Thanks to its history of agricultural prosperity, its industrial specialism in salt and silk production, and its place as a frontline in the age-old struggles between the Welsh and the English, Cheshire possesses a unique jumble of pretty villages, market towns, fortified castles, great mansions, farm buildings and merchant residences.

1 Beeston Castle
From Chester, head south-east towards Nantwich and follow signs off to the right for Beeston Castle. Built in 1220 by the Earl of Chester, the castle fell into disuse in 1646, when it was surrendered by the Royalists to the Parliamentarians and dismantled.
Two things make Beeston Castle worth a visit: the views of it, and the views from it. Sitting on top of a steep sandstone crag, which rises dramatically out of the lush surrounding farmland of the flat Cheshire Plain, it is visible from miles around. Trees cloak the crag, but as you get closer you will see the huge gatehouse at its foot, the curtain wall halfway up and the picturesque keep on the summit. Pay at the gate and climb to the top for stupendous views.

2 Marbury
South of Beeston, just off the Whitchurch road, lies the village of Marbury. A traditional English local, the Swan Inn, and some pretty half-timbered houses sit at its centre, as well as two lakes (Big Mere and Little Mere). The beautiful 13th-century St Michael’s church perches above Big Mere. The village green features oak trees planted before the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and beyond that is Marbury Hall, set in lush, ornamental gardens.
So what’s so special about Marbury? In context, the answer is ‘nothing’. There are so many beautiful villages in Chester, but this would be our personal pick. If you visit Cheshire County Council’s website, you will find details of a 2.5-mile walk around Marbury: www.cheshire.gov.uk/countryside/walking/index.html Other walks around Cheshire are also included. The walk around Marbury is best broken with a pint and a bite to eat at the Swan.

3 Nantwich
A good starting point for any visit to Nantwich is its dinky red-brick museum, on Pillory Street. Exhibitions reflect the town’s industrial history of salt, cheese and clockmaking, as well as two major historic events: the great fire of 1583 and the 1644 Battle of Nantwich. The fire is marked by a plaque on Queen’s Aid House (Elizabeth I started a nationwide appeal with a £1000 donation of her own), and the battle is commemorated by a re-enactment and the wearing of sprigs of holly on 25 January each year – Holly Holy Day. Elsewhere in the town, the three buildings that survived the fire – St Mary’s Church, Sweetbriar Hall and Churche’s Mansion – are all worth a look.

4 Northwich
With the Trent and Mersey Canal running through it, Northwich is a town with a fascinating story. Two thousand years of salt extraction have physically undermined the town. The massive subsidence that resulted reached crisis-point in Victorian times, and sepia photographs of houses slumping drunkenly and disappearing into the ground can be found in the town’s Salt Museum. The exhibition also features huge boulders of rock salt, craft displays, and a roomful of interactive displays.
The Victorians were nothing if not inventive. They responded to the problem by replacing their collapsing houses with timber-framed houses that were far less susceptible to subsidence. Later buildings could be jacked up as the land sank, or even moved to a new location. These mock-Tudor structures, with their carved detail, give Northwich its unique character.

5 Little Moreton Hall
Lying 15 miles south-east of Northwich, the National Trust’s Little Moreton Hall is Britain’s best example of a timber-framed, moated manor house.
The house was built by the Moreton family over the 15th and 16th centuries, and the overwhelming impression as you approach it is that it hasn’t a straight line, a true horizontal or perpendicular, or an accurate right-angle anywhere in its construction. It leans, it sags, and the entrance is crooked. But it wasn’t always this way: the weight of the additions, plus the warping of the timbers, has created its eccentric shape. The first thing you’ll notice is the dizzying black-and-white op-art effect of the patterns created by its half-timbered construction. Moving inside, the floors seem to heave beneath your feet – it’s like being in a ship at sea. But this is a beautiful house, even if you’d need a strong stomach to live in it.

6 Knutsford
Named after the country’s first Viking king, Canute (or Knut), Knutsford prides itself on its connection with 19th-century novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. Her fans will have fun identifying the places mentioned in her great work Cranford. She’s buried in the Unitarian churchyard by the station.
Knutsford is a prosperous town of narrow streets, pleasant green spaces, and attractive old houses. You should hunt out those buildings designed by Manchester philanthropist Richard Harding Watt, which give Knutsford its character. Influenced by his love of Continental architecture, they bring a European touch to this elegant northern town. One good example is the Belle Epoque Restaurant, on King Street. Also worth a visit is Knutsford Moor, an internationally important wetland site, rich in birdlife.

7 Tatton Park
Tatton Park, on Knutsford’s northern edge, is not just another country house. It has the surface beauty and elegance of a traditional 18th-century estate, but also displays incredible self-sufficiency.
The Egerton family would have been supported in their grand state apartments by a warren of servants’ quarters, a kitchen and a scullery, underpinned by the cellar’s food, wine and fuel stores. The grounds tell the same story, with huge gardens, a home farm and a 1000-acre park. Herds of red and fallow deer roam freely, and there are lovely details such as statues, lawns, topiaries and a Japanese garden. The stables house shops, a restaurant, and an adventure playground.