New queer trail on Staffordshire Moorlands celebrates LGBTQ+ stories

A new LGBTQ+ arts and heritage trail has been launched on the Staffordshire Moorlands, celebrating stories, creativity, history and connection from the community.  ‘Queer Quest’ is a trail that invites participants to explore nature and the countryside through a series of LGBTQ+ themed geocaches (hidden capsules) that can be found using a free geocaching app.

Artists James Fox Neville and Cat McGill launch Queer Quest. Photo: OUTSIDE.

Geocaching is a popular outdoor recreational activity akin to a large treasure hunt which uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) to find geocaches at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.

The Queer Quest geocaching trail added to Staffordshire Moorlands follows the legendary path of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; a medieval folk tale poem set in the Midlands countryside, but reimagined in 2025 through a contemporary queer lens. Each of the caches along the trail features an original piece of artwork by Emma Dawson Varughese, accompanied by a short story inspired by local community memories and queer histories of the region.

“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.” Explains the OUTSIDE Arts Website.

Queer Quest is part of the Pride in the Moorlands project and has been developed by artists Cat McGill and James Fox Neville in collaboration with arts organisation OUTSIDE’s Youth Pride group and funded by Historic England’s History in the Making grant programme. The caches were created following creative workshops with LGBTQ+ community members who shared memories and reflections of their connections to rural spaces.

Research conducted by The Rainbow Project in 2021, suggests that LGBTQ+ people living in rural areas are generally less likely to access specialist services and are more likely to experience isolation and mental health issues. Projects such as the Queer Quest, can create spaces for LGBTQ+ people in rural settings by re-connecting them with the countryside.

James Fox Neville, who has led the project, said: “Queer Quest is about celebrating the stories that have always been part of this landscape – even if they’ve gone unheard. It’s a chance to rediscover the countryside as a place where queer people can exist, imagine, and feel connected.”

Finn White, Participation Manager at Historic England, added: “This project is a wonderful example of what’s possible when we put heritage in the hands of young people. It’s brilliant to see how these vital stories are being shared with the local community in such a creative and engaging way.”

Trail maps are available from Leek Indoor Market or freely available to explore via the Geocaching app. More information about the trail can also be found here.