Doxey Pool

High up on the moors above Leek sits this rather eerie stretch of dark water, where legend has it a mermaid once lured a local farmer to his doom. The pool itself is small - you can walk around it in ten minutes - but there's something properly atmospheric about the place that makes it stick in your memory.

Walkers will find it on the route between Flash and the Roaches, making it a decent stopping point rather than a destination in itself. The water looks black even on bright days, and when the mist rolls in (which it does frequently up here), you can see why the old stories started. Kids might find the mermaid tale intriguing, though there's not much else to hold their attention for long.

It's free to visit, obviously, being just a natural pool on open moorland. Allow half an hour unless you're planning to explore the wider area. Best combined with a proper walk across the surrounding peaks - the views from up here across the Staffordshire moorlands are the real draw.

For those staying at nearby sites like Longnor Wood Holiday Park or Rudyard Vale Caravan Park, it makes a good short excursion on a day when the weather's a bit iffy. Just don't expect too much - it's more about the journey and the stories than the destination itself.