Butter Hill

The walk up Butter Hill rewards you with proper views across Staffordshire's rolling countryside - nothing dramatic, but on a clear day you can pick out the surrounding landscape stretching out towards Stafford. It's a modest peak, the sort of place that locals know and outsiders often miss, which is precisely why it works.

The climb itself is straightforward. Nothing steep or technical - this isn't a fell walk, it's more of a steady plod that takes the best part of an hour depending on your fitness and pace. Families with younger kids can manage it without fuss, and walkers using the holiday parks dotted around the area (Ladybirch is closest at under three miles) could easily fit this into a morning's outing. The views from the summit are the main draw - you're standing on actual high ground in Staffordshire, which feels like a small victory given how flat much of the region gets.

Who'll get the most from it? Anyone after a straightforward country walk without nonsense. History types might appreciate that you're in farming country with genuine rural character rather than manicured parkland. It won't occupy you for hours - an hour up, twenty minutes at the top with a flask of tea, an hour down - but that's rather the point. It's a proper local spot that doesn't pretend to be more than it is. Time your visit for late afternoon and you'll catch decent light across the fields. Free, obviously, since it's just a hill.