A weekend in Chester: cool down walk

10-12 February 2023

I woke up very early and was as upset as when I went to bed last night. I knew it wasn't Jorge's fault but I couldn't stop feeling the way I did. 

The best one can do when one is upset, is to go for a walk. There is something about nature, whether it is the blue sky, the sun, the greenery, the wind or the chirping of the birds, that can calm you down.

A quick browse online and we found a walk along the Shropshire Union Canal.

We took the car to Upton and parked it on a residential road near Bache train station. We took off on foot northbound along Mill Lane and then Heath Road, crossed the A41 and into Caughall Road. The roads weren't very busy at 9am and this is a very residencial area.

Walking along Caughall Road, we walk past the back entrances of Chester Zoo. 

We did not see any animals but we heard the primates. The bird enclosure can be seen from one of the entrances, but it's too far to single out any birds.

Caughall Road ends at the Shropshire Union Canal, on Caughall Bridge, also called Pretty Bridge.

From here we followed the canal westwards, past several bridges, all the way to Chester. A few cyclists cycled past us. Dog walkers and runner as well. There are several cycling routes through this area and they are well marked. 

Note the bird feeders.

A grey egret.

The canal is still in use and it seems to have defined anchoring areas.

As you get closer to the outskirts of Chester, buildings start to emerge. We got this far and it was 11am. I was no longer upset but we were so close to the city cente that we decided to walk to the centre and have lunch at the restaurant I had wanted to have dinner yesterday. 

Then you reach the Chester Canal Basin or Chester's Canal Port. It's at this basin that the Shropshire Union Canal and the River Dee meet. This basin was built in the late 18th century to help the Port of Chester compete with Liverpool and other canals.

The Graving Dock, constructed in the 1850s to build boats for the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company, is still in use today to 'grave' boats, i.e. to take boats out of the water to clean their bottoms. The Graving Dock is part of the Taylor's Boatyard.

From left to right: footbridge, Graving Dock and Taylor's Boatyard.

Here the Chester Basin has two exits. To the east the Shropshire Union Canal continues and to the west the Dee Branch of the canal connects to the Dee River via two locks.

We continue along the Shropshire Union Canal via the footbridge.

Telford's Warehouse was built in the 1790s for storage, to house the Canal Company's Offices and a Tavern. Today it is a Bar & Restaurant.

Telford's Warehouse.

After the Telford's Warehouse, the Shropshire Union Canal turns eastwards, traverses three locks called the Northgate Locks and continues along the outside of the City Walls. 

The Northgate Locks were completed in 1776, mostly carved out of solid rock and using picks and shovels. The three locks form a staircase rising 33 feet - 10m from the Chester Basin below to the main line of the canal. The locks were designed  to take the 14 feet wide river boats of the time but they can also accommodate two 7 feet wide narrow boats side-by-side.

The rock cutting taking the canal along the City Walls was meant to be a tunnel but the canal builders found the remains of a Roman ditch and a cutting could be made instead. The deep ditch, remains of the Roman Wall and the picks' etching on the walls can be clearly seen on this stretch of the canal which is called The Northgate Cutting.

Yesterday we were walking on the top of the walls looking down to the canal, today we were walking at canal level, looking up.

The Bridge of Sighs, probably built in 1793, by the Northgate St, was built so prisoners in Northgate Gaol (inside the city walls) could cross to St John's Chapel in the Bluecoat School (outside the city walls) to receive the last rites before their execution without risk of escape.

Canal ditch and the small Bridge of Sighs.

Pick's etching on the canal wall.

The stone at the base of the ditch was laid down 250 million years ago, when this place was where the Sahara Desert is today.

We carried on the canal until we found a door on the wall near the Cathedral, leading onto the wall and into the centre.

It took us 3 hours to walk from the car to the centre and a beautiful walk it was.

We arrived at Hamayuu just before 12pm. There was a queue at the door. This must be a good restaurant if there is a queue waiting for it to open for lunch, I thought. I wasn't wrong. The restaurant is located in the undercroft/crypt of No.59 Watergate St, the service is very good, the food is excellent and the prices are unbeatable. We paid £39 for 2 starters+ 2 mains + green tea.

The restaurant even displays their menu with plastic replicas in the shop window, just like in Japan!

I was a very happy bunny when we finished lunch!

We walked back to the car, this time navigating through the streets with Google Maps because we had to get back home. It took us less than 1 hour to walk.