Trubshaw Cross

A stone cross standing alone on moorland near Stoke-on-Trent, Trubshaw Cross marks one of those moments in English history where you can actually stand at the spot and feel something shift. This isn't grand. It's genuinely modest - a weathered medieval marker that's been here since around the 14th century, watching the landscape change from proper wild moorland to the industrial sprawl beyond.

You're looking at what was once a waymarker for travellers crossing the Staffordshire moors, the kind of thing pilgrims and merchants would have navigated by. The actual stonework tells you something: it's been repaired, re-carved, moved around. It's survived because people kept caring about it, even when the moorland around it was being mined and built on.

History types will find this one worth the drive from Stoke. Walkers certainly will - it's the sort of landmark that makes a moorland ramble suddenly feel purposeful rather than aimless. Kids? They'll need a bit of context to stay interested, though spotting it from a distance across open ground does have a certain drama.

If you're staying at Luzlow Caravan Site, Castle Camping, or Glamping at Holly Grove Farm - all within five miles - it's absolutely worth a morning visit en route to somewhere else. Factor in thirty minutes, longer if you're exploring the surrounding moorland properly. It's free to visit and accessible year-round, though winter moorland can be boggy and grey. Autumn's probably best.