Katrina Kerr

I'm a Londoner but in 1998 my husband and I moved to Chester. It was the perfect location and as city folk, we really felt we had "escaped to the country".

There simply ain't nothing like Chester. It packs a lot in. It looks different from other cities—so many black and white buildings, Roman ruins, a complete city wall and Victorian gothic sandstone. It does things differently—the medieval Rows are a two-level shopping experience and we have some crazy pagan festivals! And it has a great vibe. During the summer it is busy with tourists and race-goers, lots of al fresco eating, and in the winter, you can enjoy comedy clubs, jazz and folk bars, plus the programme at Storyhouse, our amazing performing arts centre. The city's food offer is great too—one restaurant has a green Michelin star and so many others are at the top of their game. It's a small city but with an increasingly big food scene.

As a resident, Chester is very

accessible—walking, cycling and scooters are all popular. It also feels very connected, being only two hours to London. Chester is right on the border with Wales so for centuries it has been a bit of a melting pot—a bit English, a bit Welsh. It has a reputation for relative affluence, and I would say up to a few years ago was getting a little sleepy. However, a new generation of can-do entrepreneurs have started businesses (several in travel, some in finance), made Chester their home and the city now feels young and buzzy.

My favourite thing to do in Chester is to walk into the city along the riverbank on a cold winter's night when the lamps light up the cobbles and it feels a tiny bit mysterious. I head to a wine bar like Covino or a top-notch pizza place like Stile Napoletano for a bite to eat and a glass of something rich and fruity, and then amble home past the Storyhouse and the cathedral which are lit up and welcoming. ■

To plan a future trip to Chester, head to visitcheshire.com/chester