Stafford to Rugeley
A station-to-station walkStaffordshireWest Midlands
A long, flat and easy route that is mostly off-road towpath, following the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and then the Trent and Mersey Canal, with short stretches of riverside path, pavement and rough grassy track. Mostly a made-up surface, though some towpath sections are muddy and the riverside meadows can flood after heavy rain. Follows canal towpaths almost the whole way and can be split at intermediate points; passes near Shugborough Park. Trains and buses serve both ends.
Waterway: almost all beside rivers and canals.
Shugborough Estate: A Staffordshire paradise: a rich blend of landscape, monuments, gardens and architecture, shaped by exploration and global encounters (National Trust; 4h to visit).
Lunch: A farm shop and cafe at Great Haywood Junction, plus pubs a short walk off the towpath at Little Haywood and Wolseley Bridge.
Warnings: The Sow Leisure Route and riverside flood meadows can be wet or flooded after heavy rain, sometimes needing detours, and there may be cattle in one short field section. One stile.
Credits
Walk details: Slow Ways.