Dunn's Wood

A proper woodland walk rather than a tourist honeypot, Dunn's Wood sits a few miles outside Stafford and gives you the kind of forest experience that feels genuinely away from it all. The trees here are mature and thick enough that you lose the sound of the road within minutes, which is saying something for Shropshire.

It's the sort of place you come for an hour or two of serious wandering, not a quick snap for Instagram. The paths wind through mixed woodland - oak, beech, and conifers in places - with enough gentle undulation to make it feel like actual countryside. On a decent day the light filters through the canopy in that way that makes you forget you're in the West Midlands at all. Walking boots are worth the effort here; the ground gets boggy in patches even when it hasn't rained much.

Families with kids who'll actually walk will find it engaging enough, though there's no playground nonsense or visitor centre to break things up. That's either brilliant or slightly dull depending on what you're after. It's free, which helps, and you can easily make an afternoon of it by combining it with a stay at Westcott Woods Glamping just down the road - proper glamping setups that take the edge off roughing it.

Best visited autumn or winter when the deciduous trees have dropped. Summer brings midges and crowds of local dog walkers, though not in any unmanageable way.