 Although the NSR principally served the urban areas of the Potteries , it did promote the area for tourism , especially the Churnet Valley which local hoteliers had labelled as " Staffordshire 's little Switzerland " . The company issued a 150 @-@ page guide called Picturesque Staffordshire to support this promotion and dispel the widespread held idea that the county was dull and bleak In addition to the tourist traffic generated the NSR owned three hotels ; the North Stafford in Stoke ( opposite Stoke station ) , the Churnet Valley in Leek and the Hotel Rudyard at Rudyard . 
