Chester in General

Chester is a historic walled city that lies tucked away in the west corner of the county of Cheshire. Cheshire (for those that don't know) is part of the Northwest region of England (just above Wales and a mere stones throw from the midlands). Rather tiny and unassuming; what Chester lacks in physical size is compensated by the huge amount of people that try to cram into its tiny streets. I have lived in Chester for a few years, in which time I have learnt a great deal about its people, history and soul. I hope the below guide will impart to the reader: some small part of my enthusiasm for ... more

Rather than write about how Chester is now, I decided to take a different approach and give you a history of the city from day one to present day. admittedly, the history is quite sketchy, but I found it quite difficult to find more detail than is already included. Naturally, any further information on the topic would be gratefully received, and if I manage to find anything else out for myself, I will also add that. Due to difficulties in finding information, I found it easier to write the review in a chronological order of date (sorry if it seems to jump about a bit!!). anyway, back to the ... more

I have lived near to Chester most of my life and yet never really appreciated what it had to offer until I moved away for a couple of years and got used to a slightly different way of life. Growing up in a smaller town the city experience always seemed like such a pain with everything much simpler and easier on my doorstep. After moving to live in the big smoke for a while I came to appreciate what Chester could offer. ** Accommodation ** As I only live a couple of miles down the road I have never actually stayed in a hotel in the city centre although I am aware of the major hotels and their ... more

Chester races, what a fantastic day out. Our most recent visit was to an evening meeting last summer with a party of friends to celebrate one of them having a new job. The racecourse is one of the oldest in the country and occupies a beautiful position on the ‘Roodee’, backing on to the high city walls one side, the river Dee opposite and the Welsh Mountains in the distance. We took a picnic and a bottle of wine and had a wonderful time, though my confidence was dented as the so-called racing expert when I managed to pick only one winner out of the six races. One of the ladies ... more

I don’t like paying for days out, which is why we spend a lot of time at Chester Zoo. It is fairly expensive to get in normally, but not if you are a member, which we are. Membership costs us just under £100 a year. It would cost £36 a time for our family of 4 to visit normally though. We visit once a month (no, it doesn’t get boring) to make the most of our membership. So if you have ever wondered why I don’t post on Ciao very often, it is probably because I am busy communing with chimps. Now is a good time to visit the zoo. Some of it is restricted because of Foot & Mouth ... more