Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent - Special Needs Adventure Family

A tall, weathered stone monument with carved figures, part of a garden ruin at Shugborough Estate, surrounded by trees and shrubs.

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Shugborough Estate – A Huge National Trust Day Out in Staffordshire

It had been around 40 years since I last visited Shugborough Estate. My rather vague memory of that visit involves a teddy bears' picnic, and I certainly don't remember appreciating just how enormous the place was. I do now!

A view from the top of some stone steps, over the garden, with flowers, trees and hedges

Accessible Attractions

Exploring Biddulph Grange Garden: Tunnels, Stepping Stones, and Accessibility

We used our National Trust memberships to visit Biddulph Grange Garden in Staffordshire, We’d read it was a quirky Victorian garden, but it turned out to be a brilliant, immersive adventure—complete with secret tunnels, stepping stones, and hidden thematic "rooms" around every corner.

Two monkeys sitting close to each other, with a newborn monkey between them.

Accessible Attractions

🐒 Our Day at Trentham Monkey Forest: Baby Monkeys, Steep Hills & Ticket Blunders!

We had a long-overdue trip back to Trentham Monkey Forest. It was a day filled with adorable baby monkeys, plenty of family banter, and a very valuable lesson in pre-booking!

John is sitting on top of a green pole, holding onto a rope in front of him

Hearing Issues

Our First Time at Clip 'n' Climb

John and Wayne's first time at Clip 'n' Climb. Two blind friends enjoying wall climbing and surprising everyone.

The entrance is a blue door with a painted sign next to it saying "the great city of Stoke-on-Trent with Emma Bridgewater"

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Pottery Painting at Emma Bridgewater

Come and join us as we spend a morning pottery painting at Emma Bridgewater.

Hay bales decorated with pumpkins and a painted R.I.P. gravestone prop outside the Trentham Gardens shop, its doors covered in Halloween monster stickers.

Accessible Attractions

Halloween at Trentham Gardens

We went to Trentham Gardens to see what they had going on for Halloween.

John sits on top of a penny farthing bicycle, one foot on a pedal, while a guide dressed in Victorian costume - top hat and red coat - steadies the handlebars.

Accessible Attractions

Accessible Cycling

Accessible cycling is great fun and gets you outside enjoying things you might not see from a car.

A tall cake covered in pink buttercream on a cafe counter, with a slice in front of it showing rainbow sponge layers in blue, orange, purple and green.

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Community Junction

Why we recommend Community Junction Cafe in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Accessible Attractions

Trentham Gardens

Join us on a beautiful September day to explore part of what Trentham Gardens has to offer.

A statue of Arnold Bennett, seated in a chair, holding a book in his right hand. His left leg is crossed over his right and he has a pile of books on the floor to his right

Accessible Attractions

The Bursley Trail

Join John and I as we take a walk around the Bursley Trail.

Traditional English Tudor timber-framed cottage with white walls, dark beams, and a red-tiled roof. Multiple chimneys, dormer windows, and a neat hedge on the street under a clear blue sky.

Visually Impaired Experiences

Ford Green Hall 17th Century Yuletide

This week we've gone back in time to celebrate Christmas. We went to Ford Green Hall and learned how Christmas was celebrated in Tudor/Stuart times.

A warmly lit vintage street lamp adorned with a festive red bow and pine garland, set against a softly blurred winter backdrop.

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Gladstone Pottery Museum Christmas Fun Day

Another opportunity for us to celebrate Christmas early! This time at the Gladstone Pottery Museum. For us, this was a much better experience than the one we had at Middleport Pottery.

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