Things to do in Leek · Staffordshire Moorlands
A weekend in the Queen of the Moorlands: market days and Georgian streets, the Roaches and Lud's Church on the doorstep, independent shops, great food in and around town — and a townhouse bed to come back to.
Friday
Check in from 4pm, drop your bags and you're already in the middle of town — everything on Friday night is a short walk from our front door.
Early evening
Start the weekend here. Our main bar and walled beer garden are open to residents and locals alike, and it's the easiest first pint you'll ever have — no taxi, no car.
Dinner
Leek punches above its weight for a small town. Duck Goose is an award-winning bistro with a seasonal menu, Primo Piano does handmade pasta, and there are good Indian, Thai and Italian options within a few minutes' walk.
Special occasion
For a night to remember, The Flintlock is in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide — inventive modern cooking in an elegant stone building overlooking the canal in Cheddleton. Book well ahead.
Saturday
Leek has been a market town for over 800 years, and the Peak District starts just up the road. Saturday is the day to do both.
Breakfast
You can't come to Leek without trying an oatcake — a soft oat pancake rolled around cheese, bacon or whatever you fancy. Pick one up from a local oatcake shop, or settle in for a full breakfast at Mill Street Kitchen.
Morning
The Saturday market fills the Market Place, with a vintage, craft and collectors' market alongside, and the Victorian Butter Market has around 20 traders under one roof. On the third Saturday of the month there's a farmers' and craft market with local food, street food and live music.
Browse
Leek is a browser's town, packed with interesting independent shops — vintage, antiques, books, gifts and more. Start right outside our door: Variety, an excellent record shop, is directly opposite The Silk House on Saint Edward Street.
Late morning
Leek grew rich on silk. In the 1870s William Morris worked here with local dyer Thomas Wardle, experimenting with natural dyes — and Wardle's wife founded the Leek Embroidery Society. Look up at the Victorian buildings as you wander, and don't miss St Edward's Church.
Afternoon
The dramatic gritstone ridge of the Roaches is one of the best short walks in the Peak District, with huge views across Staffordshire and Cheshire — park near Upper Hulme. For something gentler, Tittesworth Water has a reservoir loop with the Roaches as a backdrop, a play area, and dogs welcome on leads.
Evening
Stay out in the hills for dinner. The Lazy Trout in Meerbrook, close to the Roaches and Tittesworth, serves seasonal British food with beef from a local family farm. Then back to our beer garden for a nightcap.
Sunday
Take your time over checkout (by 10am, or ask us about a late one) and head out for one more adventure on the way home.
Morning
Lud's Church is a hidden, moss-covered chasm in the woods above Gradbach, linked in legend to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight — about an hour's return walk from the car park. Or head for Thor's Cave, high above the Manifold Valley, reached by a flat trail and a couple of hundred steps. Go early: both car parks fill up.
Late morning
A Georgian reservoir with walks, boating and a little steam railway — and the lake Rudyard Kipling was named after, because his parents met here. On the first Sunday of the month, stop at Leek's Sunday Supplement artisan market before you go.
Sunday lunch
Finish with a long lunch at this family- and dog-friendly country pub in a converted flour mill on the Caldon Canal, with homemade food, log fires in winter and a big canal-side garden in summer.
Make it yours
Alton Towers is about 20 minutes away. Closer to home, the Churnet Valley Railway runs heritage trains through the valley south of Leek, and the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway is a hit with small people. Our Family Suite sleeps four in two adjoining bedrooms.
Book the Four Poster — our honeymoon suite, with a freestanding bath — then fill the weekend with long lunches, the Roaches at sunset and a nightcap in our bar. Leek Arts Festival takes over the town every May if you want some culture too.
Walkers get the Roaches, Lud's Church and the Manifold Valley within half an hour, and a hot shower and a pint when you get back. In town for a wedding? Stay the night, skip the taxi, and make a weekend of it.
Opening times and market days can change, so it's worth checking before you set off. Ask us when you arrive — we're always happy to point you in the right direction.
Seven rooms in a Georgian townhouse in the middle of Leek, with a bar and walled garden.
64 Saint Edward Street, Leek, Staffordshire, ST13 5DL
Areas coveredStaffordshire Moorlands · Peak District · Alton Towers