A weekend in Cheshire with the kids

Cheshire suits families because the good bits sit close together. Day one asks almost nothing of small legs: Little Moreton Hall in the morning, then Rode Hall just 1.3 miles down the road — a drive short enough that nobody has time to ask if you're there yet. Two very different halls, plenty of grass, and a morning-then-afternoon rhythm that leaves room for a long, unhurried lunch.

Day two stretches out a little. It's 25.2 miles across to Eaton Hall, then 3.4 miles into Chester for lunch at Jaunty Goat, which holds a 5/5 food hygiene rating and opens Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00, Su 09:00-18:00 — early enough for a second breakfast if the morning goes sideways. Chester Castle is a 0.3-mile stroll afterwards. Staying over? Lloyd's of Chester sits 0.1 miles from Chester station, or the narrowboat Irene at Bunbury sleeps 8. Coming by train, Winsford is the nearest station to Cheshire.