Stafford: Castle Church

Auden Way is off West Way, which runs between Newport Road (A518) and Rising Brook (A449). Parking is available on Auden Way. Drive along West Way until reaching the Westway Pub. Take Shakespeare Road opposite, then turn left and left again.

The Centre is served by bus route 9 from Gaol Street in Stafford town centre, 4 times per hour on weekdays and Saturdays and hourly on Sundays. Get off at Dryden Close, and the centre is 100 metres ahead of you on the right.

[1]  Turn left out of the Centre and take the footpath to the road (West Way)

[2]  Turn left and follow West Way, crossing Shakespeare Road, Masefield Road and Vaughan Way to reach the traffic lights on Newport Road.

[2a]  To considerably shorten the route, turn left up Shakespeare Road and follow the pavement around onto Wordsworth Road and onto Auden Way.

[3]  At the lights, turn left and proceed along the pavement to Montville Drive.

[4]  Turn left and walk to the end of Montville Drive, crossing Edwin Close, Ralph Court and Isabel Close and bearing left at Edmund Avenue.

[5] Join the footpath to the right (see photo) and curve left between trees to follow the footpath to the end, ignoring a right turn across a grassed area.

This path is quite steep at the top and is bordered by nettles - wheel chair users should be aware of this.

[6]  Turn left at the end of the footpath – this is Marlowe Road.

[7]  Go down Marlowe Road, and at the end cross the road and turn right. You are now on Tennyson Road.

[8]  Continue along Tennyson Road and opposite the Castlechurch Primary School follow the road round to the left onto Chaucer Road.

[9]  Where Chaucer Road bends left into Wordsworth Avenue, cross over onto Auden Way and return to the Signpost Centre.

Be very careful of traffic coming down Chaucer Road behind you.

(A) Stafford Signpost Centre, Highfields

Located at the heart of the local community, the Signpost Centre was established in 2007 and soon became a social hub for the local community.

The centre provides a vibrant and welcoming place to meet, chat and enjoy a quiet cuppa as well as offering access to the internet and advice on housing, financial and family services.

A recent addition to the centre has been the creation of a sensory garden in what was an overgrown and apparently useless plot of land beside the building. A quiet haven for all the community to enjoy, this small plot shows what can be achieved when people work together.

As you walk more often, you may want to extend your walk to visit the nearby Castle Church and Castle.

(B) The church was rebuilt in the 1840s but many of the gravestones that surround the church predate this, the church having been a site of worship for 1000 years. There is an unusual sundial on the tower of the church dated 1624.

To the rear of the church, there is a public footpath that crosses Stafford Castle Golf Club. Follow this path across the course to reach Stafford Castle and enjoy the amazing views that the castle mound offers across the town of Stafford, Cannock Chase and neighbouring Shropshire.

(C) There has been a castle on this site since soon after the Norman invasion during the eleventh century when Robert de Toeni built a huge timber fortress. There has been a stone building on the site since the 14^th century although the present building dates back only 200 years.

The castle can be reached by way of a steep tarmac path or by following the gentler circuitous Woodland Trail.

For those who wish to learn more about the castle and its fascinating history, there are information panels situated around the site and the Visitor Centre brings the past to life in a fun hands-on way. Click on http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/stafford-castle-and-visitor-centre to find out more.