please empty your brain below
But never been into the town itself - seems I missed a lot
https://thechesterblog.com/2016/09/15/chester-in-lego/
dg writes: This Lego model of Chester sits in a case which fills one stall in the middle of the covered market - very nicely done, but not really a top 10 attraction.
One feels this deserves more than a single throwaway line! I'm imagining a bitter feud over generations full of intrigue and suspicion.
And another vote for a canal walk - I've arrived in Chester twice by canal, it's (mostly) not your usual decaying warehouses
dg writes: Its replacement, opened last summer, is also called the Bus Exchange.
I would like to nominate the adventure walk you are obliged to take to get there. In particular having a go at guess the exit when taking the underpass at the roundabout half way through the journey.
I was appalled at the lack of signage and my family and I didn't find it any easier on the return journey having travelled in a different direction via the amphitheatre. Now, I understand why it's not complete - thanks.
The boat started to rock quite alarmingly bobbing up and down like a cork, this was odd as no other boat was passing. Then we saw the British Waterways man running along the towpath passing us and disappearing round the corner to the staircase locks.
A Dutch family hadn't followed the instructions for the locks and not opened or closed the paddles in the right order. The Top paddles were closed and before the rest were closed the top chamber was completely empty, the middle chamber still had a bit of water in it. The BW man then showed them how to go down safely. The lock stair case looks even more impressive when it is empty as you can see the brick and stonework in all it glory.
Unfortunately I am unable on this occasion to step up, because I have no clear recollection of any visit to Chester, even though I suspect that I went there as a small child.
Sadly I have never been to Chester, but after watching the programme on Saturday and now reading this, I really must!
The only other thing I think it is famous for is its popularity among footballer's WAGs!
Or I could add my cautionary tale about how you can get a Grand Union boat and a Josher down the Northgate locks together, but not two Grand Unions... and how I got soaked in the attempt.
The circuit takes about an hour and provides for a glorious open top deck view of the many historic delights this glorious city has to offer.
You can hop on and off along the journey to investigate a particular feature further at no extra cost.
Unlike many cities, when I travelled on it about 5 years ago it was with a live commentary from a professional on board guide rather than a prerecorded commentary through earphones.
Even better there was just me on the journey so the guide sat in front of me and gave me a personal commentary - but she still used the microphone - which was a bit bizarre but served to attract and passers by as we travelled around!
I seem to remember the cost was very reasonable.
The zoo is a good one, particularly if you have children in train. There was a recent BBC TV drama about its founder, George Mottershead, and his family. Elephants, rhinos, chimpanzees, orangutans, etc. Monorail and boat trip. Some bits were somewhat tired when I was there last but I understand the owners have been / are refreshing parts of it.
First impressions of Chester was that it was a deeply odd place, rather disconcerting. I have never seen so much Victorian Mediaeval in one place before. In fact, I've never knowingly seen any, but Chester's full of it. And where it isn't Victorian ersatz, it's bland contemporary clone-vernacular. We walked down the Dee Branch to the heavily silted lock onto the river, and there saw the most shoddily built flats I think I have ever seen. The town centre is full of expensive shops and tasteful cobbles; bit of a fur coat and no knickers sort of place. I didn't like it.
My favourite building was the Westminster [something I've forgotten] and Motor Car Company, which is now Chester Library, a glorious bit of (at a guess) early twentieth century glazed and embossed brickwork. We also took a long evening stroll to find the Albion pub on the other side of town, as it sounded interesting. It was; it was a bit like sitting in a museum or at least a 1916 timewarp. The place is full of WW1 memorabilia, but I didn't find it oppressive as some reviewers suggested. There were lots of enamel signs and old adverts, and it wasn't too emetically mawkish. Beautiful wall paper and subdued lighting made it feel a bit like sitting in your old granny's parlour. The landlord clearly prides himself on being very grumpy, with a big sign outside telling people not to bring stag or hen parties in in no uncertain terms, and apparently, previously, one saying 'this is a family-hostile pub'. A blackboard on the bar advertised this week's guest lager as 'I Can't Believe It's Not Piss' which would have been funny if they'd had more than two beers (Adnam's Bitter and Rudgate Viking) on, both under 4% (Jim reckoned the landlord didn't allow people anything stronger during the week), and hadn't been serving Carlsberg.
http://chertsey130.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/last-legs-and-chester.html
By my reckoning the biggest example of Victorian Gothic in the UK is the Houses of Parliament. Well, perhaps Victorian Gothic is not quite the same thing as Victorian Mediaeval, but it's sort of close-ish.
DG seems to have got it covered, and I'm a bit envious that he got to have a good look around the Cathedral - I spent nearly three hours there, but whizzed past the interesting bits, and spent most of that time sat in one place.
But I'll give a go at describing one of the area's most popular tourist/leisure destinations that my relatives insisted we went to: Cheshire Oaks.
Cheshire Oaks is not everyone's cup of tea. Nor is it in Chester - it's a few miles away on the outskirts of Ellesmere Port. However, Britain's largest Designer Outlet Mall is a popular destination for the city's tourists. Parking is free, though you can book and reserve a space for £5 as the owners understand the section of their clientele who'd see things like a designer shirt for £95 as a bargain too good to refuse. For those of us that aren't like that, while most of the shops will not be for us, there are some high street retailers offering some products for slightly less than they do on the high street. As such, clearly no visit to Chester is complete without walking the 3/4 mile around this shrine to capitalism.
dg writes: Cheers! That's exactly what I was after... if only it were actually in Chester
The first time I went they had discounted tickets on offer which I thought was brilliant, until I discovered it was because the new Islands area was due to open a couple of months later. On TV I had watched Our Zoo (the story of its beginnings) and The Secret Life of the Zoo (about the animals) and it’s difficult to experience in real life the close-up connection of the TV screen.
Opposite the main entrance is the elephants. Impressive. Huge waterfall that they can stand under at will. Natural water cleansing and recycling. Wandering around is easy, nice pathways, no feeling of crowds (at least until you hit the cafe). The enclosures are spacious and the animals look contented. The new Islands area is very attractive with themed structures, sound effects and planting – and there’s a fun boat trip.
Most surprising to me were the gardens, a lot of thought and care has gone into them. But then you remember the founder’s father was a botanist and nurseryman.
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