Chester

With its charming river, characterful canal, Roman walls, Cathedral and a generally pleasant historic centre, Chester is a natural tourist destination, made more so by the number of nearby tourist attractions, not perhaps as some cynics might imply, due simply to the dearth of anywhere else to stay within a fifty mile radius. Once a fortified Roman port and still a boundary town on the very edge of England and Wales, it is an urban myth that it is still permissible to shoot (with a bow and arrow) any Welshman venturing within the city walls after dark. Whilst there may be little truth in that rumour, it is not always as peaceful as you might imagine, despite its relative affluence; be warned that at weekends and indeed, some weeknights, it attracts undesirables from as far afield as Liverpool to the North and Wrexham to the South and can become a booze-fuelled fight fest.