Way for the Millennium
Encyclopedia
The Way for the Millennium is an east-west route across Staffordshire
, deliberately designed for easy walking, using towpath
s, old railway line
s and footpath
s and visiting attractive countryside and green space
s.
(52.7656°N 2.3179°W), and follows the disused Newport to Stafford railway line via Gnosall
, Haughton
and Derrington
. Crossing Stafford
town centre, it picks up the Staffordshire and Worcestershire
and Trent and Mersey
canals through Milford
, Shugborough and Rugeley
, then crosses open country from Armitage
via Yoxall
to Wychnor
. It then rejoins the Trent and Mersey north via Barton-under-Needwood
, ending in Burton upon Trent
(52.8075°N 1.6570°W).
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, deliberately designed for easy walking, using towpath
Towpath
A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge...
s, old railway line
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
s and footpath
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s and visiting attractive countryside and green space
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
s.
Route
The path starts east of Newport, ShropshireNewport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
(52.7656°N 2.3179°W), and follows the disused Newport to Stafford railway line via Gnosall
Gnosall
Gnosall is a large village in the Borough of Stafford, Staffordshire, England, with a population of approximately 5,000. It lies on the A518, approximately half-way between the towns of Newport and the county town of Staffordshire, Stafford...
, Haughton
Haughton, Staffordshire
Haughton is a village in Staffordshire, England, approximately 4 miles outside the county town of Stafford. It lies on the A518 between Stafford and Gnosall....
and Derrington
Derrington
Derrington is a village near the M6 motorway, lying west of the town of Stafford, in the Stafford District, in the English county of Staffordshire. The village lies on the now disused Shropshire Union Railway running from Stafford to Shrewsbury. It has a pub, The Red Lion Inn and a parish church...
. Crossing Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
town centre, it picks up the Staffordshire and Worcestershire
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a narrow navigable canal in the English Midlands, passing through the counties of Staffordshire and Worcestershire....
and Trent and Mersey
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
canals through Milford
Milford, Staffordshire
Milford is a village in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies at the edge of Cannock Chase, on the A513 road between Stafford and Rugeley. Just to the north of the village is the River Sow.-History:...
, Shugborough and Rugeley
Rugeley
Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter...
, then crosses open country from Armitage
Armitage
Armitage is a village in Staffordshire, England on the south side of the Trent and Mersey Canal between Lichfield and Rugeley. Together with the adjacent village of Handsacre, it forms the parish of Armitage with Handsacre.-Village Amenities:...
via Yoxall
Yoxall
Yoxall is a large village in Staffordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Swarbourn on the A515 road north of Lichfield and south west of Burton upon Trent...
to Wychnor
Wychnor
Wychnor is a civil parish in Staffordshire, England, situated in the East Staffordshire local government district adjoining Alrewas and Barton-under-Needwood. It is situated on the A38, formerly the Roman road Ryknild Street, and contains the hamlet of Wychnor Bridges where the A38 crosses the...
. It then rejoins the Trent and Mersey north via Barton-under-Needwood
Barton-under-Needwood
Barton-under-Needwood is a large village in Staffordshire, England, a mile from the A38 between Burton upon Trent and Lichfield. It has a population of about 5000, many of whom commute to Burton or Lichfield or further afield to places such as Derby or Birmingham- Overview :The village has a...
, ending in Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
(52.8075°N 1.6570°W).