Walks near Stafford by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Stafford and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Stafford.
Wellington Circular (Shropshire)
45 minutes from Stafford, with one change.
Town streets, woodland tracks, steep ascent to The Wrekin summit with panoramic views over Shropshire and beyond.
Warnings: Steep climb to summit; can be windy on top.
Walk details: Wellington Walkers Are Welcome.
Derby Circular via Allestree Park (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Stafford, with one change.
Parks, river and heritage trail.
Time: 5h–10h30
6 lunch spots: Darley Park (1h–2h30 in) — Darley Park Terrace Cafe, the Little Darley in the Park, the Abbey Inn, or the Darleys; plus the Joiners Arms (3h–6h in), or the Orangery Café (3h–6h in)
4 end-of-walk rewards: the Alexandra Hotel, the Brunswick, the Victoria Inn, or the Waterfall
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Similar walk: North Staffordshire Community Rail Partnership.
Flint Circular via Flint Castle (Flintshire)
1 hour from Stafford, with one change.
Hard-surfaced circuit around Flint Castle and along the Wales Coast Path with saltmarsh and Dee Estuary views across to the Wirral.
Coastal: almost all along the coast.
Woodland: half under tree cover.
Flint Castle: The earliest of Edward I's Welsh castles, distinctive for its great detached tower; began the chain of English-built fortresses in Wales.
Flintshire Guardian: Three-metre-tall sculpture at Flint Point looking out across the Dee Estuary toward Hilbre Island.
Dee Estuary: Wide tidal estuary on the North Wales/Wirral border, fringed with saltmarsh and rich in birdlife.
Time: 1h30–3h
Walk details: Transport for Wales (tips, photos and turn-by-turn directions).
Derby to Long Eaton (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Stafford, with one change.
Waterways — River Derwent, Derby & Sandiacre Canal and Erewash Canal.
Time: 5h30–11h
2 lunch spots: Canal Cottage Cafe (2h30–5h30 in), or the Navigation (3h–6h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: Peking House, or the Sawley Junction
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Derby to Peartree (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Stafford, with one change.
Largely urban walking on pavements and a riverside path, through parks and along the line of the Derby Canal.
1 lunch spot: Waterside Café
Warnings: Only a few trains a day call at Peartree.
Walk details: North Staffordshire Community Rail Partnership (tips and turn-by-turn directions).
Derby to Nottingham (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Stafford, with one change.
Mixture of off-road cycle path and on-road sections. Part of the longer London-to-Lake-District route.
Walk details: Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership (local insights).
Hagley to Barnt Green (Worcestershire)
1 hour from Stafford, with one change.
Ridge walk over North Worcestershire Hills, open hilltops, scrubland, gorse, woods, pastures, motorway bridge crossing, country parks and heathland with bilberry and heather.
Time: 5h
Warnings: Steep descents.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Bromsgrove to Barnt Green (Worcestershire)
1 hour from Stafford, with one change.
A gentle climb through open country on the Monarch’s Way and canal towpath.
Waterway: three fifths along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Time: 3h30–6h30
Walk details: Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership (PDF).
Bromsgrove to Droitwich Spa (Worcestershire)
1 hour from Stafford, with one change.
Mostly along canal towpaths with field paths and road sections. Walk through mid-Worcestershire from Bromsgrove to Droitwich Spa, tracing salt industry heritage and Victorian spa development via canal routes. Droitwich is a town literally constructed on salt.
Waterway: four fifths along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Time: 3h–6h30
Warnings: Be careful of fast-moving cars on lane; towpath muddy in places.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Reverse direction: Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership (PDF, inc. GPX) and Railwalks (inc. GPX).
Bromsgrove to Alvechurch (Worcestershire)
1 hour from Stafford, with one change.
Most pleasant rolling countryside. Pastoral yet industrial terrain of north east Worcestershire. Two towns shaped by 18th-19th century canal development. Alvechurch has long history under Bishop of Worcester from late 8th century.
Waterway: four fifths along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Time: 2h30–5h
Warnings: Fast cars on lane; narrow busy road with no pavements.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Buxton to Macclesfield (Derbyshire)
30 minutes direct from Stafford.
Spectacular views. Wild landscape of deep valleys and gritstone peaks and studded with peat bogs and pine forests. Buxton developed as a fashionable spa in 18th-19th centuries using profits from Dukes of Devonshire's copper mines. Macclesfield granted borough charter for market in 13th Century.
Time: 5h30–10h30
Warnings: Stiles; busy road with no pavement and fast traffic.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Similar walk: Walk Midlands (inc. GPX).
Duffield to Derby (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Stafford, with one change.
Repurposed railway track along the Great Northern Greenway.
Time: 4h30–9h30
2 lunch spots: the Bell and Harp (1h–2h in), or the Three Horseshoes (2h–4h30 in)
4 end-of-walk rewards: the Alexandra Hotel, the Brunswick, the Waterfall, or the Merry Widows
Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk.
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.