Walks by Bus
Get a ticket to the countryside
A collection of new nature walks has been launched to encourage people to take a trip into the countryside by bus.
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has teamed up with First Potteries to produce a series of seven walks which all begin and end with a bus stop which connects to Hanley Bus Station.
The walks, which are available to download from the bottom of this page, are spread across North Staffordshire and take in a host of stunning landscapes, historical highlights and wildlife spectacles.
The walks range in length from 7.7 miles to 12.4 miles but there are bus stops along each route for those who do not wish to complete the whole walk. Each walk points out features of interest and wildlife you can spot en route, and recommends a pub for lunch or refreshments.
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's Keith Tomkins, who developed the walks, said: "There is some amazing countryside in North Staffordshire and one of our aims at the Trust is to encourage everyone to go out and explore it.".
"Public transport is an environmentally-friendly way of getting around and with free bus passes available to the over 60s, many more people are now travelling by bus".
"We wanted to link in with this upsurge in bus users and make the countryside as accessible as possible for all".
| Distance | 16.5km (approx 10.2 miles) |
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| Category | Easy; mostly country lanes and tracks, only short pieces of footpaths/bridleways that may be muddy when wet. |
| Download |
| Distance | 20km (approx 12.4 miles) |
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| Category | Easy; a combination of tracks, country lanes, nature reserve, and across pasture and arable field. |
| Download |
| Distance | 15.5km (approx 9.6 miles) |
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| Category | Moderate, an interesting mixed walk, mostly easy but muddy in places and with a steady 200m ascent over a 2km stretch. |
| Download |
| Distance | 14.5km (approx 9 miles) |
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| Category | Moderate, an interesting mixed walk, mostly easy but could be very muddy in places. |
| Download |
| Distance | 19km (approx 11.8 miles) |
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| Category | Easy, the vast majority of this long walk is on easy towpaths, footpaths and country lanes. There is a steady climb over 0.5km toward the end. |
| Download |
| Distance | 15km (approx 9.3 miles) |
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| Category | Moderate, the vast majority of this long walk is on easy footpaths and country lanes. However, footpath links are across quite intensive farmland, routes are not clear and in many places field margins and stiles are in very poor condition. This walk goes through a good number of farms and for some reason all waymarks around the farmyards seem to have disappeared. |
| Download |
| Distance | 12.5km (approx 7.7 miles) |
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| Category | Easy, an intimate walk through pleasant undulating countryside and villages with good views. |
| Download |