North of Birmingham, south of Manchester, west of the Pennines, east of the M6 - Staffordshire disguises its potential as a walking area, a potential that is surprisingly broad. From the protected wilderness of Cannock Chase in the south to the beautiful and remote Shropshire Peak in the north, the gentle hills of Ashbourne and Burton in the east, the heartland of England's canal heritage in its far south, and the glories of Lichfield and its cathedral, Staffordshire is endowed with a wide range of walking potential and is readily accessible from the east and west Midlands, the north-west and even Yorkshire.