Staffordshire Moorlands in the context of "Rock climbing"

The West Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of International Territorial Level for statistical purposes. It covers the western half of the area known traditionally as the Midlands. The region consists of the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. The region has seven cities: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton and Worcester.

The West Midlands region is geographically diverse, from the urban central areas of the West Midlands conurbation to the rural counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire which border Wales, and Worcestershire. The region is landlocked; however, the longest river in the UK, the River Severn, traverses the region south-eastwards, flowing through the county towns of Shrewsbury and Worcester, and the Ironbridge Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Staffordshire is home to the industrialised Potteries conurbation, including the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands area, which borders the south-eastern Peak District National Park near Leek. The region also encompasses five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: the Wye Valley, Shropshire Hills, Cannock Chase, Malvern Hills and parts of the Cotswolds. Warwickshire is home to the towns of Stratford upon Avon, birthplace of writer William Shakespeare; Rugby, the birthplace of Rugby football; and Nuneaton, birthplace to author George Eliot.

Leek is a market town and civil parish in the Staffordshire Moorlands district of the county of Staffordshire, England. The town lies on the River Churnet, 10 miles (16 km) north east of Stoke-on-Trent. In 2021 it had a population of 19,385.

Leek is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214. It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. King John granted Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, the right to hold a weekly Wednesday market and an annual seven-day fair in Leek in 1207.

Derbyshire Dales (/ˈdɑːrbiʃɪər, -ʃər/ DAR-bee-sheer, -⁠shər) is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The district was created in 1974 as West Derbyshire; the name was changed to Derbyshire Dales in 1987. The council is based in the town of Matlock, and the district also includes the towns of Ashbourne, Bakewell, Darley Dale and Wirksworth, as well as numerous villages and extensive rural areas. Much of the district is within the Peak District National Park.

The neighbouring districts are High Peak, Sheffield, North East Derbyshire, Amber Valley, South Derbyshire, East Staffordshire and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Biddulph is a town and civil parish in the Staffordshire Moorlands district of the county of Staffordshire, England. The town lies 9 miles (14 km) north of Stoke-on-Trent and 5 miles (8 km) south-east of Congleton, close to part of the Staffordshire/Cheshire county border. In 2011 the parish had a population of 19,892.

Cheadle is a market town and civil parish in the Staffordshire Moorlands District of Staffordshire, England. It is located between Uttoxeter, Leek, Ashbourne and Stoke-on-Trent. Dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, it lies within the historic Staffordshire Hundred of Totmonslow. In 2011 the parish had a population of 12,165.

The Churnet Valley Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway running through the Staffordshire Moorlands and the valley of the River Churnet in Staffordshire, England. It operates along part of the former Churnet Valley Line, which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1849, and the Waterhouses branch line which opened in 1905. The section from Kingsley and Froghall to Leek closed to passengers in January 1965 and to freight from Oakamoor to Stoke-on-Trent in 1988; and the Waterhouses branch closed to passenger traffic in 1935, with the final freight running in 1988. The preservation society began in 1971 with a small demonstration line in the goods yard at Cheddleton, before beginning operations over the former Churnet Valley Line in 1996 following withdrawal of the final freight services in 1988.

The line is roughly 10+1⁄2 miles (16.9 km) long from Kingsley & Froghall to Ipstones. The line from Leek Brook Junction to Ipstones was opened by Moorland & City Railways (MCR) in 2010 after they took a lease out from Network Rail. This has subsequently been purchased by the Churnet Valley Railway. The main stations along the line are Kingsley and Froghall, Consall, Cheddleton, Leek Brook and Ipstones (which is only used as a run around loop).

East Staffordshire is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England. The council is based in Burton upon Trent. The borough also contains the town of Uttoxeter and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

The neighbouring districts are Lichfield, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire.