United Kingdom
East Staffordshire

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 4

      Day 2

      April 11 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      The second day at Alton was brighter and busier but saw all of us riding.

      We eased in with Fabio's Fandango then spun onto Rita. Caroline had enough by this point but the boys continued onto Nemesis Reborn and Oblivion.
      Some afternoon downtime walking through the Aquarium before ending the day on Galactica.
      Read more

    • Day 3

      Day 1 in the park

      April 10 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      We set off mid-morning for our first day in the park which looked to be wet and wild.

      Coen immediately headed for the most extreme ride: The Smiler, 14 loop roller coaster (dragging his dad with him) while R&C checked out the rest park.

      We met up for lunch with Rigo and Caroline clocking the steps and Coen and Jamie Oblivion before heading to the Curse of Alton Towers. The parties got separated at this point but finally got together for a Wickerman adventure and so Coen and Jamie could do Nemesis, Oblivion and Rita before heading back to the cottage.
      Read more

    • Day 36

      Shugborough Estate

      September 5, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Well that was a little unexpected.
      Shugborough is a very large estate that the National Trust took control of it from Staffordshire Council authority last year.

      It’s remarkably intact, Mansion, Farm, Estate, Follies, ruins, Cat Monument, etc, etc.

      Belonging to the Anson family since 1642 (including Admiral George Anson, famous for circumnavigating the world and capturing a Spanish Silver ship in 1743.)

      He made a packet.

      The NT have start to put their stamp on the place: parking, shop, garden centre, cafe, gardens.

      For all those Women Weekly followers Patrick Lichfield, 5th Earl and the famous fashion photographer gifted the estate to the National Trust.
      Death duties are a real game changer.

      Everyone has probbaly seen his photographs, the Royals, Dianna, Mike Jagger, Lulu and all the rest.
      Read more

    • Adorable Ashbourne 🧶

      June 15, 2022 in England ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

      Not a hitch catching the train 🚆 from Kings Cross International station 🚉 So glad I wasn’t heading to Paris on Eurostar: the lines were so long and there were a lot of angry 😤 Parisians …karma I say! 😜😇🐌 Sorry 😞 Not sorry 🐸

      I had a reserved seat 💺 which was a pleasant surprise because I didn’t do that when booking 🤷🏻‍♂️ Obviously not complaining though…

      You know what? This trip took a shitload of reading, researching & revision. I spent hours comparing & mapping, googling and clarifying. I enjoyed every minute of it and it has paid off in spades ♠️ rewarding me with probably the best and most comprehensive, enjoyable and exciting holiday I have EVER had! I’m really chuffed it has been so full & fun. Not just jam-packed with fun activities but plenty of downtime & mindfulness too! 🕺🏼

      Probably the only aspect I may have missed could be the “Queer” element. Yes, I could’ve spent more time on gay 🌈 apps or hanging around bars, but my life experience has shown me that often (not always) leads to time wasted and hollow emptiness so I don’t regret that for a minute! The couple of times I did partake was on my own terms and with a joyful, inclusive heart ❤️ 🧡💛💚💙💜 Many friends have questioned this aspect and I remain firm in my belief that my holiday has been no less enjoyable without it! To quote a bigger Diva than me: “…I am what I am…I bang my own drum 🥁 some think it’s noise, I think it’s pretty!” ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻

      The train 🚂 ride up to the Peak District was so comfortable and relaxing. Not crowded and no screaming kids or annoying people. I’d recommend it to anyone. Thanks 🙏 so much to Steven for introducing me to the App TRAINLINE. It has been invaluable in not only booking but extremely easy and efficient to organise refunds or changes also. It even organises the absolute best value ticket 🎫 Sometimes that may be a split ticket and you don’t need to understand what it means you need only be grateful for the internal program that works it out for you! I’ve used it in Italy as well and worked just as well there when actual station 🚉 staff were either not available or just assholes! 😜🐷

      Steven was waiting for me at the railway station when I arrived which was lovely. It was so nice to catch up with him and Richard again. I was so excited to see the English countryside. It was so cute and beautiful. The landscape, the buildings, the history in everything was amazing. I could feel another element of this adventure building just by looking at the bunting and the flags all hanging out to celebrate the Jubilee! 🥰🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

      Just look at the knitted 🧶 ‘caps’ for the post boxes the locals have made 🧶for the Jubilee celebrations! How cute is the one representing the Queen and all the corgis? Reminded me of my grandmother and how she used to knit the nativity scenes and jumpers for us. So country, so cute ❤️❤️❤️

      Ashbourne was instantly welcoming & adorable! We had dinner in one of the local pubs (George & the Dragon 🐉) which is at least 300 years old, as are most of the buildings, or older. I tried many local beers 🍻 and I finally tried scampi 🍤 with mushy peas and home-made chips 🍟 So delicious! The people in the three pubs we went to were very friendly and I instantly felt ‘homely’🍺🥰 and at home 🏠

      Richard and Steven’s house is lovely and extremely comfortable. It is like a little slice of luxury in the country! I’ve always loved the English countryside and this afternoon confirmed that! 🐄🌳🌻⛰🏠🇬🇧

      They hold a football game where the shops and businesses board up their windows and hundreds of people come from all around to play this game within the entire town. To be honest, I still don’t quite understand it but it sounds very intriguing! I’ll learn more tomorrow!

      Very grateful 😇 for this opportunity to discover more of the UK 🇬🇧 through the very fortunate coincidence of making friends with Steven a few years back through the social group I ran prior to Covid has come full circle to allow me this exciting new experience 🕺🏼❤️🇬🇧🥰🙏💪🏻✊🏻
      Read more

    • Day 48

      You command , I follow

      July 18, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Enjoying the day in the Cannock Chase Woods. I like the scenery, the little seas and the silence away from town. It was an old military ground in the second world War. After that it was a refugee camp for refugees from communism and today a wildlife reserve. Tomorrow, i leave Birmingham and then it goes to Burton-upon-Trent.Read more

    • Day 4

      There and Back Again

      May 28 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Our only lock for the day came early in our journey, a jigsaw worthy scene and, as is often the case, friendly boaters heading the other way. The rain was set in for the morning but spirits were not dampened.

      A few old large houses overlook the canal with rather an air of Toad Hall to them, but Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger did not make an appearance today.

      The canal follows a much more wiggly route with many blind bends. Having met relatively few oncoming boats over the last few days of course today would be the day with the most traffic. The skipper had to manoeuvre the boat to allow numerous others to pass the other way, inevitably at the narrowest points.

      Passing over the Brindley Bank aqueduct, while it may lack some of the splendour of the Llangollen aqueducts, it is still an amazing feat of engineering given its age. A sharp bend took us into the outskirts of Rugeley and past some interesting and varied gardens. On the other side of the town we stopped to fill up with water and then for lunch.

      Shortly after our lunch stop we encountered the remains of Armitage Tunnel. The roof was taken off in the 70s due to subsidence, but it is still a tricky, dark, narrow section. With no clear view of the other end, it is necessary to send crew forward to check that the way is clear before radioing back to the skipper. A short while later we passed the Armitage Shanks factory with the smell of fired porcelain in the air.

      On the other side of Armitage it was time to wind and thankfully no other vessels appeared to complicate matters. Back past the factory, through the narrows and into Rugeley we were all rewarded with the sight of a kingfisher shooting past the boat and several times shooting out in front of the boat as we neared its perch. A little too fast and small to photograph.

      We moored for the night just before the aqueduct.
      Read more

    • Day 49

      River Trent

      July 19, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Man oh man. Den Planer der Radwege hier hätte ich entlassen. Mal enden sie mitten im nirgendwo und mal muss man aus völlig unerfindlichen Grund die Straßenseite wechseln. Naja wenigstens gibs hier Radwege. Nicht wie in Irland. Ich genieße jetzt noch die schönen Tage draußen. Wer weiß wie lange das noch geht. Morgen gehts nach Nottingham.Read more

    • Day 22

      LEJOG day 22

      April 28, 2023 in England

      22 miles 417.8 miles. Thorpe

      Another dull start but no rain. Grass and mud wet so wet feet quickly😟. Reasonable progress once we diverted onto the small roads to Uttoxeter. Deer and a dead hare seen. Tea in Waitrose and onwards. Following River Dove and into Derbyshire. Got Rocester - home of JCB. AND the King was visiting. He was only yards away - but in the JCB academy. Couldn’t wait to see him ( Helen wouldn’t allow me). Went past a huge and very load-scarey shooting range. Lovely riverside lunch spot then up a hillside and into the Peak District. Change of scenery and architecture. Still no sun. An honesty box ice cream van by a farm was perfect. Rolling hills - long grass and multiple stiles made it hard work but very good scenery. Stopped in Thorpe where Gill was waiting😊.Feet a little sore with lots of wet irregular, slippery stuff.Read more

    • Day 77

      Stalkers Day 3

      June 24, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      Fantastic day today. We walked about a mile down the valley to Croxden Abbey and joined an open garden route around the tiny little hamlets of Great Gate and Croxden. We paid at St Giles church where we were given a cup of tea and cake before our arduous adventure. On we trudged through the prettiest gardens in the world.........and all around the abbey. The abbey is now located on the property of a large and prosperous farm whose garden was unfortunately not open. But we peeked over the stone wall and eden appeared before our eyes. So elegant, tranquil and simple. The colours of an English spring are so wonderful; purples, pinks yellows blues reds orange and every shade thereof. And the perfume as you walk along, even from the fields and hedges is so delightful. Staying in the countryside has really given us a sense of nature's bounty and the silence all around is very relaxing. The historical towns are exceptional but the rural landscapes are sublime. It was nice to talk to some of the gardeners too. Understandably, they're a relaxed lot.
      Dinner at the Raddle Inn. Better this time.
      Read more

    • Day 80

      Leek and the Peak District

      June 27, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Our day out today was a trip to Leek and around the Peak District
      Leek is a Market town that is interesting without being particularly exciting. Most of the buildings date from the 17th and 18th century. It was worth a two hour walk around.
      We then drove up through Blackshaw Moor into the Peak District National Park. Taking whatever backroads we could find we visited Longnor (a pretty little village), Flash (the highest village in England), Upper Hulme, and a number of other impossibly cute villages in unbelievably beautiful countryside. On the way home we stopped at the Manifold Inn in the Manifold Valley for a very nice dinner and a well earned drink.
      Continuing on we took a "short cut" that took us along a road that got narrower and narrower as we went along until we were eventually opening farm gates every 500m to get to the other end. Well worth the drive as the valley views were amazing.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    East Staffordshire

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android