Staffordshire is situated in the heart of England and home to Alton Towers, Britain's largest theme park. However, the county has more to offer as a family holiday destination. So why not book a Staffordshire holiday cottage, for a longer stay, visit Alton Towers but then consider visiting these five hidden gems that show the quirky and quintessential side of the English, as well as getting you out and about in the varied landscape of this beautiful, and often overlooked, part of the country.
The Roaches
The Roaches (pictured above) are one of the many rocky outcrops in the Peak District National Park, popular with walkers and climbers alike. I remember the name from my childhood when I was told that wallabies roamed these desolate moors. I was never sure if this was a yarn my father span - why would these marsupials more commonly associated with Australia be in the Peak District? However the story seemed plausible - released in World War II from a nearby private zoo, they managed to breed and survive. Some say that the last survivors disappeared in the 1990s, however there have been several sightings in the last year or so across quite a wide area of the Peak District. The hope is that a few have survived and that they are beginning to re-populate. Keep your eyes peeled!
Pugin's Gem
The small market town of Cheadle - not to be confused with the town of the same name in Cheshire - is best known for St. Giles Catholic Church, commonly referred to as 'Pugin's Gem'. The architect Augustus Pugin was commissioned to build St Giles by the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, who lived at nearby Alton Towers, just over 150 years ago. Pugin, who helped Charles Barry with the design of the Houses of Parliament, was asked to design and build a church which would have no rival. His creation was his own tribute to inner peace and serenity and a design wonder of the Gothic Revival.
Rudyard Lake
Rudyard Lake is a two-mile long lake superbly situated in a steep wooded valley. Today it is a popular location as it offers walking, cycling, boating and sailing as well as a narrow-gauge steam railway which runs alongside the east shore. It was an extremely popular day-out from the nearby industrial areas in Victorian times. Even the great trapeze artist, Blondin, fresh from his feat of crossing Niagara Falls on the high wire, came to Rudyard Lake to repeat his achievement. The lake, so the story goes, gave its name to Rudyard Kipling whose parents first met at a party by its shores and had such a particular love for it that they named their child after it. It is easy to see why they felt that way about it.
Biddulph Grange Gardens
Biddulph Grange Gardens is one of Britain's most unusual gardens, with many surprising features. It is the product of an extraordinary imagination and a wonder to behold. Designed in the mid-19th century as a series of connecting 'compartments', it features an imitation of the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian Court. And whilst you're in the area don't miss Little Moreton Hall, arguably England's finest timber-framed manor house.
Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
Abbot's Bromley is an attractive village with an ancient church and several half-timbered buildings. It is famous for the Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance, a tradition going back to medieval times, performed annually in September. After collecting the horns from the church at eight o'clock in the morning, the Horn Dancers comprising six Deer-men, a Fool, Hobby Horse, Bowman and Maid Marian, perform their dance to music provided by a melodeon player at locations throughout the village and its surrounding farms and pubs.
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