Leek

The 2’ 6” gauge Leek and Manifold Light Railway never came in to Leek, itself. Instead, it had an end-on junction with the North Staffordshire Railway at Waterhouses, a few miles south east of the town. Milk distribution was the most notable traffic on the short-lived line from Hulme End, which only lasted for thirty years from 1904 onwards. The former track bed of the L&MLR is now a metalled footpath and cycleway.

Sandwiched between mid-morning coffee and lunch, both taken at the Roaches Tearoom - which is recommended - we climbed up to the exposed gritstone ridge on a very gusty day. The wind was enough to throw you off balance at just the wrong moment between predictably irregular stepping stones. 

Retreating to Leek in the afternoon, there is little evidence to be seen of its railway history. The former station site is now a Morrisons supermarket. The North Staffordshire Railway station had been opened in 1849. Passenger trains ended in 1965 and the line was closed completely five years later. Only a road bridge survives of the former NSR infrastructure, situated between the supermarket car park and petrol station.

An unassuming, hill top market town, with an attractive, cobbled market square and a good range of independent shops and cafes, Leek’s growth was based on the silk industry. Some of the old factory buildings have been turned into apartments, whilst others await their turn.