Brickfield Lane Camping

Take the time to properly explore Chester while you're here. As well as heaps of history – including the most complete set of Roman city walls in Britain, a stunning cathedral and the oldest racecourse still in use in the UK – the city is full of excellent shops in places such as the Chester Rows, a set of half-timbered galleries stretching back 700 years. The Welsh border can be reached in about ten minutes – where you head from there is up to you. Possibilities include boating on Bala Lake (an hour), taking in the eastern and northern reaches of Snowdonia National Park (about an hour), seeing the beach and castle at Conwy (an hour) or strolling through the grounds of Bodelwyddan Castle (40 minutes). Sticking to the English side of the border, you could visit art galleries, historic docks and shopping outlets in Liverpool (30 minutes), get a breath of fresh air by the sea at Wirral Country Park (30 minutes), cycle through the trees at Delamere Forest (15 minutes) or cross over to Hilbre Island (35 minutes) at low tide to see wildfowl and waders.