Stoke - University & Canal

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Treasure Hunt around Stoke University & Canal, with Explorers helping the Exploration Society follow a battered map and uncover the real resting place of Spode's lost pottery shards.

The quest covers 2.5 miles. Allow at least 2 hours for the Trail, plus time to visit at least one pottery as part of your visit. You'll begin outside the Civic Centre building on Glebe Street, near the bridge over the A500/Queensway, then investigate Stoke station, Stoke Minster churchyard, Campbell Place, Kingsway, Spode Garden, the former Spode factory area and the Trent & Mersey Canal towpath before looping back through the town centre.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. There are steps that make it impossible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, but the rest of the walking is on level ground.

The route includes busy roads, railway bridges, crossings, road-side pavements and the Trent & Mersey Canal towpath. Use pedestrian crossings whenever possible, take extra care around the very busy roads and keep away from the water's edge by the canal.

In Stoke Minster churchyard, follow the churchyard path around the edge in an anti-clockwise direction.

Getting There

By car: Start your treasure hunt outside the front of the Civic Centre building on Glebe Street, near the bridge over the A500/Queensway (ST4 1HG), using ///quiz.plots.mimic.

Parking options include Kingsway car park (ST4 1BL) and Vale Street car park (ST4 7RL).

By public transport: Make your way to outside the front of the Civic Centre building on Glebe Street, near the bridge over the A500/Queensway, to begin the quest. Stoke station is on the route.

Need the Loo?

Comfort breaks are well covered on this adventure, with public toilets at the station, supermarket and in the city centre.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

If you're planning to bring four-legged Explorers, keep them close throughout. 🐾

This route includes very busy roads, crossings, road-side pavements, railway bridges, steps and the Trent & Mersey Canal towpath, so leads are sensible around traffic and anywhere near the water's edge.

Food & Drink Stops

Shard-seeking is hungry work. There are chances to stop for refreshments and stock up on snacks from Clue 14 onwards, with plenty of spots in Campbell Place to get food and drink.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Former Spode Factory and Heritage Visitor Centre

The pottery trail is strong here. Josiah Spode I and his son Josiah Spode II perfected bone china and dominated the high-quality market for 200 years. The factory has been on this one site since it was established and only closed down in 2008, making it a fitting extra stop for Explorers chasing Spode's lost shards.

Stoke Minster, St. Peter-ad-Vincula

The route goes into the churchyard of Stoke Minster, where railings surround Josiah Wedgwood's tomb and Josiah Spode's is nearby. It's a fine place to pause once the clues have been inspected and the pottery pioneers have been properly saluted.

Spode Garden

The quest passes Spode Garden on Kingsway and suggests pausing there if it's open. Treat it as a handy breather in the middle of the hunt before your Explorers plunge back into pottery-country clue-cracking.

Stoke Station

Stoke station first opened in 1848, with the grand hotel hot on its heels in 1849. Both were built in elegant Elizabethan style, forming a rare surviving snapshot of a time when rail travel was as much about style as speed.

Town Hall and Market Entrance

Keep an eye out around the Town Hall and Market entrance too. The Victorian Market that stood here burnt down, and the entrance now gives access to the Library - another little fragment of Stoke's changing story to add to your haul.