Staffordshire walk: Hales

This is an easy walk, good for wet weather as most of the route is along hard surfaces. It has some magnificent views and has a very rural feel to it.

The journey:

From the hamlet of Hales, where a small lane comes in from the left, keep ahead along the public footpath which is a concrete road for a good mile. It passes Nook Farm and at the junction, turn left, and go gently uphill to the next junction in front of a farm. Turn right here. The road becomes a track by the next farm. Turn left here and follow this track, passing a small wood on the right. The track soon starts to curve left towards the large farm on the left. Just before this, you should notice a waymark sign on the right. It will be drier to remain on the track until just before the bend, but after the bright green grass, and then aim slightly right to a stile. Go over this then cross the field ahead, aiming near the top left corner. However, before the corner you will see a stile on the left. Go over this to join a broad track. Do not turn right here, but carry on ahead along this track, which soon becomes a lane. After a good mile the lane joins another lane at Blore.

For a short route turn left down the lane back to Hales, but for the full walk, locate the stile by a gate ahead (just before joining the lane to the left). Go over this then diagonally across the field to join the fence/hedge on the right, as it dog legs right and reach a stile in the corner where the fence/hedge on the right turns left. Go over the stile then half left to reach a stile in the bottom right hand corner of the field. Go over this and along the bottom of the field to reach a broken gate by a road. Turn left on the road and at the next junction, left again passing a church on the left. Continue to the next junction where you turn left to reach the start.

Contributed by Peter Matthews, pictured above, of the Staffordshire Area Ramblers' Association. For further information phone 01782 336556.