Chester Jog Blog

"The walls of this town
Are full of renown,
And strangers delight to walk round 'em,
But as for the dwellers,
Both buyers and sellers,
For me, you may hang 'em or drown 'em"
- Jonathan Swift

Woke up in Chester early this morning and felt that, after a month of excessive wintry weather, I desperately needed to go for a long run.

The ancient town of Chester was founded as Castrum, or Roman fort. Indeed, all English cities with Chester in their title (Winchester, Manchester) were all similarly walled cities. Chester is famous for its almost complete Roman wall surrounding this ancient and beautiful town.

Leaving our quaint boutique hotel north of the city, I jogged along empty streets as the sun was rising. The streets were deserted as I listened to Katie Melua on my iPod. Reaching the town, I climbed the steps of Northgate and jogged along the walkway on the top of the wall.

I was feeling stronger than I had predicted, worried that my fitness would be diminished after the long break. So, I kept going and continued along the wall.

The thin mist was still in the air as I ran towards the rear of the imposing and majestic Gothic Chester Cathedral. As I neared it, the bells began to strike from the large carillon. I paused to listen to the Big Ben sequence, followed by the 8 strikes announcing the hour.

I continued on, with a feeling that I was sharing something special this misty morn. I was treading over two thousand year old history, in a land at the far northern edge of the mighty Roman Empire. The snow of the past weeks had been so quickly flushed away by rain over the last two days, and I saw tiny patches remained in protected corners. Remnants of a snowman remained in a grassy field, hinting of child play of recent days.

Under the famous and well photographed Victorian clock, I passed over the shopping street with its Tudor buildings. I then ran parallel to the River Dee, and paused again to witness where the river passes the hydro station and turned off Katie to hear the sounds of rushing water rolling over the weir.

Continuing my jog, I ran around the castle to Chester's south, and headed around to the west of the town. Up along the canal with its locks and headed back to the hotel. Feeling energetic and exhilirated by this personal event, I picked up pace and finished back where I began. A hearty English breakfast awaited.

This was a most enjoyable and memorable 5 km experience in historic Chester.