Just a Couple of NIghts in The Potteries...

[Turtle Shed]

Hello all.

We're giving a friend a lift "up north" (well it is for us) to Stoke on Trent and then back home again (17/18/19th of this month), leaving me and Mrs Shed with three days to spend on a little mini break.

A suggestion or two on accommodation would be appreciated, cost not too much of an issue but we much prefer 'nice pubs' with accommodation to hotels. The Wheatsheaf in Sandbach (https://www.wheatsheafsandbach.co.uk/) is a place we've stayed a couple of times, that sort of thing really, but obviously somewhere different this time round.

30-40 mile radius of Stoke on Trent I guess, closer is better.

Then if anyone has a suggestion of what to do whilst there I'm keen to listen. If it wasn't bang in the middle of school holiday's we'd go to Alton Towers for one of the days (I'm a 58 year old child). Countryside walks with a pub lunch are fine, wife likes paddleboarding and I like sitting with a beer whilst she does it, so that's an option. Museums, galleries, touristy things (but not Alton Towers touristy) really...

Comments really welcome, I trust the PH collective more than I trust the likes of Trip Advisor :-)

[Smurfsarepeopletoo]

Trentham Gardens and Monkey Forest.
Forest Distillery Tour, They do Gin and Whiskey - https://theforestdistillery.com/
Gladstone Pottery Museum
The Roaches
Cat and Fidle
Churnet Valley Railway
Sudbury Childhood Museum
Haddon Hall
Little Morton Hall
Peak Wildlife
Pooles Cavern and cave in Buxton
Deep Hayes Country Park
Knypersley Pool
Donnington/Oulton Park if anything is on.
Rudyard Lake

[Turtle Shed]

Sorry to bump, but it's polite to say thank you.

Few of those look good :-)

[Poisson96]

We use Shawgate Farm for our regular Alton Towers jaunts, nice place in the middle of nowhere to stay with lovely hosts. Decent pub 5 - 10 mins walk in the village, 25 mins drive from Stoke. Also have heard good reviews of the pubs in Alton, plus the Ramblers Retreat offer silly sized desserts and it is easy access to Alton Station and the walking path on the old line if that is your thing. Parking for Alton village I'd use the car park at the Ramblers (though the road is single track)

Alton Towers would probably be best for a Sunday as it seems calmer then in holidays than weekdays. If I'm honest I've given up on theme park trips until the middle of the month when I'm off to Denmark for some rides as their schools go back pretty soon.

Edited by Poisson96 on Monday 8th August 22:18

[MOMACC]

Stay in Leek a lovely market town 15 minutes drive out of Stoke.

From there you have easy drives to Bakewell, Matlock bath and Chatsworth House.

I live in Stoke and regularly avoid the city centre as it's a dump.

Head for the Staffordshire Moorlands and you won't go wrong.

https://www.3shoesinn.co.uk/
Tittersorth resovoir has a few water sport options walking distance from the pub.

Rudyard lake is lovely, good pub too.