Shoal Hill Common

Rolling heathland just outside Stafford, Shoal Hill Common is one of those proper Staffordshire spots that locals know and visitors often miss. It's a stretch of open common with mixed woodland - the sort of place where you can actually see the landscape change with the seasons rather than having everything manicured and signposted to death.

What you get here is straightforward: space to walk, heather and gorse when they're flowering, and views that stretch further than you'd expect from this part of the Midlands. The paths are generally decent underfoot, though it can get boggy after rain. Most people spend between 45 minutes and two hours here depending on how much wandering they fancy. It's not a destination that'll keep you occupied all day, but it's exactly the kind of place you'd want near your caravan base if you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Pillaton Hall Farm or Cannock Chase Camping.

Walkers will appreciate the room to roam without crowds. Families with younger kids might find it a bit samey - there's no playground or cafe, just common and trees. History enthusiasts should know it's genuinely old common land, not some Victorian recreation, though you won't find visitor facilities spelling that out for you.

Free to visit, open year-round. Best visited when the heather's out in late summer. Go expecting a proper country walk, not a tourist attraction, and you'll leave satisfied.