Otherton Boat Haven

The canal basin at Otherton sits quietly on the outskirts of Stafford, a proper working marina where narrowboats come and go with the rhythm of the waterways. It's not a theme park or a glitzy attraction - what you get here is the real deal: watching barges being worked through locks, spotting kingfishers dart between the reeds, and understanding what the Midlands Canal Network actually means to people who live on it.

For canal enthusiasts and walkers, this is gold. The towpaths around the basin stretch for miles in either direction, so you can make it as short or as long as you fancy. Thirty minutes wandering the mooring berths and grabbing a coffee is perfectly satisfying, but most folk who know the area spend two or three hours exploring the wider canal routes. It's free to wander - no entry charge - and you'll see lock mechanisms in action that would take a museum to explain as well.

Families with young children might find thirty minutes about the limit before restlessness sets in, though kids genuinely do enjoy spotting narrowboat cats and watching the lock-keepers work. If you're staying at Pillaton Hall Farm just down the road, this makes a low-key morning outing that breaks up the caravan routine without demanding much planning.

Best visited on a weekend or bank holiday when the boats are most active. Weekday mornings can feel a bit dead. Bring binoculars if you're into wildlife - the water here attracts proper birdlife.