Welcome to Queer Quest. This geocaching trail re-imagines the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight through a queer lens, immersed in the very landscape which inspired the legend. As you follow the route, each cache marks a moment in Gawain’s legendary journey—challenges, temptations, and revelations—while also sharing local LGBTQ+ histories and folklore from the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Just like Gawain’s quest to test courage and honesty, this trail invites you to explore the countryside and uncover stories often hidden or overlooked. Inside each cache you’ll find a small piece of artwork and a short tale that links the epic myth to real queer lives and landscapes.
You are also invited to share your own reflections and post your response to be included in our archive.
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When the day comes for Gawain to face up to The Green Knight, there is a shocking revelation - the Lord of the Castle and the Green Knight are one! This climactic moment of the story transforms the formidable, complex challenger into a figure of unexpected familiarity, compassion, and understanding.
Has a person or a situation you once feared ever been revealed to you as something (or someone) surprisingly understanding, or even a catalyst for your growth?
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Artist statement: "This celebratory piece is inspired by a gay couple’s wedding reception taking
place at the Black Lion in Consall. An important place in the district’s industrial heritage,
smelting of ironstone used to take place here and so this artwork has used a piece of
Ironstone as the bedrock for the couple’s vows."
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This community story from Pride in the Moorlands in June 2025 speaks to the creation of acceptance and sanctuary in unexpected spaces.
A married couple, both around 50, chose a venue local to this spot to celebrate their union, noting: "We had our wedding reception here—it is not somewhere that makes particular reference to being LGBT friendly, but we felt really accepted and celebrated here."
This moment underscores a crucial stage in the Queer Quest: the ability to find and claim spaces where acceptance is not advertised, but felt. Their experience transformed a neutral local setting into a site of profound celebration and belonging, demonstrating that pride can be quietly, yet powerfully, forged in the heart of the community, rather than always imagining it to be something outside or other.
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Access Information:
Flat, stoney surface very close to the car park. May be tricky in a manual wheelchair but easily accessible in the power chair or scooter.