Tomonslow

Hotels close to Tomonslow itself are scarce, since this is a rural corner of the Staffordshire Moorlands named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon hundred rather than a town in its own right. Visitors typically base themselves in one of the surrounding towns instead. Cheadle and Leek both have small independent hotels and inns within a short drive, while Uttoxeter's hotels suit those combining a stay with the racecourse or the southern end of the Moorlands. For a bigger choice of rooms, including chain hotels and budget options, Stoke-on-Trent is around 20-30 minutes away by car and sits on the main rail and road network. Families visiting Alton Towers often choose one of the park's own themed on-site hotels, which include access to the water park and shorter queue times, though these command a premium, particularly during school holidays. Further out, Ashbourne on the Derbyshire side of the Dove offers characterful coaching inns and B&Bs, useful if you are exploring both the Staffordshire Moorlands and the southern Peak District from the same base. Wherever you stay, expect a rural, low-key atmosphere rather than a large tourist infrastructure, since this area is valued more for its walking, heritage railway and quiet countryside than for a concentration of hotels.

Despite its quiet, rural setting, this part of Staffordshire has some genuinely well-known attractions within easy reach.

• Alton Towers — Britain's largest theme park sits just a few miles away near Alton and Farley, built around a Gothic Revival mansion and grounds, with rollercoasters, a waterpark and an on-site hotel.
• Churnet Valley Railway — A heritage steam line running between Kingsley & Froghall, Consall and Cheddleton, threading through one of Staffordshire's most attractive wooded valleys.
• Consall Nature Park — A former industrial site on the Churnet Valley reclaimed as woodland and wetland, with the Caldon Canal, an old limekiln and good walking trails.
• Croxden Abbey — The atmospheric ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey near Croxden, a few miles south of the old Totmonslow hundred court site.
• Rudyard Lake — A Victorian reservoir near Leek popular for walking, sailing and a narrow-gauge lakeside railway, set at the southern edge of the Peak District.
• Cheadle — A Staffordshire Moorlands market town with the striking Victorian Gothic church of St Giles, designed by Augustus Pugin.
• Uttoxeter — Home to a historic racecourse and the traditional market town at the southern end of the old hundred, with regular horse racing fixtures through the year.

Village pubs remain the mainstay of eating out in this part of the Moorlands, with traditional Staffordshire fare served in Draycott in the Moors, Tean and the surrounding villages. Cheadle and Uttoxeter offer a broader choice of cafes, bakeries and restaurants for a market-town lunch or evening meal, while the Churnet Valley's cafes at Consall and Froghall make a good stop after a walk or a ride on the steam railway.

Wild camping is not legally permitted in England without the landowner's explicit permission, so anyone hoping to camp near Tomonslow should book a proper site rather than pitching up on open moorland or farmland. That said, the Staffordshire Moorlands and southern fringe of the Peak District are good camping country, with a landscape that shifts from gentle river valleys around the Churnet and Dove to higher, more exposed gritstone moor further north towards Leek and the Roaches. Campsites in the area range from simple farm-based fields to more developed touring and camping parks, and several sit within easy reach of the Churnet Valley Railway, Consall Nature Park and Alton Towers, making them practical bases for a family holiday as well as for walkers and cyclists.

The terrain around the old Totmonslow hundred is generally kinder than the high Peak further north, with fewer steep gradients and more sheltered valleys, which suits tents and smaller campervans well. Ground can still get soft after wet weather, particularly on farmland pitches, so a spring or summer visit tends to be more comfortable underfoot than autumn or winter. Summer is the busiest season, especially close to Alton Towers, so booking ahead is worthwhile if you want a pitch during the school holidays. Spring and early autumn offer a quieter alternative, with the Churnet Valley's woodland especially attractive when the bluebells are out or the leaves are turning.

For those who would rather not sleep under canvas, glamping has grown steadily across this part of Staffordshire, with pods, safari tents and shepherd's huts appearing on farms around Cheadle, Leek and the wider Moorlands. These sites usually offer a step up in comfort, with proper beds and sometimes en-suite facilities, while keeping the same rural, walking-friendly locations as traditional campsites. Whichever way you choose to stay, this is a landscape built for slow exploration on foot or bike, with the steam railway, nature reserves and market towns of the Moorlands all within a short drive of most sites.