Downs Banks

Downs Banks is a small wilderness of woodland and heath on the edge of Stone in Staffordshire, given to the National Trust in 1950 as a memorial to those who died in the Second World War and grazed from spring to autumn by a small herd of cattle helping to restore the heathland. Downs Banks Brook runs the length of the valley, with a chance of a kingfisher's blue flash, and a rock pillar on the highest point picks out the Long Mynd, Mow Cop Castle, the Wrekin and the Clee Hills on a clear day. A waymarked trail and other paths make it popular with dog walkers, and bluebells carpet the woods in spring. Reviewers like it as a circular walk with good views and a leg stretch about five miles off the M6. Tips from visitors: the unsurfaced car park holds roughly 30 cars and fills quickly, there are no toilets on site, and the paths include steep, uneven climbs.