Combridge brings together a variety of historical themes: Fieldhead Farmhouse dates from around 1700, and the history of the former canal is linked to an aqueduct over Nabb Brook. Railway traces and walking trails also offer starting points for planning a trip. When choosing a walk, practical details such as length, surface and links to historic routes can help.

Walking Trails with Different Profiles

The Uttoxeter Canal Milepost Walk is seven miles long and runs between Uttoxeter and Denstone. Its route follows roads and footpaths that run as close as possible to the original canal route. This links a clearly defined route with the course of the former waterway. Its length and endpoints provide a concrete framework when planning the walking portion of your stay.

Overall, the walk is flat and easy; however, some sections can be very muddy and include several stiles. The general description sits alongside notes on individual trail conditions: both are part of the walk’s profile. As route details can change and ground conditions can also vary, check the route information before setting out.

Section 4 of the Churnet Way follows disused railway paths and farmland to the confluence of the River Churnet and River Dove. Its described character therefore differs from that of the Uttoxeter Canal Milepost Walk: roads and footpaths near the former canal route shape that walk, while former railway paths and farmland define this one. The river confluence is the stated destination of the section.

You can therefore use different questions to help you choose: for the Uttoxeter Canal Milepost Walk, the seven-mile length, endpoints and connection to the canal route are the main considerations. Section 4 of the Churnet Way, by contrast, is characterised by disused railway paths, farmland and its endpoint at the confluence of the River Churnet and River Dove. These described features make the two routes comparable without suggesting they follow the same course.

Canal, Railway and Historic Buildings

At Combridge, the former canal crossed Nabb Brook over an aqueduct. The canal closed in 1847; construction of the railway that followed its route then began. This sequence provides a thread through the history of transport: the canal’s closure was followed by railway construction along its former course.

Another connection to railway history is Combridge Crossing House. It stood on the North Staffordshire Railway near Rocester. The track by the house was removed in the winter and spring of 1966. Along with the earlier canal closure, these details mark different stages in the changing transport routes.

Fieldhead Farmhouse is a Grade II listed farmhouse dating from around 1700. Its date provides an earlier historical reference than the canal’s closure in 1847 and the track’s removal in 1966. The history of Combridge can therefore be understood through two distinct, datable themes: building history and changes to transport routes.

The river landscape is also connected to a historic structure: a Type 24 pillbox at the confluence of the River Dove and River Churnett near Combridge was converted into a bat roost. Alongside the canal and railway history, this adds the reuse of a building. The named river routes and this conversion offer different perspectives on the landscape and its history.

Discover more destinations: Newport, Whitmore, Himley, Dunston, Cannock, Rugeley, Meerbrook, Brocton

For the broader travel guide: Staffordshire.