Rake Meadows

Check out Chester (15 minutes’ drive from the park), a city founded by the Romans in the 1st century AD and still with the red sandstone walls to prove it. Roam around the Rows in the old town too on the lookout for trinkets in the dual-level arcades before recharging with a sit down at the Roman amphitheatre slightly out of the centre. Chester Zoo (10 minutes) is a little closer to the park than the city itself, so head here enroute to see the rhinos, big cats and red pandas. No car is necessary for visiting the underwater creatures at the Blue Planet Aquarium, however, as it's a 10-minute walk away. To spend time outdoors, shuffle along the Shropshire Union Canal (five minutes’ drive); the "Shroppie", as the locals call it, branches off into the Llangollen and Montgomery canals over in north Wales (grand if you fancy a longer wander).