The Tea Junction sits at Hulme End with the air of a place that understands its job, placed at the northern end of the Manifold Trail where boots, bicycles, dogs, children, maps and cake all appear to have equal rights. On a sunny late spring day, with the valley beginning to open itself out beyond the car park, it feels less like a café added to a route and more like the natural starting point for the whole small expedition. The building has railway history behind it, standing by the former Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway route, now followed by the Manifold Way, an eight-mile trail running south through the valley towards Waterhouses.

There is no great ceremony to arriving here, which is part of the appeal. You park easily, gather yourself, look towards the trail, and then quite sensibly go inside for coffee before making any bold claims about mileage. The place was busy and buzzy, in that useful countryside way where people are clearly passing through but not rushing, and the general movement of the room has a rhythm of walkers checking routes, cyclists refuelling, and families negotiating cake with the seriousness of a treaty.

Inside, the café does what a café at the head of a trail ought to do. There is freshly ground coffee, homemade food, cakes, light meals, breakfasts and sandwiches, with indoor and outdoor seating, dog-friendly arrangements, public toilets and free parking listed among its practical virtues. The Captain, who believes good coffee improves the character of a day, was therefore in a forgiving mood, and the small shop added another useful layer to the place, with local craft products and a fridge containing Hartington cheese, which felt entirely proper given Hartington’s long association with cheese-making.

The attraction here is not only the café but its position. Hulme End sits close to Hartington and gives easy access into the Manifold Valley, where the route follows the old railway line past limestone country, river bends and places such as Ecton, Wetton Mill and Thor’s Cave. The River Manifold itself has the curious habit of disappearing underground in dry spells before reappearing near Ilam, which is the sort of local fact that gives a valley a private trick of its own.

For The Captain’s Guide, The Tea Junction earns its place because it is functional, cheerful and well-used without needing to announce itself too loudly. It is a café with a proper job of work: feed people, caffeinate them, point them towards the trail, and be there again when they return slightly dustier and more pleased with themselves. On a sunny day at Hulme End, that is quite enough.