Codsall park

The canal-side stretch at Codsall Park is one of those spots you stumble upon rather than plan for, especially if you're staying at Oakland Holiday Park just down the road. It's a proper nature reserve - the sort of place where you can actually hear yourself think, which counts for something in the West Midlands.

Walking the towpath here is straightforward and flat, following the Shropshire Union Canal through woodland and open grassland. The reserve itself is managed for wildlife, so you'll spot water voles if you're lucky, plus the usual herons and kingfishers that haunt canal systems. It's not dramatic scenery - no fell walks or limestone crags - but it's genuine countryside buttressed against suburban Brewood.

Families with younger children will get a solid couple of hours here without complaint. Walkers might incorporate it into a longer canal ramble. Birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts will find it worthwhile, particularly in spring migration season. The grassland areas are kept open deliberately to encourage ground-nesting birds, so there's a sense that you're somewhere managed with actual purpose rather than just left to run wild.

No facilities that I'm aware of, so bring what you need. Free access, and best visited outside school holidays if you want the peace factor. Combined with Oakland Holiday Park as your base, you've got a decent half-day sorted without leaving Staffordshire.