out tomorrow so after we got checked in, we walked to train station to time it. Then we walked around on the town walls to the river, then up to the cross. We saw the Roman amphitheater and garden and the famous clock up close and at a distance. We only missed the inside of the cathedral despite not having as much time here as we planned.

Here’s the Eastgate clock. The second most photographed clock in the world?

There are lots of half-timbered buildings in Chester. Some are original.

There’s other interesting architecture too, like a former motor car works now a library.

Then we walked down the street to The Pied Bull — the oldest pub in Chester, 1473 — for beer and food. Red Bull first round, then Matador for me. This was our first real pub night. We stayed around for part of Quiz Night. We did not participate, and would not have competed well. We got to watch them clean the lines at the bar. Serious exercise. We saw Mr Bill’s twin there too.

Essentials​

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Lodging

The Chester Town House that we stayed in has sadly closed.

Dining

We had burgers and beer at The Pied Bull

Transportation

We were able to walk everywhere in Chester. The town walls are a unique and scenic way to get around.