Chartley Castle

The ruins of Chartley Castle sit quietly on a low hill just outside Stafford, easy enough to find but the sort of place most people drive past without noticing. What remains is mostly earthworks and the stumps of medieval stonework - enough to give you a sense of the layout, but you won't be wandering through grand halls or climbing spiral staircases.

It's a Norman castle, built in the 12th century, and it saw proper action during the English Civil War before being slighted to prevent further use. The site itself is free to visit and accessible most of the time, though there's not much in the way of interpretation or facilities - you're essentially just turning up and having a look around.

Walkers will get the most from it, especially if you're combining it with a longer route through the Staffordshire countryside. History types with a keen eye for earthworks can spend an hour working out the defensive lines and gatehouse positions. Young children might be less impressed - there's no climbing, no drama, just lumps of earth and broken stone.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Poppy Fields Glamping or Canalside Camping, it's worth a morning visit on the way to somewhere else rather than a destination in itself. Allow an hour maximum. The real appeal is that it's genuine ruins in a quiet spot, not groomed for tourists, which some people find either refreshingly honest or disappointingly sparse. Go if you're keen on medieval castles and don't mind a bit of imagination filling in what's missing.