Littleworth

On the opposite side of the road, behind the photographer, the Isabel Trail commences on a paved publicly accessible section of the line - see e.g. Link Wikipedia entry on the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway: Link

The Isabel Trail is the name given to a 1.65 mile stretch of cycleway in Stafford, leading north then north-east from the A5288 to the A513. It runs over a small part of what was the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1939, and most of the line closed in 1951, except for the Isabel Trail section, used until 1975 for access to RAF Stafford (now MoD Stafford/Beacon Barracks). The trail is flat and paved, and is a popular parkrun venue. It forms part of two National Cycle Network routes, 5 and 55. It is named after Lady Isabel Stafford, the last owner of the nearby castle, who was forced to leave and cede Stafford Castle to Parliamentarian forces during the Civil War in 1643. Wikipedia entry on the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway: Link

The River Sow rises at Fairoak at the western edge of Stafford Borough, flows through Cop Mere, Eccleshall and Stafford joining the Trent at Shugborough.

Great Mullein is a fan of waste ground, scrub, roadsides and rough grassland, and this scruffy verge off a ring-road next to a new housing development is ideal.

This was from 1913 to 2019 the site of the Universal Grinding Wheel Company Limited, known locally as the 'Uni', which had the head of a unicorn as its symbol. The next section of ring-road to the right of the observer, beyond a roundabout, is called Unicorn Way. Geograph images of the site before demolition: SJ9123 : Works, Doxey Rd SJ9123 : Works on Doxey Road SJ9123 : Saint-Gobain abrasives, Stafford

Astonfields Balancing Lakes LNR is situated on the north-eastern edge of Stafford. The primary purpose of the balancing lakes is flood defence, but over the years a series of important wildlife habitats have developed on the site. The northern lake (marked 'main lake' on the map) is mostly open water with a small amount of emergent vegetation. In contrast, the southern 'lake' contains little open water throughout most of the year. At one end is an extensive reedbed that is dominated by common reed, whilst at the other there is a small area of saltmarsh community flora. The saltmarsh is of particular botanical interest because this type of habitat has been found at only one other location in Staffordshire. Notable saltmarsh species include reflexed saltmarsh grass, lesser sea spurrey, grey club-rush and buttonweed. The Local Nature Reserve covers an area of approximately 4 hectares and is also identified as a grade 1 Site of Biological Importance (SBI). The area of land where the balancing lakes are located was once wet meadowland, which flooded regularly. Despite the subsequent changes to the area, evidence can still be found of the access routes that were used to move cattle onto the meadows. In particular, a tunnel in the embankment of the old railway line (at the northern edge of the site) can still be seen clearly today. This old railway line, which used to run to Uttoxeter, is now a picturesque cycle route. Much of the Astonfields Industrial Estate that lies to the west of the balancing lakes was the site of a salt works until the 1960's. The large poplar trees on the eastern edge of the LNR were originally planted by Sandon Road householders to hide this 'eyesore' and to cut out the smoke the works produced. The salt works extracted natural saline groundwater and heated this to produce salt. The salt-rich waste materials were then deposited nearby. These deposits, together with the saline groundwater itself, are considered to be the reason for the presence of saltmarsh vegetation on this site. The northern balancing lake was constructed in the late 1970s to help protect Stafford from flooding. In 1990 this lake was dredged and the southern balancing lake was constructed to increase the flood retention capacity of the site.

The area of vegetation closer to the photographer is saltmarsh, as described in the Shared Description.

This stand of Grey Club-rush (or Greyish Bulrush) Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani indicates the partly saline nature of this site - see Shared Description of Astonfields Balancing Lakes for an explanation of how this came to be. The NatureSpot website describes it as 'Mainly coastal in brackish dykes and beside tidal rivers ... Infrequent inland.'

The River Penk is a small river flowing though Staffordshire. Its course is mainly within South Staffordshire, and it drains most of the northern part of that district, together with some adjoining areas of Cannock Chase, Stafford, Wolverhampton, and Shropshire. It flows into the River Sow. The river rises near Wolverhampton and generally flows north to meet the River Sow at Stafford.

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal was opened in 1772, engineered by James Brindley. It cost a little over £100,000 at the time. It links the River Severn at Stourport to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Great Haywood Junction in Staffordshire. There are 43 locks (45 if you don't fancy the deep wide locks at Stourport) and the canal is 46 miles in length.

Bridge no.101 over the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is Grade II listed, see Link

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal was opened in 1772, engineered by James Brindley. It cost a little over £100,000 at the time. It links the River Severn at Stourport to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Great Haywood Junction in Staffordshire. There are 43 locks (45 if you don't fancy the deep wide locks at Stourport) and the canal is 46 miles in length.

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal was opened in 1772, engineered by James Brindley. It cost a little over £100,000 at the time. It links the River Severn at Stourport to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Great Haywood Junction in Staffordshire. There are 43 locks (45 if you don't fancy the deep wide locks at Stourport) and the canal is 46 miles in length.

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal was opened in 1772, engineered by James Brindley. It cost a little over £100,000 at the time. It links the River Severn at Stourport to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Great Haywood Junction in Staffordshire. There are 43 locks (45 if you don't fancy the deep wide locks at Stourport) and the canal is 46 miles in length.

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal was opened in 1772, engineered by James Brindley. It cost a little over £100,000 at the time. It links the River Severn at Stourport to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Great Haywood Junction in Staffordshire. There are 43 locks (45 if you don't fancy the deep wide locks at Stourport) and the canal is 46 miles in length.