Blithe Brook

A modest waterway that cuts through the Staffordshire countryside near Stafford, Blithe Brook is the kind of place locals know and visitors often miss. It's not a dramatic cascade or a turquoise pool - it's a gentle stream winding through farmland and woodland, proper peaceful and utterly unassuming.

What you're really after here is the walk. The brook itself is the draw for walkers exploring the rural footpaths that trace its route. In spring the banks come alive with bluebells and wild garlic. Summer brings cool shade and the sound of water over stones. Autumn's when the light hits best - low and golden through the trees. It's the kind of place where you notice things: dragonflies, kingfishers if you're lucky, the way the water pools before dropping over a small weir.

This works brilliantly as a break during a longer walk through the area rather than a destination in itself. Families with younger children might manage an hour or so along the banks before restlessness sets in. Serious walkers will slot it into a longer route and barely notice they've passed through.

The beauty of staying at either Poppy Fields Glamping or Lane Tree Hideaways means you're minutes away from this kind of uncluttered country exploring. Both are close enough that you can hit the brook as a morning's gentle leg-stretch before heading elsewhere. Free, obviously. No facilities, no car park to speak of - just pull up near Stafford and find the footpath. Go early or late in the day when it's quieter.