QueerQuest Online Trail
Discover hidden histories...
All Over The Moorlands
Welcome to QueerQuest!
This geocaching trail re-imagines the medieval poem 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' through a queer lens, immersed in the very landscape which inspired the legend. 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.
Just like Gawain's quest to test courage and honesty, this trail invites you to explore the countryside and uncover stories often hidden or overlooked. Inside each cache you'll find a small piece of artwork and a short tale that links the epic myth to real queer lives and landscapes.
You are also invited to share your own reflections and post your response to be included in our archive.
To explore the Geocaching version of this trail, click the links below:
Queer Quest #1: Urban Gaze, Wild’s Whisper
by Queer Quest | GCBD869 | West Midlands, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #2: The Green Challenger
by Queer Quest | GCBE1WQ | North West England, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #3: Isolation & Inner Reckoning
by Queer Quest | GCBE1X1 | West Midlands, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #4: Challenging Assumptions Of Power
by Queer Quest | GCBE1XA | West Midlands, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #5: Brotherhood & Chosen Family
by Queer Quest | GCBE1XG | West Midlands, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #6: Ancient Kisses & Freedoms
by Queer Quest | GCBE20X | West Midlands, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #7: The Hidden Sash
by James Fox Creative // Queer Quest | GCBE21J | West Midlands, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #8: The Great Unveiling
by James Fox Creative // Queer Quest | GCBE21T | West Midlands, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #9: Reconsiling With The Self
by James Fox Creative // Queer Quest | GCBE227 | West Midlands, United Kingdom
Queer Quest #10: The Return: Carrying Wild Wisdom
by Queer Quest | GCBE285 | West Midlands, United Kingdom
This trail has been developed by three local artists, James Fox Neville, Cat McGill and Emma Dawson Varughese, alongside OUTSIDE’s Youth Pride group, and funded by Historic England’s History in the Making grant programme.
QueerQuest is part of the Pride in the Moorlands project.
About Historic England
We are Historic England: the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops. We protect, champion and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them. Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.
Find out more about how the historic environment can help our wellbeing.
About History in the Making grants
Historic England is working with young people (aged 13 to 25) and funding 11 youth-led projects that will create place markers across the North of England. They will mark and celebrate important local histories that have been overlooked and bring them to a broader audience. These co-produced projects put young people’s voices at the heart of the creative decision making to increase confidence and connection to their local heritage.
Find out more about place marking and this scheme here.
