Shirleywich Farm Holidays

Shuffle off to the National Trust-run Shugborough Estate (10 minutes' drive), a colonnaded stately home on the edge of Cannock Chase. The gardens here have fab 18th-century features to stroll in, while the kids will find plenty of curiosities if they check out the well-preserved servants' quarters. More local history is up for perusing at nearby Stafford Castle (20 minutes). Got a head for heights? There are three high-altitude options hereabouts, the first two of which are rather countrified affairs – sailing through the sky on a hot air balloon tour (15 minutes) or climbing up to the top of the forest canopy at Go Ape Cannock (20 minutes). You might want to keep the third option on the list, Alton Towers (30 minutes), up your sleeve as a way of encouraging the young ones to stay as good as gold… Haven't got a horse but still like the look of life in the saddle? Find yourself a mount at Cannock Chase Trekking Centre (15 minutes).