Our Chester weekend wasn’t our original plan. We had been due to attend a special family event, but this fell through. However we decided to continue with the idea of a weekend break anyway.

Friday

Since we didn’t leave Stockport until just after 12pm, we were hungry as soon as we arrived. We made our way over to Chester Cathedral in the hope that they had a cafe.

Thankfully there was a refectory in the old monks dining hall so we tucked into a bowl of soup.

  

As we entered the cathedral we had been met with the first of a number of scenes retelling Charles Dickens’ iconic Christmas Carol.

Chester Cathedral was founded as a Benedictine Abbey in 1092 and built in the Romanesque style.

The main part of the church however was rebuilt from 1250 onwards the Gothic style, and it is this style that mainly pervades.

  

Having enjoyed the cathedral we moved on to the Christmas Market. In previous years Sarah and I have visited Manchester Christmas Market and Edinburgh Christmas Market and this one certainly wasn’t on the same scale. However it had a charm all of its own.

It was just a shame it kept raining!

Saturday

We were staying at the Village Hotel Chester St Davids which was actually about 10 miles outside of the city centre in a village called Ewloe.

On the Saturday morning we decided to go along to the nearest Parkrun, which surprisingly wasn’t in Chester. They don’t have one there yet. It was at Whitby Park, Ellesmere Port. It was a cold morning with quite a stiff wind and we weren’t sure what to expect, especially as we have both been feeling unwell and haven’t therefore done much running recently. Anyway, we are glad we went since the Ellesmere Port Parkrun team made us welcome. The run itself was mainly off-road and following the rain over the previous few days was quite muddy and challenging, not to mention that stiff wind. Sarah and I therefore found it quite hard. However we completed it, and in the circumstances our time was quite respectable. We were both beaten by a guy pushing a baby buggy round but that’s beside the point!

  

After the run we went back to the hotel for breakfast, and then after a shower and a rest we made our way back into Chester.

Again we started with a cuppa, this time at the Forty Six Cafe.

From here we made our way on to the city walls. The Chester City Walls walk is approximately 2 miles and takes you past most of the major Chester tourist attractions. It’s a great way to get around the city.

  

This includes over Eastgate, the main shopping street, and under the famous Eastgate clock built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.

  

Having completed the circuit we briefly returned to the Roman Garden just off the River Dee.

And finally we decided on a bit of shopping.

  

Sunday

Our final day also brought a change of plan. We had been due to join our Stockport Community Cycling Club colleagues for a cycle around Neston. However we have both been struggling with a virus for the last couple of weeks and for Sarah in particular the activities of the previous few days seem to have taken their toll.

Instead we took a stroll over to Ewloe Castle. Even this was further than Sarah thought and having set off we soon returned to pick up the car and drive there!

Situated in Wepre Park Ewloe Castle is described on the Cadw website as ‘A typically Welsh castle with a characteristic D-shaped tower, probably built by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (‘the Last’) after 1257.

Strangely it is situated in a forest, however it is on a steep promontory at the joining of two streams and with a steep slope on the other side. This may therefore have made it a strategic point along the Welsh-English border.

  

It appears however that the castle wasn’t in use for long. It was one of the last built by the sovereign Prince of Wales, and one of the first abandoned when Edward I invaded Wales in 1277.

After leaving the castle we decided on a short stroll down to the meeting of the two streams. Here it appears was the location of an important strategic battle, The Battle of Ewloe in 1157.

After leaving the stream we followed the forest path.

Eventually we made our way back to the car. By now Sarah was completely ‘done in’. So time to go home!

In spite of us both struggling with our health we had enjoyed our few days away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It will be a few days we remember fondly