106:RW

The Rows in Chester are a proper oddity - a medieval shopping arcade stacked on top of itself, four storeys of black-and-white buildings that look like something from a Tudor fever dream. You wander through these covered galleries and suddenly realise you're walking along what was once street level, now suspended above the actual pavement. It's genuinely disorienting the first time.

What you're actually doing is shopping, really. Independent boutiques, cafes, and chain stores line the walkways, but the architecture is the draw here. The timber frames creak, the upper levels feel cramped and atmospheric, and if you're lucky with the light you'll get some cracking photographs. History types will lose an hour easily, reading the plaques and working out which bits date to the 1300s and which are Victorian restorations.

Kids get bored after about twenty minutes unless they're into shopping or want cake at one of the cafes. It's not interactive or hands-on - you're essentially walking through an old mall. Free to wander, though you'll feel obliged to buy something once you've occupied prime retail real estate for that long.

Allow an hour if you're genuinely interested, forty minutes if you're just passing through. Pop down to street level to see Chester's Roman walls and cathedral while you're in the city centre - they're all within spitting distance. If you're based at Pitch & Canvas nearby, this makes for an easy morning trip before heading to more active attractions.