Leek

Leek is a town in North Staffordshire in the English Midlands.

Understand

Known at the Queen of the Moorlands, Leek is the administrative centre of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. The main industry was silk and textiles but it has now diversified into tourism and food processing, and is the headquarters of the Britannia Building Society.

Get in

By bus

Leeks train station closed in the 1960s so the only real public transport option is the bus.

There are occasional services to Buxton and Macclesfield but the most practical option for most visitors is the number 18 bus from Hanley bus station in Stoke-on-Trent (£2.40 one way, £5.00 for unlimited travel on PMT First buses all day - the best value if coming from stoke train station). This runs roughly three times an hour via Stockton Brook, Endon and Longsdon, during the day and runs once an hour after about 7PM until 10ish. On Monday, Friday and Saturday nights it tends to get full with rowdy and often quite tipsy Leekensians on their way to sample the relatively diverse nightlife in Hanley.

Another bus, the 16, runs from Stoke (Hanley bus station) via Cheddleton and Werrington, although this service is less frequent.

By train

Plans are being considered to reintroduce train links into town.

Get around

There is little public transport in Leek, taxis are an option. The one bus service within Leek travels through Haregate, which offers exceptionally little in terms of sights or activities. This service is primarily aimed at elderly locals.

See

• Altoncourt Brewery. The old brewery. (updated Aug 2017)

Leek

• 🌍 The Nicholson War Memorial (at the bottom of Derby street). Built by a wealthy local family to commemorate the death of their son in the I World War, this clock tower is one of the biggest war memorials in the country. Leekensians refer to it as "the monument".  
• 🌍 All Saints Church, 110 Southbank St, ST13 5LN (Bottom of South Bank street, about five minutes walk from the bus station), ☎ [phone]. Considered by some to be one of the finest churches in England  
• The Old French Quarter (near the Swan pub). 
• 🌍 Rudyard Lake Steam Railway.  
• 🌍 Churnet Valley Railway.  
• 🌍 Foxfield Railway.  
• 🌍 Brindley Mill.  

The lake, the steam trains, the wildlife, the views, the sailing club, The trip boat Honey, the rowing boats, the fishing, The Lady of the Lake, the boathouses.

Rudyard Lake

Rudyard is a small village with a large lake. In fact its a reservoir built in 1797 to supply water to the Trent and Mersey canal. It got its name from Ralph Rudyard who is reputed to have killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

It's a place of great beauty with and romance. Rudyard Kipling was named after it after his parents first met at a picnic by its shores. The lake was developed as a tourist attraction in the early 1900s by the local North Staffordshire railway company. They took Blondin to tightrope walk across it and Captain Webb to swim after he had first swum the English Channel. It was named the 3rd most romantic spot in England in 2005.

Best way to arrive at Rudyard is by car and park in the free station car park. It's about 1 mile North of Leek. Public transport is poor. You can get trains to [Stoke-on-Trent] then buses to Leek but then it's a walk or taxi.

Do

Take the steam train ride along the lake on the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway.

Take a boat ride on the lake from the Dam Head & walk around the lake.

Support Rudyard sailability a national centre of excellence for disabled sailing.

• Drive a steam engine Rudyard Lake, Rudyard Station (off B5331 on entering village), ☎ [phone]. 10-4. Learn to drive a real steam engine courses make ideal gifts for birthdays or special events 

Buy

There is plenty to buy in Leek. There is a market, indoor and outdoor, on Wednesdays and Saturdays in, as you'd expect, the market place - although the quality of the goods on sale varies wildly.

Leek also considers itself a great place to purchase antiques and as much there are numerous antique shops - many of these are clustered on and around St Edwards street and parts of Cheddleton Road.

For day to day needs Leek has the usual array of supermarkets - Morrison's is located on Newcastle Road. There is a small Asda near Haregate as well as an Aldi, which is closest to the town centre on Haywood street. Be aware however that there have been issues involving unfair fines being issued in their car park.

Eat

Leek isn't renowned for its culinary delights but many options do exist, personally I'd visit the Cup Cake cafe. There are a series of the usual Indian and Chinese restaurants throughout the town as well as the ubiquitous takeaways you'd find in any English town. In addition, many pubs now serve food as well. Details for each type of eatery are listed below -

Pub dining

• Society Bar - Market place, cocktails, beers ,wines.
• Red Lion - Next door to Engine Room, also serves good quality food.
• Quiet Woman NOW CLOSED- Excellent variety of food at lunch time and tea time, service stops during the mid-afternoon.
• Den Engel - Full restaurant situated upstairs.

Takeaways

These are situated throughout the town and many do delivery on orders over £5. Two of the most popular are on the top of St Edwards street.

• Stake-out (01538399441) - St Edwards street, quick home delivery, friendly service, good quality.
• Pizza Line(01538398700) - As above.
• Abbies - Just around the corner, generally good.
• Moorlands Takeaway - Stockwell Street, could be better.
• Tangs Dynasty - Stockwell Street Chinese.
• Emperors Court - Chinese located on West Street, good food.

Rudyard

At the Platform 2 cafe at Rudyard Station. Open at weekends year round. Bar meals or carvery at the hotel.

Drink

Leek once boasted the most pubs per capita in the whole of England. Unfortunately economic circumstances have resulted in many of these closing down, the following are all open as of October 2010 (there are more pubs, but these are the highlights). Most of the pubs are centred around St Edwards street while the bars are largely around the market place.

Pubs

• Benks (Stockwell street) - Offers multiple pool tables, an antiquated jukebox and a good variety of lagers. Also occasionally referred to as the Union, as this was its former name. The rear entrance is on Union street which adjoins Stockwell street
• Quiet Woman (Next to the Unicorn on St Edwards street) - a good variety of food served at mealtimes.
• Wilkes Head (St Edwards street) - Alternative music and Leeks only proper real ale pub. Holds the annual Wilkesfest which is popular.
• The Green Dragon(St Edwards street)- Leek's first J D Wetherspoons pub
• The Valiant - Unofficial Stoke City supporters pub. Do not go in there wearing a Port Vale shirt, especially on a match day. Perfectly fine apart from that although it does get loud on match days.
• The Roebuck (Derby Street) - Currently a Titanic Brewery owned pub with a large selection of real ales, lagers ciders and food being served most of the day
• The Cock Inn (Derby Street) - A Joules' Brewery-owned pub with some real ales, lagers and ciders with food being served at limited times of the day

Bars

• The Engine Room (Market Place) - Serve an excellent variety of pub food until around 9PM. Popular starting point for a weekend night out. Also popular during major football matches.
• The Red Lion (Market Place)- The average Leekensians next port of call on a Saturday night, slightly larger and with a dance floor and an upstairs cocktail bar which is only occasionally open.
• Elmos (Market Place)- Cellar bar and the average Leekensians next bar of choice at the weekend. Good variety of drinks and a dance floor. This is not the place for a quiet drink. Seating is minimal.
• Den Engels - Excellent Belgian bar with a more up-market atmosphere than most others listed here. Stocks an exceptional variety of Belgian beer, most of it at very acceptable prices. (Try the Rochfort 10, but don't expect to remember much of your evening afterwards!)

Sleep

There are several hotels in Leek, and the local Tourist information centre (at the Market Place) will happily book you a room for a three pound fee.

• Travel lodge very close to town center , but not too close !. 
• (is adjacent to the lake). a historic and quirky place. It was built as a railway hotel. 
• Rudyard Vale caravan park. 

Stay safe

Leek is a relatively safe town with little crime. On Friday and Saturday nights the usual drunken chaos occurs, which is to be expected in any English town. There are occasional fights in the Market Place or in the Elmos bar, but these are usually quickly broken up. In addition most are between people who already know each other. There are sometimes large groups of young people hanging around in the evening, but 99% of the time if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone.

Connect

Go next

If you're driving then Buxton in Derbyshire is a worthwhile visit and boasts a Theatre amongst other things.

Alton Towers is another favourite among visitors.

Stoke-on-Trent boasts the nearest train station and has the most frequent bus services to/from Leek. This is the easiest route for people without their own car.