https://maps.app.goo.gl/M4AqXnJf1Ee15pKS9
Behind you is a steep path into Toothill Wood. Ahead is a signpost for Cheadle Road 1/2 mile - follow the sign along the overgrown pathway and it will open out into a lovely woodland walk.
**************************
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.
___________________________________
Note: The co-ordinates will take you to a cross roads. There is a footpath signposted to Cheadle, follow that and then follow the woody path up a slope until you get to a big bend.
___________________________________
With the truth revealed - a truth much more complex than first realised, Gawain must now offer himself the same forgiveness and compassion he receives. Rather than suffering the same fate he inflicted upon the Green Knight in the court, he receives only a ‘nick’ on his neck.
___________________________________
Artist's Statement: Based on the life of ‘Miss Lily Laurel’ from 1891 who, born a woman, was known
for her impersonation of men. This piece plays with the notion of binary, of black &
white with a carefully placed ‘grey’ feather in the side of the hat.
___________________________________
In 1891, Alton Towers estate hosted Miss Lily Laurel, a male impersonator, whose satirical performance parodied male manners to subvert the stereotyping at the time of women as "beautiful, chaste, domestic creatures," at their Flower Show. This act of challenging gender norms on a public stage established an early, powerful ancestor to modern drag performers and wider queer visibility.
In a different way, a young couple visiting to our Pride In The Moorlands stall in June 2025 expressed a quieter confidence, sharing: "We went on our second date to Alton Towers, and we felt safe to hold hands for the first time."
Whether through the dramatic guise of the impersonator or the brave, simple act of holding hands at a theme park, this space of leisure and entertainment has been somewhere that the suspension of the mundane can move people to express themselves more freely.
Access Information:
Slippy and steep underfoot. Not suitable for wheelchairs or scooters.