Chester – Simply The Best

While we were in Ellesmere Port we had to visit the National Waterways Museum, or the Boat Museum as everyone still calls it. Very interesting it was too, much better in our opinion than its sister museum in Stoke Bruerne, which is squarely aimed at primary school age children. It’s really important that we educate the next generations in the history and joys of the waterways if we’re going to have any hope of preserving them, but a little more adult focus is also welcome.

We were a bit sad to leave the museum, which our mooring (£12 a night) gave us free access to, and recommend a visit if you’re in the area. They have lots of events too, the day we left it was swarming with volunteers, which was great for us as we had help up the locks, but we missed out on the VE Day celebration party.

We didn’t get far that day, just stopped in a nice countryside mooring close to Chester Zoo., I was grateful to Ollie for preventing us from visiting, 2 tickets would have cost an eyewatering £73.

We haven’t visited Chester, the black and white city, since 2022 when we went to a memorial to the late Queen in the Cathedral, and watched her funeral moored in Tower Wharf. Then we picked up Stu and Carrie and set off for the Llangollen Canal at breakneck speed. We always planned to return this year.

You might have guessed we visited the Cathedral. We didn’t however go up the tower. That must be a first. We just walked around the walls and the boat got a bit of a clean. Martyn bought a rechargeable handheld pressure washer, which does a great job. It was too hot to do much of anything else.

Chester really is one of my favourite cities. It’s so pretty, full of history, and the shops aren’t bad either. There’s supposed to be the ghost of a Roman centurion patrolling the walls, but he’s never troubled us and I’m always sad to leave.