Great Haywood, located on the edge of Cannock Chase is a lovely place to start a walk. When the car parks are too busy on the actual chase, the farm shop next to the canal is our go to starting point for a wander with the added bonus of coffee and cake on the way. This is one of our favourite Great Haywood walks, it’s pretty much all flat and takes you all the way into the Shugborough Estate.
Walking from Great Haywood route details.
Begin your walk in the Car Park at Canalside Farm shop at Great Haywood. It might feel pretty busy when you arrive but there is a large over spill round the back, I’m sure you’ll find a space. The cafe is currently serving take out only so grab some treats before you set off.
Exit the car park and cross over the road. Please be extra careful as cars do tend to go pretty fast. Cross the bridge and head down canal side. Walk past the white building to your right and cross over the next canal bridge. Keep going along the tow path, you’ll probably see some pretty canal boats moored up in the water.
It’s then an easy walk along the canal until you hit the Shugborough Estate. You’ll pass a couple of bridges and locks on your way. Once you spot another cafe on the opposite side of the canal (this has been closed for a lot of 2020) veer away from the canal to the right.
This is where you’ll find Essex Bridge, an old packhorse bridge crossing the River Trent. Cross over and you’re entering the Shugborough Estate.
Keep going straight along the bridleway. Its wide enough to pass people easily and very flat and well paved. You’ll be able to spot Shugborough in the distance to your right. This path is a public right of way and you do not need pre booked tickets to Shugborough to use it.
Once you get to the end of the path, to continue this specific walk you’ll need entrance tickets to Shugborough Hall. We are National Trust members and they kindly let us through as the hall was not too busy on the day we visited. If we hadn’t been able to go in we would have just re traced our steps, making sure to stop for a play in the woods before heading back along the canal.
Once through the gate we headed to the farm cafe for a warming drink. It took us ages to queue for our hot drinks but was well worth the wait, by this point in the walk we were all grateful for the rest. Coffees in hand we headed back out onto the path, turning right towards the house then following the path immediately to the left once through the gate.
This take you a short way across a field to another gate in the metal fence to your left. You can easily get through the gate, some however like to go over. We stopped again here to finish our drinks and for the kids to have a play on the tree.
Next it’s up the hill towards the mightily impressive Hadrians Arch. This is one of many folly situated in the grounds at Shugborough and it’s easily my favourite. The slog up the hill can be a little tough on the knees but the views from the top are well worth getting up a sweat for.
Once you’ve reached the top, it’s just a case of retracing your steps back to Great Haywood. Down the hill, through the gates and along the bridleway. Just before Essex bridge we made sure to take some time out to play in the woods. Head right through the metal gate. This area is always a huge hit with the kids. There are loads of trees to climb and stumps to jump on. It’s also one of the best places to kick leaves in autumn. It’s the little things right now that are bringing such joy.
Walk all the way through the woods and back for some lovely views of the surrounding fields. Then over Essex bridge to rejoin the tow path all the way back to the Canalside cafe and carpark.
Make sure you join the Marvellous Midlands Walks Facebook Group where you can share your favourite routes, photos and recommendations for walks in the Midlands. It’s also a great place to ask for recommendations and find inspiration for your next hike.
Great Haywood walks with dogs
This is a fun one for dogs, there’s plenty of variation alongside the canal, through woods and across fields. There are often cattle grazing around Shugborough so best to keep them on a lead in the Estate. Dogs are welcome at Shugborough but cannot enter the house or kids play area. Please do clean up after your dog, you’ll pass plenty of bins on the walk.
Walk Details
Length of Walk: This one was just over four miles
Duration: We took this one very slowly with plenty of breaks and time to play. The whole route took us 3.5 hours to complete. You could easily do it in two.
Difficulty: Apart from the hill climb up to Hadrians Arch, which you may want to skip anyway without timed tickets, it was all very flat with easy to follow paths. The walk should be pretty dry, apart from the hill up to the folly where you might find some mud.
Facilities: You’ll find toilets and a cafe in the farm buildings in the Shugborough estate. There are toilets at the start and end of the walk next to the farmshop but we didn’t use these. Make sure you use the farmshop before you leave, it has some amazing local produce and unique gifts. It really is one of the best farm shops in Staffordshire.
Car Parking: We left our car in the Canalside Carpark (ST18 0RQ). You should also be able to find parking in Great Haywood village, then just walk back to the canal to start your walk.
Please be sure to follow local government guidance, implement social distancing at all times on your walk and wear a mask if you’re heading into the farmshop.
If you’d prefer a longer, circular route through Shugborough and Great Haywood, have a look at this 5 mile loop we completed over summer. For another great walk from a lovely farmshop, you can’t go wrong by starting at the Deer Park, Staffordshire.
Make sure to pin for later to plan your next walk from Great Haywood.
