A restful revelation

Call it the great escape, but without the tunnel, the false documents and the motorbike made famous by Steve McQueen.

After two months of snow and ice, it was time for a change; a break; an escape.

So, while parts of Yorkshire continued to shiver their socks off, it was a case of go west, over the snowbound Pennines and along the M60 and M56 into deepest Cheshire where there were green fields and the occasional glimpse of a watery sun.

Why Cheshire? Because for many people living in Yorkshire, it's actually quicker to get to than Leeds, and although at the beginning of March there was still little to be seen growing in many of the gardens of the high Pennines, there was the promise of better things just over the border. Plus, despite what some people may say, you don't need a passport, the pound is the accepted currency, there are no language barriers, and the locals are some of the friendliest folk you'll ever meet. Yorkshiremen and women are meant to be gruff yet welcoming, but we've never felt as welcome as we did in Cheshire. Everyone we met greeted us with a smile, and everyone was invariably helpful. It's obvious why Lewis Carroll chose a Cheshire cat to co-star in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

So, it was to Cheshire we went for a few days R&R away from the snow, and it was a small booklet – Cheshire's Gardens, Different Every Day – a guide to 30 gardens, which provided the inspiration to a largely unexplored county virtually on the doorstep.

Normally, we drive through Cheshire on the way to the airport, or the ferry, eating up the motorway miles without seeing the scenery on either side. But Cheshire's Gardens, Different Every Day came as

a bit of an eye-opener – a revelation.

In it, gardens like the historic and hidden Arley Hall, rub horticultural shoulders with, among others, Chester Cathedral's Cloister Garden, the sublime but secret Hare Hill, magnificent Gawsworth Hall and those at the romantic Cholmondeley Castle.

The great escape became something of a voyage of discovery. And even if you're not passionate for gardens and gardening, there is much to see

and enjoy.

Because gardens aren't just gardens. True, there are plants, but there are also events – walks, fairs, even opera and scarecrow festivals. And if none of those fill the tick-boxes, there are museums, castles, abbeys, gardens, arts, crafts, wildlife, stately homes and, whisper it, shops galore. Families take note; Cheshire has a lot to offer. So, down to business.

First it was a case of finding somewhere to rest and recuperate after a day spent ambling around the peace and quiet of Tatton Park and Dunham Massey, two National Trust properties a mere spit and a cough apart on opposite sides of the M56. This is where the visitor to Cheshire is spoiled for choice. Hotels, B&Bs, inns and country cottages abound, but continuing with the garden theme, www.primahotels.co.uk/nunsmere revealed Nunsmere Hall Hotel, at Oakmere, near Northwich.

More welcoming smiles at a hotel which, although not in the gardens booklet, can boast an impressive setting – an an equally impressive history.

The sumptuous pile, once owned by the chairman of Cunard, has 36 bedrooms – named, coincidentally, after trees and flowers – first-rate food, and acres of surrounding greenery, plus a 60-acre lake. And if you want to arrive in style, there's a helicopter landing pad to accommodate the Agusta 109.

In winter, it's a green and pleasant landing; in summer, it's a colourful experience. The hotel's central position means it is an ideal base for exploring what is a richly diverse county. Get off the motorways and there are innumerable country lanes, picturesque villages and a multitude of magnificent houses which advertise the fact that Cheshire is the home to many a millionaire.

From Nunsmere Hall Hotel, it's less than half-an-hour's drive to Chester and its fabulous zoo and award-winning gardens; Addlington Hall and Capesthorne Hall are less than 30 minutes in the other direction. Even the 35-acre arboretum at Jodrell Bank is within easy reach. The stunning Ness Botanic Gardens may take longer to reach, but they are worth the few extra miles. There's even a shire horse centre just down the road, at Cotebrook – right next door to the Alvanley Arms, a smashing 16th-century coaching inn – and for petrol-heads, Oulton Park is a matter of minutes away.

Hotels such as Nunsmere Hall have embraced the idea of Cheshire's Gardens, Different Every Day, and with a few hundred thousand pounds from the European Regional Development Fund, there are high hopes that the initiative will pull in many more visitors within a two-hours' drive of the county. That takes in a great swathe of Yorkshire, plus Lancashire, the Midlands, Derbyshire and even Wales and Cumbria. A lot of people and a lot to see. And if the gardens still don't grab you, there's the countryside.

Cheshire is a great county to explore on foot. Rocky ridges and broad river valleys form natural routes, while a network of more than 3,000km of footpaths and other public rights of way encourage you to discover quiet corners.

Cheshire seems to have got its act together. Why isn't Yorkshire doing something similar? Perhaps it is, because there are numerous stunning gardens, palatial hotels, good country pubs and places of interest crying out for an increase in visitor numbers. You can visit www.discoveryorkshirecoast.com, but what about the gardens?

Perhaps Yorkshire is just too big and too diverse to market as a whole. I could be wrong.

Cheshire and its gardens

www.cheshiregardens.com

www.discovercheshire.co.uk

Nunsmere Hall Hotel, Tarporley Road, Oakmere, Northwich, Cheshire, 01606 889100. www.primahotels.co.uk/nunsmere

www.motorsportvision.co.uk/oulton-park

Cotebrook Shire Horse Centre, Eaton Lane, Cotebrook, Tarporley, Cheshire, 01829 760 506.

www.cotebrookshirehorses.co.uk

Alvanley Arms Inn, Cotebrook, Tarporley, Cheshire, 01829 760200. www.alvanleyarms.co.uk