Chester; Saturday, 16 November, 2013

Having been at a conference for the previous few days I woke up in the Premier Inn in Manchester after a nice long lie-in feeling refreshed and ready to go.

Breakfast completed and hotel checked out from I wandered over to St Peter’s Square and caught the tram round to Piccadilly station and wandered up to the station to wait for my train.

Given my experience earlier in the year with the absolutely packed Llandudno train I had decided to take the slower train that ran round via Stockport and the Cheshire countryside rather than the direct route. It took nearly 90 minutes, and on a pretty tired train, but at least it wasn’t heaving.

I walked the short distance from the station to my hotel, checked in and then headed out into town for a long wander round.

After a while I found myself on the banks of the Dee, just as a boat was about to do a short sightseeing cruise, so I hopped on board and took in the views from the river.

Back in the town centre I had a wander around the Roman Garden and the Amphitheatre before the light finally faded for the day.

I had a wander back through town; stopping for dinner in a city centre hotel before heading back to the hotel and another good night’s sleep