Staffordshire Moorlands

A first visit to the Staffordshire Moorlands usually starts with a walk. This is the softer, greener edge of the Peak District, where fields give way to gritstone edges and rivers like the Manifold and Dove cut through steep little valleys. Wetton Mill, with its café tucked beside the river, is the kind of spot people head for on their first afternoon, and it sets the tone for the rest of the trip: outdoors first, then something warm to eat afterwards.

Most visitors base themselves in a self-catering cottage rather than a hotel, and the choice here runs from farm conversions to countryside lodges. Manor Farm's Clarence Cottage and Dukes Cottage sit together for those travelling in a group, while Meadow Cottage, Meadowside Cottage and Mill Lea Cottage suit couples or small families wanting a quiet base between walks. Lake View and Little Pines Lodge lean towards something a bit more secluded, and Mallory House offers more space for a longer stay. Staying in a cottage rather than moving between towns means you can leave the walking boots by the door and head straight out onto the paths each morning.

Days here are built around the landscape. Beyond the Manifold Valley, the moorlands stretch north towards the Peak District proper, with plenty of scope for walking, cycling and simply driving between villages to see the stone cottages and drystone walls that define the area. It is not a place with big-ticket attractions so much as one where the appeal is cumulative: another view, another village, another river crossing.

Food follows the same unhurried rhythm. Tearooms and cafés do a lot of the work, and they are worth planning a stop around rather than treating as an afterthought. Kingsley and Froghall Tearooms and the Bridge End Coffee Shop are good for a late breakfast or a break mid-walk, Coffee Beans Café covers similar ground, and Jacksons Nurseries combines a café with its garden centre setting. For something more substantial, Lawtons Pies and Pabna Staffordshire offer heartier, more filling options, while Stable Yard Catering at Heaton House Farm suits a slower sit-down meal at the end of the day.

What makes the Staffordshire Moorlands work well for a first trip is how little planning it demands once you have picked a cottage. Pack for changeable weather, expect to spend most of your time outside, and let mealtimes fall around whichever village or valley you happen to be in.