Stafford Castle is an ancient Grade II listed castle situated two miles west of the town of Stafford in Staffordshire, England. From the time of the Norman Conquest and as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 it was the seat of the powerful Anglo-Norman Stafford family (originally de Tosny, later via a female line^[1] de Stafford), feudal barons of Stafford, later Barons Stafford (1299) by writ, Earls of Stafford (1351) and Dukes of Buckingham (1444). The 14th-century stone keep was demolished in 1643, during the Civil War, having been held for the Royalists by Lady Isabel Stafford.^[2] The castle was remodeled in the early 19th century by the Jerningham family^[2] in the Gothic Revival style, on the foundations of the medieval structure, and incorporates much of the original stonework. Today the A518 Stafford-to-Newport Road passes next to it and it is a prominent local landmark visible from the M6 motorway and from the West Coast inter-city mainline.

PS: I chose this walk to be presented with my Ukraine medal which arrived earlier in the week

After lunch I enjoyed a lovely sunny drive to Attingham Park. On arrival at Attingham I realised that I had forgotten to pick up a scarf. It was rather windy so I visited the shop to see if there was something suitable, there was.

My walk took me past the few remaining snowdrops and through the walled garden before walking through the woodland where after a while some of the signposts petered out. I had started my walk in the middle of the afternoon and knew that the walled garden shut at 5pm, but I wasn’t sure what time the park closed. The lack of signposts  left me unsure of the quickest way back to the stable courtyard so I decided to retrace my steps because I knew I could walk 3 miles in just under an hour.

With seven miles under my belt I was back in the stables courtyard, warmed to the core with my new scarf blowing in what had now become a gentle breeze.

John Muir