A sense of place

Trentham, Staffordshire, the home base for this web site, is almost as far inland as it is possible to be in England as it is nearly 70 miles away from the nearest sea coast but is surrounded by much outstanding countryside – notably the Peak District, to the North (which has many beautiful walks such as in the Manifold Valley) and Cannock Chase, to the South. One of Trentham’s most notable features is the Mausoleum, pictured left, a Grade 1 listed building constructed from the distinctive local red sandstone, which has recently undergone major restoration work. It can be found on the A34 Trunk Road just to the south of the main entrance to the Trentham Estate, once owned by the Dukes of Sutherland but which has been developed in recent years into a major inland resort. The River Trent, which flows through the Estate from north to south, eventually reaches the North Sea to the east after a looping journey of over two hundred miles, which ends at the Humber. A tour of the surrounding area shows that this community is on the edge of the countryside. Staffordshire is part of the English West Midlands Region, which also includes the Warwickshire Avon.

The nearest points to Trentham on the coast are around the Mersey (Sefton Sands) and Dee Estuaries, each about 68 miles away by road. The Welsh border is about 40 miles away to the West and contains such beautiful places as Chirk and the Ceiriog Valley. Porthmadog, 90 miles from Trentham, is the first point on the Welsh coast reached by travelling west but the road then takes you to Bardsey and the Lleyn peninsular at the rugged north-western extremity of Wales, which is in contrast to the more lush scenery around the City of St David’s in South West Wales. To reach the nearest part of the east coast of England, the Wash and North Norfolk, is a road journey of 150 miles. Suffolk is another 100 miles further but pictures taken around Walberswick, especially at the RSPB Reserve, Minsmere give some idea of the rewards for visiting the flat and marshy countryside on this part of the East Anglian coast. It takes a similar length journey south to cross the English West Midlands and reach the Somerset coast. The journey north to the beautiful borderlands of Northumberland and Cumbria is even longer but the road eventually takes you to one of my favourite places, Scotland's capital city Edinburgh.

Also you will find below some links to web sites that feature places relevant to the themes of 'The Renewable Way', plus a request for help from a small community in Poland. Your comments and even suggestions for additions are very welcome so please use the email link provided below.

Permaculture in Poland - a call for assistance

Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth

The Earth Centre, Doncaster

The Eden Project, Cornwall

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