Chester

The walls are the longest and most complete walls in the UK and in parts are breath-taking. If you walk the walls in the early evening you may get spectacular views over the Welsh Hills from the Northgate and if you chose to go around them first thing then you may see the City waking up gracefully, ready to welcome the millions of people who come here every year to enjoy this City with it’s 2,000 years of History. The walls were Roman in origin and built to defend the Roman fortress of Deva but are now just one of the major attractions and a fabulous two mile walk or Run!

There are many super guidebooks that are available from the Visitor Information Centre that will give you detail about the history and attractions of Chester, but it is also possible to do the two-mile circuit and just enjoy the scenery. I like to start at the Northgate as you walk up Northgate Street, you will see the stone arch ahead. This is the North Gate to the City. Climb the stone steps on the right-hand side of the gate and at the top turn right …you are now walking on the walls or running.

Ahead at the Northeast corner of the wall, is King Charles Tower. It is from here that Charles I is said to have watched the defeat of his army in 1645at the nearby battle of Rowton Moor. The tower is also known as the Phoenix Tower and above the doorway to the tower chamber is a carved Phoenix. The carving dates to 1613 and is the emblem of the City Guild of Painters, Glaziers, Embroiderers and Stationers who once occupied the tower as a meeting place. Chester is fortunate to having a weekly walking tour of Chester with a Freeman who can give the Visitor great detail about the long history of the Guilds in Chester, just ask at the Visitor Centre. Standing with your back to the Tower and you can see Dean’s field once the site of Roman barracks while ahead is Chester Cathedral and walking towards the Cathedral is a view of the bell tower. Impressive views of the Cathedral and the cathedral gardens are here but take care as it can get congested. The reason it gets so congested here is because this is the site of the famous Eastgate clock which any guidebook will proudly tell you is the second most photographed clock in the UK. Underneath the clock runs Eastgate street full of gems for exploring and normally full of people enjoying all that Chester has to offer.

It is difficult to get lost on this route as just keep going straight on and the next great view is that of the Roman Amphitheatre, the Roman Gardens and eventually the River Dee. From the high walls there is a stunning view of the Groves, the City’s riverside promenade. This area is well worth exploring, maybe by crossing on foot over the Queen’s Park Suspension or by taking a Riverboat down the River Dee.

As the walls run parallel to the river the ancient Norman weir comes into view but also as you get nearer the sound of the rushing water, great to pause here just to see any wading birds that might have gathered. At this point is the Old Dee Bridge which until 1832 was the main route from the City into North Wales and still used by cars and pedestrians today. Crossing the Bridgegate the walls are at street level and run in front of the former Cheshire County Hall which is now part of Chester University. A little further on is Chester Castle which was originally built by William the Conqueror’s nephew Hugh d’Averanches , also known as Hugh Lupus , who was the first Earl of Chester . Within the castle complex there are still remaining parts of the medieval castle together with the early19th century Greek revival buildings designed by Thomas Harrison.

On the left spanning the river is the Grosvenor Bridge. Opened in 1833, it was for a while the longest, single span in the world and provided a new route into Wales

Crossing Grosvenor Road by the entrance to the bridge the walls continue to run alongside the racecourse. The site occupies an area known as the Roodee and opened in 1539, making it the world’s oldest operational racecourse It stands on the site of the old Roman harbour and remnants of the quay can be seen today forming part of the walls

The Chester – Holyhead railway cuts through the northwest corner of the wall a little before two ancient towers appear on the left. The first is Bonewaldesthorne’s tower and became a gatehouse to the nearby water tower which it joins by a spur wall. It used to protect the port however due to the silting up of the river it now stands firmly on dry land but amazing to picture the water from the river lapping the base of the walls.

The walls take a sharp turn right and anyone else running at this point would like to know that this is the home straight back to Northgate Street. Plenty of great views still available as the canal with the staircase locks is just below.  Ahead is Morgan’s Mount, named after a Captain in King Charles' army. Steps lead up to the top where Captain Morgan is reputed to have commanded a battery of cannon during the English Civil war siege of Chester.

A little further on and the North Gate is reached which completes the circuit of Chester’s famous City Walls.

Further information about Guided tours with many different themes are available to book from the Chester Visitor Information Centre situated next to the Town Hall on Northgate Street .