Seat with a view

There's a wooden bench somewhere in the Cheshire countryside near Chester, and it's become something of a pilgrimage spot for people who've stumbled across its existence online. The appeal is straightforward: you sit, you look out across proper views, and that's the whole point. No visitor centre, no gift shop, no queue. Just a seat in a nature reserve with something worth looking at.

It's the sort of thing that works brilliantly if you're already in the area - perhaps staying at one of the local holiday parks like Manor Wood or Bradley Hall Rural Escapes - and you fancy a gentle walk to somewhere with a proper vantage point. The walk itself is the real draw; the bench is just the excuse to stop and take it in. Expect fields, maybe some woodland, the kind of landscape that makes you remember why you left the city.

For families with older kids or keen walkers, this fits neatly into a day's exploring around Chester. It's free, obviously, and you don't need to book or plan round opening hours - though checking weather isn't a bad shout. Allow an hour or so for a comfortable wander and a sit-down, depending on where you're starting from.

Worth the detour? Only if you're already in the neighbourhood. Don't make it your sole reason to visit Cheshire. But if you're based at one of the nearby parks and after a low-key walk with a decent payoff, this does the job.