King's Bank

The walk up King's Bank rewards you with proper views across Staffordshire - it's a straightforward climb that takes maybe twenty minutes if you're not rushing. From the top you get a decent panorama of the surrounding farmland and, on a clear day, you can pick out landmarks well beyond Stafford itself. It's not dramatic, not a fell or anything, but it's the sort of local spot where you actually see the shape of the land.

This is walker terrain, really. Families with younger kids might find it bit of a slog without anything particularly gripping at the summit - no cafe, no views of anything famous, just open countryside. Teenagers or keen walkers will get more from it. An hour of your time is enough if you're combining it with other bits of the area.

If you're staying at Fledgling Farm five miles away, King's Bank makes sense as a morning walk before you settle into the site. The countryside around Stafford has a quiet rhythm to it - nothing showy, nothing that'll make your Instagram followers weep with envy. But that's partly the point. You come here because you want a proper walk without the crowds, not because you need another ticked box.