NESTLED on the edge of Delamere Forest and overlooked by Kelsall Hill, Ashton Hayes is a small village eight miles east of Chester, set amid the beauty of the Cheshire countryside. At its heart, standing proudly in a commanding position, is The Golden Lion, a historic pub woven into the fabric of village life. Believed to be more than 300 years old, the building began life as a farmhouse and is now the sole survivor of the village’s three original inns.