A gentle walk every day, on the walls and by the river
Over the white suspension bridge, the city gives way to long grass and big skies. On the Meadows, the River Dee runs slow and wide, and in summer cattle graze along the bank.
Researchers who brought together 32 studies of holidaymakers found that being active did more good than anything else people did on a break, more than simply resting. The lift was still there three weeks after home.
In Chester, a daily walk can be the city walls, about two miles of red stone you can follow all the way round, free and open all year. Or it can be the Groves, the riverside promenade, then over the bridge to the Meadows, where our guide to parks and picnic spots picks up the story.
The suspension bridge to the Meadows 
The walls in winter, through an archway
Leave the to do list behind
A bench on the Groves, a warm cup in your hands, and rowing boats drifting by on the Dee. Nobody needs to be anywhere.
Switching off matters just as much. In the same research, letting go of work gave the biggest boost of all, and a week with every hour planned can start to feel like work again.
Chester makes a loose day easy, because the old centre is small and almost everything is on foot. The Rows, the Cathedral and the river are all a short walk from the Cross, so a morning can drift from one to the next with no car, no timetable and nothing decided in advance.
Benches on the Groves in winter
Small moments of wonder, in the Cathedral and Roman Chester
Inside Chester Cathedral, eyes drift upwards. A wooden ceiling studded with gold arches over red sandstone, and coloured light pours through the stained glass.
Moments like this, when something is far older than the week's worries, are a quiet part of a restful break. Up to forty Benedictine monks once lived here, and their cloister, a covered walk around a square of grass, is still a hushed place to pause.
Just outside Newgate, the Roman Amphitheatre was the largest in Britain. It's open every day in daylight with nothing to pay, and standing in the arena where crowds once roared makes the present feel pleasantly small.
The Roman Amphitheatre, by Newgate
Time together, with nothing booked
The cruise boat pulls away from the Groves, and for half an hour the only plan is the view. Other afternoons find their own shape: Roman tombstones in the Grosvenor Museum, a long lunch, a slow wander home.
Book a few nights at Enjoy the Pause, a two bedroom holiday home tucked inside Chester's walls, and the Groves are 6 minutes on foot from your front door, so the river is close enough for an afternoon nobody planned.
Time shared with others came next on the researchers' list. Back at the house, family games and books wait in the living room, so a wet evening turns into laughter round the dining table.
Family games in the living room 
Tea for two on the coffee table
Take the calm home with you
The last morning comes slowly. The yoga mat is out on the living room floor, the kettle is on, and nothing needs doing until lunch.
A longer stay gives those slow days room to settle in, with space for a lazy morning as well as a long walk. Stays of a week or more cost less a night when you book direct, and our longer stays page has the detail.
The good feeling needn't end at your front door, either. A Dutch study found that people with a holiday ahead were happier than those without one, most likely from the looking forward. Our monthly Chester email brings what's on and new local finds, ready for whenever that is.
Morning sun in your walled courtyard
Keep exploring
