Best easy hikes in Staffordshire

Heart of England Way

Hoops · reviewed about 1 year ago

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National Forest Way

McGoverner · reviewed about 4 years ago

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Some pleasant parts to this walk but it's mostly uninteresting and not the most enjoyable at times. The start is probably the nicest bit, and the final part in South Derbyshire. Would definitely recommend doing in Spring or early summer. Suffers from a few issues: 1. Can be relentlessly muddy for very long stretches. 2. Bypasses most towns and villages, some very pretty ones at that, so resupply can be tricky without long detours. From Newton Linford you have to get to Ratby and take a detour to get to a local shop. From there, the next place will by Ashby with lots of shops and then Overseal. 3. Camping of any sort is almost impossible - only one campsite on the whole trail and wild camping is tricky. Same for B&B's 4. Doesn't seem to be well maintained - some stretches were totally overgrown and impassable in the summer of 2021 and a high bridge over a river near Ashby was rotten! I re-walked the first 30 miles of this last September and can definitely say the season makes a huge difference. Aim for late spring or early autumn for the best experience.

Cannock Chase Geo Trail

David Dixon · reviewed over 3 years ago

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excellent walk. Good stone and gravel paths through the beautiful Cannock chase. Eventually borders the outskirts of Rugeley where there is some road walking... parts of the trail are slightly overgrown, but I walked early August, so to be expected! some slight inclines, but nothing to worry about..

Peak Pilgrimage

Rachel · reviewed over 2 years ago

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This is a fantastic trail. Ideal for anyone who is keen to get into multi day hikes. I completed the low route via Curbar, August 2023. However, do buy the official guidebook. https://www.peakpilgrimage.org.uk/ The Hiiker GPX file is NOT entirely correct. I compared it to the official guidebook. First error - when leaving Milldale, follow the gravel road up to Alstonefield, no need to backtrack to the footpath. The trail’s blue and yellow way-markers also highlight this. Second error, the official route does NOT go into Froggatt village, stay by the River Derwent. There is no stamp or sticker for Froggatt either. Third error, the section between Stoney Middleton and Eyam. The GPX footpath between the villages should be the lower one through the fields, not woodland. The correct path should take you by the infamous plague Boundary Stone. Quite an important feature on the pilgrimage. There maybe more errors, but these are the ones I noticed. The GPX will still get you to your end locations but potentially could miss some important points. My friend and I completed this over three days (two nights). Day 1 - Ilam to Hartington (continued onto Biggin, Waterloo Inn campsite, a short diversion as the campsite in Hartington was full). £10 a night for a small tent, basic facilities including showers. Lots of B&B options in Hartington but we wanted to camp. Mostly low level walking with the exception, of a steep incline on the road from Milldale to Alstonefield, nothing too terrible. Just take your time. There is a sharp descent down Gypsy Bank into Wolfscote Dale, again take your time, it is doable. Cattle present in fields. Well waymarked. Amenities - National Trust Dove Dale has a mobile cafe and public toilets (20p entry or hop the barrier). This is near the beginning of the trail. Milldale has public toilets and a take away cafe. St Peter’s Church, Alstonefield, has self-service refreshments. The pub in Alstonefield called the George is closed on Mondays. Hartington, a big village, many options for food and drink, pubs and shops. Day 2 - Hartington to Over Haddon. Stayed at a B&B called the Lathkil Hotel, price included breakfast. Lovely place. There was a campsite at Monyash village but this would have made day 2 too short and day three too long. Mostly low level walking with gentle undulating farmland in places. The only steep section is walking up out of Lathkill Dale to Over Haddon, it is only a short upwards section, nothing terrible and on a road. Lathkill Dale is an attractive Dale to walk through however the first section is uneven and rocky underfoot, be cautious of the slippery limestone. Amenities - Two cafes with toilets and an honesty box along the Tissington Trail section. Pub and cafe in the village of Monyash. The Lathkill Hotel is a cozy pub & B&B in Over Haddon. We didn’t book, just turned up and we’re able to accommodate us. Day 3 - Over Haddon to Eyam, via Bakewell. Potentially could spend the second night in Bakewell as there’s lots of B&Bs and hotels however Over Haddon was cheaper. Mostly low level walking with the exception of a steep walk out of Bakewell up to Calton Pastures, nothing treacherous but take your time. Some undulating fields later on, but nothing overly difficult. Amenities - Bakewell has everything, it’s a big town in the Peaks. It has two pharmacies. We stopped at the Granby cafe for food, cheap and cheerful. Granby Café, Granby Arcade, Bakewell DE45 1EG. Also, visit the Bakewell Pudding Shop!!! You can’t visit Bakewell without sampling it’s pudding. There is a cafe in Edensor and Baslow (the Pavilion). A pub in Curbar called the Bridge Inn. A fish and chip shop in Stoney Middleton. Eyam has a pub, off licence shop and tearooms, public toilets opposite the museum.

Birmingham Greenway

ForestBacktracker57 · reviewed about 1 year ago

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