Stoke hotels

Hotels in Stoke

Situated in Staffordshire, Stoke - or Stoke-on-Trent, to give it its full name - is a city just 17 miles from the Peak District National Park. Book a Stoke hotel with us and discover the cradle of a notable ceramic art.

Pottering about

Synonymous with pottery, Stoke has been at the centre of the industry since 1830 because of the preponderance of clay and coal found in the area. Many famous names developed new techniques, including Wedgwood and Spode, thus creating a product that is recognised the world over. Visit the only complete Victorian pottery factory, in Gladstone. Here you'll be dwarfed by the massive bottle kilns as you walk through the cobbled yard to investigate the original workshops and see traditional skills in action. Stoke is bursting with thriving legacies of the past, whether it be the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Moorcroft Heritage or Middleport Pottery, Emma Bridgewater Factory and the Home of Wedgwood. The industry even provides Stoke City FC with their nickname, The Potters.

Monkeying around

Trentham Gardens provides the opportunity for relaxation and contemplation. It also gives you the opportunity for some simian fun too. The Trentham Estate has award-winning gardens that include Rivers of Grass, Floral Labyrinth and Italian Gardens. At the heart of the gardens is Trentham Lake which was landscaped by Capability Brown. Walk around its perimeter and then follow the course of the River Trent, before joining the trails that lead through the evocative woods. One of the paths is called the Fairy Trail and at its end you might just spy a woodland sprite! Also on the estate is Monkey Forest in which our primate friends roam free. A cheeky chimp might join you on your bench while you're having your lunch, or he may just decide to ignore you as he slopes past. And as you walk along one of the woodland trails, you may see monkeys swinging in the trees overhead.

Eating and drinking in Stoke-on-Trent

A self-styled community local in the heart of Northwood"