Day 14 was quite a big driving day, mostly because the route we had chosen didn’t have a lot of M roads.  We thus ended up on a lot of small B roads, often behind slowpokes.  It was fine though because it was very picturesque countryside.  We started the day as always with a sensational breakfast in the hotel, full cooked today. We then went back into Chester, walking this time.  It was a bit dodgy on the weather front so we took umbrellas, and we would need them.  We made it into town after a bit of map-reading, and headed for the cathedral.  It’s a pretty old one, with some sections dating from the Norman era. The Romanesque style prevalent in that time is still visible in parts.  They were making a film of some kind so there was quite a bit of equipment lying around, and parts of it were cordoned off, but we got a good look.  We got talking to a priest, who showed us an interesting ‘elephant and castle’ seat arm which was very old.  On the way out in the gift shop there was a sensational Henry VIII chess set, complete with Wolsey as the bishop and Katherine as queen.  I’ve tried to find it online to buy since, but no luck.  One of a kind perhaps. I even considered buying it there, but it would have been a pain to carry.

We then wandered over to the shopping district, where they have these very distinctive double-level shop-fronts. Essentially they have a second floor line of shop-fronts along the street, right above the ground floor shops, with a wide balcony on that level that you can walk along going from shop to shop.  We had quite a fun look through some of the interesting shops, plus a very swanky arcade with very pricey shops in it.  Eventually we made our way back to the hotel, being quite buggered by the time we got back because it was a long walk and a bit tricky on the directions front. We used the hotel facilities one more time and drove off towards Lyme Park, about an hour and a half away east.  

It’s a good-sized mansion not far from Manchester, and we actually drove through parts of Greater Manchester to get there.  The estate belonged to the Leghs of Lyme from 1388 until they gave it to the National Trust in 1946. It still has many furnishings and objets d’art from the 19th & early 20thC, lots of good paintings and interesting things.  Unusually, you could actually sit in some of the lounge chairs in the library, which suggests that they are more recent additions.  We spent quite a time going through, and even went through a second time because we took a wrong turn and missed a couple of rooms!  We were going to have a bite in the cafe, but it was just a kind of cellar room with no windows so we passed.  

We pressed on to Lincoln, and after some creative directing by our mischievous sat-nav, leading us on many a merry route through very small roads, we arrived late in the afternoon.  We did get to drive through the Peak District which is very picturesque.  Our room at The Castle Hotel was small but modern and comfortable, and brilliantly located.  We ventured out and checked out the cathedral, which I couldn’t remember being to before but Jen thought we had. She was right!  There was a presentation on the Magna Carta by Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers: ‘Magna Carta, Myth and Reality’, under way when we went in, to mark its 798th anniversary, so we sat in for a good few minutes to listen. It was very interesting, but we were keen to find a restaurant so we didn’t stay. We did have a bit of a look  at the cathedral interior on the way out, and decided to come back in the morning for a better look. We also saw an extremely old house, Norman House on Steep Hill, which is thought to date from about 1170. We had a nice beer in a pub outside the cathedral in the courtyard there, and being a Friday night, there were quite a few people out and about.   We found a busy place with loads of character for dinner, called The Wig and Mitre, and we both had these incredibly good Beef Wellingtons!  God they were good. It was a really enjoyable dinner.  Then it was back to our hotel and a good night’s sleep!

Chester Cathedral   Lyme Park   Lincoln Cathedral