Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bustle and chaos of the city center, right by the Museum of Science and Industry. The
decor is bright, fresh, and fun, with an almost Pop Arty feel, and the staff is friendly.
Rooms range from en suite private rooms for two- to five-bed dorms, and there's a din-
ing room for cheap but decent meals, including optional breakfast costing around £5.
Potato Wharf, Manchester M3 4NB. www.yha.org.uk.
&
0845/371-9647.
35 units. From £15 per person,
£11 children 17 and under. MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities:
Restaurant; games room; TV lounge; shop;
communal kitchen; laundrette; discounted access to fitness center; Wi-Fi (free).
CHESHIRE
Chester: 194 miles NW of London; 80 miles NW of Birmingham; 45 miles SW of Manchester; 28 miles S
of Liverpool
With its magnificent country-house estates and other fine historic buildings set
amidst pretty landscapes, Cheshire offers a green respite for those exploring the cities
of the northwest. Of its cities and towns,
Chester,
full of Roman remnants, half-
timbered houses and shops (some Tudor but others Georgian and Victorian) and good
attractions for families, is well worth a day or two's exploration.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
Frequent direct trains from London's Euston Station to Ches-
ter take 2 hours, costing around £70 for a round-trip. There are also direct trains from
Manchester (1
1
⁄
2
hr.) and Liverpool (40 min.). Manchester and Liverpool airports are
the handiest for Chester but you'll have to travel into the cities themselves for public
transport links. For those exploring Cheshire, the train stations of Manchester
(p. 562), Stockport, Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Crewe, and also Stoke on Trent (in
Staffordshire) can all be handy.
There are a few direct
National Express
(
&
0871/781-8181;
www.national
express.com) buses between London and Chester, taking just over 6 hours, but most
services require a change at Birmingham. There are also direct buses from Manches-
ter (about 1 hr.) and Liverpool (50 min.).
If you are exploring the area without a car, consult www.traveline-northwest.co.uk.
Chester is about 3
1
⁄
2
hours northwest of London, mainly via the M1 and M6. From
Birmingham it's about 80 miles (1
1
⁄
2
hr.), from Manchester about 45 miles (just under
1 hr.), and from Liverpool about 28 miles (40 min.).
VISITOR INFORMATION
Chester Visitor Information Centre,
Town Hall
Square (
&
0845/647-7868;
www.visitchester.com), is open Monday to Saturday
9am-5:30pm, Sundays and bank holidays 10am-5pm.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Each April, the
Chester Food, Drink & Lifestyle Festi-
val
(
&
01244/355474;
www.chesterfoodanddrink.com) includes the Cheese Roll-
ing Championships waged between Cheshire, Lancashire, and Stilton teams. It's
followed by the classical
Summer Music Festival,
held over 2 weeks in July, and
by the
October Shell Chester Literature Festival
(both
&
01244/405637;
www.chesterfestivals.co.uk). Summer also sees the
Midsummer Watch Parades
(www.midsummerwatch.co.uk), one of Britain's oldest festivals, featuring medieval
giants, devil and angel puppets, and flocks of geese, while Chester gets very festive
at Christmas (www.chestermagic.co.uk), with a Victorian market, lantern parades, an
ice rink, and a Big Wheel, all in Castle Square.
The season at
Chester Racecourse
(
&
01244/304600;
www.chester-races.
co.uk; May-Sept) includes a May Festival; a Roman day with races, displays, and
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