Stafford Castle Walk
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire and has some nice waterside walking trail along the canal, river and nature reserve in the town centre. There's also some fine historic buildings including the 12th century St Chad's Church and the Elizabethan Ancient High House which is notable as the largest timber-framed town house in England.
This route starts near Stafford train station and head south west along public footpaths for about a mile to reach the historic Stafford Castle. The ancient Grade II listed castle is a prominent local landmark and one of the historic highlights of the area. From the elveated position of the castle you can enjoy fine views of Stafford and its surrounding countryside. The 26 acre castle grounds are a pleasant place for a stroll with woodland and a pretty herb garden to explore. Outdoor theate productions also take place in the castle grounds each summer.
After exploring the castle the route follows alternative footpaths back towards the train station.
Postcode
ST16 1DJ - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsStafford Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Stafford Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Stafford OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Stafford Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Walks near Stafford
- Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal - Follow the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal from Stourport-on-Severn to Great Haywood on this easy waterside walking and cycling route
- Staffordshire Way - Travel through Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Worcestershire and enjoy canals, lakes, country parks and a series of pretty towns and villages
- Cannock Chase Country Park - This huge country park has 3000 acres of cycling and walking trails to explore
- Belvide Reservoir - Enjoy a circular walk around Belvide Reservoir in South Staffordshire on this easy route
- Sabrina Way - This route is part of the National Bridleroute Network and primarily designed for horse riders but can be used by walkers and cyclists also
- Wolverhampton Canal Walk - Explore the Birmingham Canal on this short walk through the centre of Wolverhampton.
- Penkridge - This Staffordshire based market town is in an ideal spot for exploring the countryside and woodland of the Cannock Chase AONB
- Milford Common - This walk takes you around Milford Common near Stafford
- Eccleshall - This historic small town is located close to Stone and Stafford in the county of Staffordshire
- Sandon Hall - This walk takes you around the historic Sandon Hall estate in the Staffordshire village of Sandon.
- Gailey Reservoir - These pretty reservoirs are located near the Staffordshire village of Gailey in the Penkridge area of the county
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal runs through the town. You could follow it south to visit Penkridge. The historic market town includes a Grade I listed medieval church, the Penkridge Railway Viaduct and the Old Market Square. There's also a nice canalside pub where you can enjoy a meal overlooking the boats and birdlife of the canal. Gailey Reservoir, the home of South Staffordshire Sailing Club, is located just to the south of the town.
If you head east you could explore the expansive Cannock Chase Country Park where there are miles of good cycling and walking trails to try.
In the town centre there's a footpath heading east along the River Sow which joins with the River Penk and the canal. Just to the north of the castle there's the Doxey Marshes Nature Reserve where there are some good wildlife spotting opportunites.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Staffordshire Walks page.
Photos
The Visitor Centre, Stafford Castle. The castle is now managed by Stafford Borough Council. It holds a wide range of events each year from school visits to re-enactment groups and a summer season of 'Shakespeare at the Castle'.
Herb Garden. Spring colour and a profusion of scents in the replica medieval herb garden at Stafford Castle. An inventory taken in 1537 shows how herbs were an important part of daily life at Stafford Castle. They were widely used for their medicinal, aromatic and edible properties.
Near Stafford Castle. The remains of the house platforms and hollow ways of the hamlet that clustered at the gates of the medieval castle can still just be found in this field between the castle and Castle church.
View from Stafford Castle. Looking across the inner bailey and over the ditch, now filled with trees, and on down towards the Castletown area of Stafford itself. The original castle was built in wood, and it was badly knocked about after the Civil War when it was used to housed prisoners. Built by the Normans on a hill above the town this was definitely a location for keeping an eye on the peasantry below!
Taken on the motte of the Castle, looking down to and over the trees in the surrounding ditch. The hill to the left is Bury Ring [also called Berry Ring], an ancient hill fort and thus arguably the first permanent settlement in this area.
View from Stafford Castle keep. Looking over the woods that cloak the ancient mote towards the ancient hill fort of Bury Ring and beyond that The Wrekin. The M6 motorway is hidden by the trees, but the proliferation of plastic crop tunnels - mainly for strawberries -that have sprung up in this area in recent years.
Looking north from the Castle. Taken from the keep, looking across the trees that cloak the mote towards Doxey. Beyond Doxey the overhead gantries of the West Coast mainline can be made out against the green strip of Doxey Marshes Nature Reserve, followed by the Cresswell and Tillington areas of Stafford. The M6 motorway can be seen winding through the left side of the picture, which gives some scale to the enormous buildings of Primepoint 14, a development that developers and planners assured local residents would not have any detrimental impact on the Stafford skyline!
