I had already planned to spend my summer in a European city, but I couldn’t go for some reason.
Plus, I wasn’t about to pay inflated fees during the summer when I could always go at another time.
So, I decided to create a summer schedule of sorts. I picked a few cities that I would be exploring.
One of them was Stoke-on-Trent.
Why Stoke-on-Trent?
If you have been reading my previous travel posts, you will see that I’m very spontaneous about my choices of city breaks/day trips.
I don’t think too much about them or attach unnecessary importance to them.
I’m good once I check my Google Trips app and see a handful of tourist attractions.
Stoke-on-Trent was one of those cities that drew me mainly based on curiosity.
I was curious about the North’s Pottery and Ceramics capital, but most of all, I was excited to experience something new.
Getting To Stoke-on-Trent
A few weeks before, I booked a return train ticket to Stoke-on-Trent on the Trainline app for about £8.
I had already checked my regular coach service, National Express, and noticed that there wasn’t a direct coach to Stoke-on-Trent, so I opted for a rail trip.
Funny enough, I saw a National Express section when I returned to the Stoke train station via the Stoke Bus Station.
This meant that they actually passed through Stoke-on-Trent.
Oh well! I wasn’t so upset because the coach and train tickets were about the same.
So I got to the Manchester Picadilly Station about 30 minutes before and lounged until it was time to take off.
As always, the train was punctual, and I arrived at the Stoke-on-Trent Train Station in about 55 minutes.
The journey was quite pleasant.
There was enough room to move around, but I didn’t enjoy the fact that there was no Wi-Fi or USB port.
Thankfully, it was a short trip, so I immersed myself in Beyoncé’s The Gift album.
9 Things To Do In Stoke-on-Trent
When I arrive in a new city via the National Express coach, we disembark at the city’s Bus Station, which is usually located in the centre of the City.
But since it was my first time entering a new city via rail, I didn’t think it would be any different.
But alas, it was! Stoke Train Station is outside the city centre, so I had to take a bus, which was against my usual tradition of walking around and taking pictures.
The first bus I took was the wrong one.
I don’t know how exactly it happened. I guess it was a combination of panic and desperation.
From the train station, there was something unwelcoming about the city.
So, I needed to get a bus to the city centre as fast as possible, where I could find some positive vibes.
After about an hour of exploring Hanley, one of the city’s towns, I finally found my way to the City Centre.
My first destination was the Potteries Museum and Gallery.
It is one of the four local museums and the only one I could visit before its general closing hours of 5 p.m.
As the name implies, the Potteries houses some of the finest ceramics and art collections.
I had such a good time moving from the Art Gallery to the Design Gallery, learning about the art of ceramics and admiring all the iconic ceramic pieces.
I was super time-conscious because I wanted to touch as many places as possible.
So I spent about 30 minutes there. I left with a fridge magnet, which I decided to start collecting as souvenirs from my trips.
Next was the Airspace Gallery across the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.
I didn’t go in because it didn’t look big enough to house that many interesting things, so I just passed by. Yes! Sue me!
Then, I took a walk down Picadilly Avenue to Intu Potteries.
At different points, I consulted Google Maps for directions because I didn’t have mobile data.
I found two cute boys to take pictures of me, and I must say, they nailed it.
Along the way, I saw the Regent Theatre. I recently discovered that seeing one or two theatres in any city is the norm.
Imagine my shock when I saw Intu Potteries, a massive shopping centre like the one in Manchester, Intu Trafford Centre.
I only kept thinking about, ‘Who owns this franchise?’
Of course, I didn’t stop by because I didn’t come to the shop.
I went around and took as many pictures as possible.
Then, I walked back to Tesco to grab some snacks and passed by the Mitchell Memorial Arts Centre.
Can I just mention how artsy they are in this city?
If you’re in the Arts industry, you must travel to Stoke-on-Trent.
After that, I checked the time, and it was about two hours before my departure, so I looked around for some last-minute sightseeing.
I found a gorgeous office space called Smithfield and stared at the architecture.
I almost wish I could rent an office space for a day.
On my way back to the Stoke Train Station via the Stoke Bus Station, I came across the Victoria Hall, another concert hall similar to the First Direct Arena in Leeds and Manchester Arena.
Of course, I passed by because of the time constraints.
But if I had known how small the city was, I would have checked it out.
My biggest fear when going on any trip is missing my coach, train or flight.
I’d instead come back for a second trip than miss it.
Finally,
My biggest takeaway from this trip is that I must leave home earlier, especially on my day trips.
I keep complaining about the closing times of all the indoor tourist attractions, but if I had gotten there earlier, I would have had time to maximize my day trip.
So, for my next trip to Blackpool and/or Birmingham, I will ensure that I leave home early enough to visit more places and have more things to write about.
I hope you enjoy this post, though.
No matter how little time you have, you can see a lot in a short time.
Leave a Reply