Itinerary Planner

48 Adventure Packed Hours in Chester & Cheshire

With vast open spaces & rolling hills, dense forestry & white waters, Chester & Cheshire has some of the best places to adventure around. The sometimes serene and sometimes wild scenery makes for the perfect location for some of the most exciting attractions for any adventure break. Whether you enjoy climbing high into the canopy or scaling the walls, taking on obstacle courses or kayaking and paddleboarding, we’ve got it all in Chester & Cheshire. So we thought we’d put together a handy itinerary to inspire your adventure break.

You’ll need a base of operations for your adventure break and there are so many options to choose from. To experience the Cheshire countryside to the fullest, why not consider camping or caravanning? With tonnes of options to choose from you’re sure to find a perfect spot under the stars. If you’re staying closer to Chester, try Pitch & Canvas, where you can pitch up, drive in or even take advantage of a luxury glamping pod; all with glorious views and nearby local amenities.

Or if camping isn’t your thing, there are a lot of self-catering providers in some truly gorgeous locations across the county. Perfect for an adventure break, Forest Holidays Delamere Forest and The Hollies Forest Lodges provide the log cabin experience with a lot of luxury. Whether you want an urban apartment, rural cottage, or even a quintessentially Cheshire farm stay, self-catering is a great option for your adventure break.

Or if you want everything taken care of, make sure to explore Chester & Cheshire’s hotels. With full resort stays from the likes of Carden Park and The Mere Golf Resort & Spa, to urban luxury from The Chester Grosvenor, to grand halls including Crewe Hall and Rowton Hall, and quintessentially Cheshire boutique inns from the Nelson Hotels family, you won’t have trouble finding a perfect place to rest your head after a day of adventuring.  

Day 1 – Chester

A great way to get acclimated with the city is to take a tour and in Chester there are some great ways to explore the city with a sense of adventure. Make sure to bring your running gear for a 5 or 10k city running tour courtesy of Tours Around Chester, where you will learn about the fascinating history of the city whilst keeping up a good pace! Or you can take in the city on two wheels on a cycle around the city courtesy of Chester Cycle Tours, where at a leisurely pace you can experience the city past and present.

Next, it’s time to get out on the water on the beautiful River Dee. With Dee River Kayaking you can enjoy some serene nature as you paddle past Chester Meadows, the atmosphere of the river-front promenade, and soak in the history of sites such as the Roman city walls, the Old Dee Bridge, and the Chester Weir. If kayaking isn’t your thing, you can always paddleboard, or for something a little faster paced, you can book the white water session to get your thrills.

Next up, it’s time to get those brains working at Escapism. In the confines of one of the five themed escape rooms, you’ll have to rely on your puzzle solving skills in order to escape. With different themes including Taken and Amphitheatre (a nod to Chester’s Roman past), these rooms will challenge and inspire.

With your mind engaged, now you can embark on some high rise thrills at Vertigo at Carden Park – Cheshire’s newest aerial adventure park. Brave dizzying heights in this unforgettable outdoor experience, complete with an aerial trek lasting up to 2 hours where you will combat a variety of challenges. It’s all topped off with the option to either leap into a giant stunt pillow or glide down a 210m zip line back to ground level.

All this adventuring is sure to work up your appetite. Luckily Chester is full of superb places to eat and drink. There’s boutique and seasonally inspired menus from eateries like Chef’s Table and Joseph Benjamin, plant-based staples like Shrub and Hypha, and even Michelin starred menus from Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor. This isn’t to mention Chester’s superb choice of historic pubs and inns. Why not enjoy craft beers and small plates in a truly historic setting at Bear & Billet?

And if all this adventure wasn’t enough, you can get out and about easily from Chester via a great range of walking and cycling routes. So with Chester under your belt, it’s time to explore some more of Cheshire!

Day 2 – Cheshire

No matter where you are in Cheshire, you’re never far from adventure, with everything from high wires to quad bikes on offer. What’s more the county is connected in all sorts of ways if you’re not travelling by car. Using the Mid-Cheshire Line and West Coast Main Line, rail travel is a great way to enjoy your time in Cheshire to the fullest. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, Cheshire is connected via a whole host of scenic cycle routes like the Cheshire Cycleway 70 and walking trails like the Sandstone Trail and Gritstone Trail.

If you’re adventuring with the little ones, BeWILDerwood is a must. With a huge assortment of slippery slides, wobbly rope bridges, zip lines and all sorts of things to climb on, it’s a great way to encourage the kids to get off the screens and explore nature. This huge outdoor adventure park is for ALL the family to enjoy together.

Head on over to Delamere Forest to find high wires, zip lines and aerial obstacles at Go Ape. Whether you’re big or small or a complete beginner or fancy yourself a high wires expert, Go Ape have treetop pursuits for you. These high-rise thrills are made even better by the views from the gorgeous Delamere canopy.

Just a stone’s throw away you can continue the adventure with Cheshire Outdoors. There’s a superb range of activities and outdoor pursuits to get involved with, from archery and air rifles to bushcraft and human table football. There’s also the opportunity to get up close and personal with birds of prey with Cheshire Falconry, or for a different way to experience the Cheshire scenery, try off road Segwaying with Cheshire Segway

Now it’s off to Ellesmere Port where you will find Boulder Hut. There’s over 1000sq m of high quality bouldering for all experience levels. So whether you’re an experienced boulderer or are simply wanting to climb a different set of walls, there’s something for you. The littlest ones can even have a go with the Boulder Zoo, designed specifically for those aged 2 and up.

What adventure break in Cheshire would be complete without firing off a few paintballs!? Luckily in the lush Macclesfield forestry you can find UK Paintball. This extensive paintballing site includes a variety of thematic areas for you to traverse whilst scouting out the opposition. A fun activity for the whole family, it’s a great way to adventure in the Cheshire wilderness.

After another day’s adventuring, you’re going to need to refuel and Cheshire’s numerous pubs and restaurants provide the perfect opportunity to sit back and reflect on the day’s exploits over some fine food and drink. The Fishpool Inn in Delamere is an ideal retreat with its décor inspired by Cheshire’s historic adventure pastimes like hunting and fishing, not to mention the sumptuous, seasonally inspired menu. Or, nestled in the Peckforton Hills, with stunning panoramic views of the Cheshire plain, why not try some local beer and great food courtesy of The Pheasant Inn. And in the east of Cheshire, in idyllic Warmingham there’s The Bear’s Paw where at this charming 19^th century inn you’ll find fine foods, local brews and an extensive wine list.

There’s more than enough adventure on offer here for any thrill seeker, so hopefully Chester & Cheshire is top of your list for an adventure break this year!