North by Northwest

Chester and Bodnant Gardens, 29 to 31 August

Children are now on their way back to school so it must be time to have another break in Theodora.  We had a fairly unremarkable journey up to Chester Fairoaks Caravan Club Site, ignoring the inevitable delay on the A14 and the half-price trip on the M6 toll (courtesy of membership to the Caravan Club).

Despite the site being only minutes walk away from Cheshire Oaks Retail Outlet, we managed to steer clear and head for Chester on the bus; the nearest stop is about 15 minutes walk.  Our last visit was probably about 40 years ago!  To refresh our memories, we walked around the city walls, starting at Eastgate, recognisable by its famous clock.

There was racing at the Roodee Racecourse and you get a good (free!) view from the walls.  A few people were installed with folding chairs and picnics.  You will be intrigued to learn that its curious name comes from the old English words, rood, or cross, and eye, or island – meaning literally 'the island of the cross' – and that in the middle of the circuit there is the stump of a medieval cross.  You never know, could be useful in a quiz sometime!  It was also interesting to learn from our leaflet how Chester was, at one time, the second largest port on the west of England and its decline was largely due to the silting up of the River Dee.  A brief walk by the river and a peek into the cathedral filled the rest of our time.

After a second night at Chester, we moved on to a Camping and Caravanning Club Certified Site close to Llandudno, calling at the National Trust Bodnant Gardens on the way.  The house is not open to the public but the gardens (80 acres with spectacular views across Snowdonia) are stunning, “with expansive lawns and intimate corners, grand ponds and impressive terraces, a steep wooded valley and stream”.