Starug two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

This is a good direct route,mainly using the canal towpath.I walked from Stafford to Rugely ( using both the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal along with the the Trent and Mersey)Some sections of the both canal towpaths are quite muddy but the majority is a made up surface which allows for easy walking.Leaving Stafford and passing through Victoria park one comes to the Sow Leisure Route,this area before joining the canal towpath does have the potential to be very wet and be flooded.Joining the canal,plenty of activity can be seen,narrowboats on the move a variety of interesting bridges and historic buildings in the distance.After several miles and approaching Rugely make sure to cross the canal (approaching rail line indicates roughly where to cross)After a a small amount of pavement walking one is soon in the centre of Rugely.I used public transport (bus) at both ends of this walk train is also possible both being fairly reliable!Onroute there are plenty of stopping off points pubs/cafes shops etc .I enjoyed this walk,there were no issues regarding obstructions or access.

The route is well plotted, flat with a mix of surfaces some excellent others can be muddy. One stile and perhaps potential for cattle in one short section, which could flood. Services just off route at Great Haywood junction, village, Little Haywood and Wolseley Bridge.

I walked from Stafford and enjoyed the exit via the well kept and busy Victoria Park. The Sow was still lapping the top step since my visit to walk Stahix when the lower paths were flooded. Passing remains of the Mill and a short section of town it's then onto the Sow Leisure Route which has a good surface but close to the river level there was evidence of flooding after recent severe rain so hopefully not a regular issue.

The Slow Way crosses the river and enters fields or flood meadow down steps. This area was still very wet and needed varied detours to avoid the wettest parts, in better conditions there could be cattle here and the link to the canal is the only stile on the whole route. Here volunteers are constructing a lock to take the navigation into the heart of Stafford.

Having joined the towpath, which here was muddy, navigation is straight forward. Original brick bridges and passing boats add interest plus trains which share a route along this small valley. At Milford an attractive roving bridge takes the towpath to the opposite bank and from here surface improvement makes the going very easy. It was not clear if access to the road is available here to explain the change of surface.

We cross the Sow on a squat functional aqueduct and continue to follow the river's course. Tixall Lock is likely to have a boat passing through and confirms we are heading downstream to where the Sow meets the Trent which we cross before arriving at Great Haywood Junction.
There is a farm shop and cafe if you turn left along the Trent and Mersey canal. Otherwise turn right along a busy section of path to the lock and bridge. It's worth a pause here. Turn right to view Exeter Bridge or beyond Shugborough Hall. Turn left under the railway for a short link to the village and Clifford Arms.

Back on the towpath to the right are views into Shugborough Park. The autumn colours along here were wonderful in the sunshine. The next, rather low bridge, offers access to Little Haywood and two more inns but the road under the railway has no pavement so take care, it may also flood.

After Colwick and it's attractive lock the canal and River Trent are side by side. Wolseley bridge, where cars pip rather than slow down, offers a link to another inn.

As the path comes close to the railway, cross the canal and continue along the opposite bank. I missed this so was pleased to find that the bypass bridge does offer a cross link for those who ignore the plotted route. A crossing of the Trent at Brindley Bank brings us into Rugeley but there remains fields to one side and extended gardens on the off bank. It's interesting to see how some make better use of the waterside location.

It's just a short hop into the town and the meeting place, well located for shops and buses, trains are a little further. A very good Slow Way which with luck and funding for further surface improvements can only get better still.

Peaceful, relaxing and very easy to follow. I started at dawn in Rugeley and made the short way to the canal through town. The section along the Trent and Mersey Canal in Rugeley is popular with anglers and dog walkers and the gardens on the opposite bank tend to be quite ornate. Having crossed by aqueduct over the River Trent I was soon out of the town and into the countryside of the Trent Valley. The canal is well used by boaters and the moments of solitude are interspersed with the occasional "Hello" to joggers, dog walkers and narrowboats. As it heads north, the River follows to your left and you get views across cattle on the flood plain to the wooded hills of Cannock Chase. It's a lovely walk. The villages of Colwich, Little Heywood and Great Heywood are all well maintained picturesque places to walk through by towpath. It was too early for it to be open, but I checked that the pub in Little Heywood is a short walk from the route. At Great Heywood you leave the Trent and Mersey and join the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. As I passed on a Saturday morning there were many new hirers being taken through the basics of their narrowboats by staff. It's a route I've walked quite a few times before but today I found the S&W less interesting than the T&M. On the edge of Stafford, leaving the canal, the footpath was diverted (by only tens of metres) to accommodate a restored canal. The next section follows the Sow and there are a number of more direct options than the official footpath. There's a strange bridge which crosses where the Penk should be which I've left the route crossing. After crossing a bridge and the road which crosses it, the route picks up the River Sow Leisure Route, a really enjoyable paved walk into the town centre. After the temptations of the leisure park I crossed Victoria Park to make my hourly train home with 5 minutes to spare. Uncanny. This route, at 18.3km was the second longest Slow Way I've walked. It's offroad, safe, beautiful and very very easy to follow. But is there a more direct way? I looked at it and couldn't find one without a price. Less offroad if you followed the A513 and more of a climb if you somehow could piece together a series of paths across Cannock Chase. But just because I couldn't find it doesn't mean there isn't a better route.

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