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Ten strollers took the train from Maghull to Chester (with new trains on both legs!) for a Murder Mystery Walk. Once in Chester we made our way to the ruins of the Church of St John the Baptist – the former Cathedral of Chester dating back to Roman times. Here, we were informed that a body had been found with foul play suspected! We were given information sheets with a list of suspects, potential murder weapons and clues to help us eliminate the innocent. The clues took us on a circular tour of Chester starting in the Chapel ruins and past the Roman Amphitheatre to the Roman Gardens, collecting clues and directions as we went. The clues required us to spot certain words and dates on memorials and landmarks and then solve anagrams and puzzles with this information. We moved from mosaics in the gardens down to the “Groves” (which take their name from the avenue of trees along the riverside) and the Bandstand which has held concerts for over a hundred years. Some vintage scooters were parked here and a lone kayaker was seen on the river. We then progressed to the City Walls and crossed the Old Dee Bridge to Edgar’s Field Park. This park was originally a Roman quarry and has a Triassic sandstone outcrop with a shrine to the godess Minerva. We found several clues here before taking the path known as the Salmon Leap, along the bank of the river past the weir and waterwheel until we reached the magnificent Queens Park Bridge. More clues were found here and after crossing back, we made our way to the Boathouse and saw a “coxed four” race event on the river. We then made our way up to Grosvenor Park where we saw wicker sculptures of a Crown, a Royal Guard and a Spitfire – a celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III by local artist Sarah Gallagher-Hayes. Back in the City Centre we had lunch in The Square Bottle and then strolled back to the station for the train home.

Congratulations to Brenda for organising an entertaining and educational walk. We had loads of fun searching for and solving the clues. In brilliant weather too!