Distance: 3.5 miles Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Start: Allotments car park (OS map ref 826206)

Leave the car park, heading North East to walk past the allotments on your left and across Doley Brook, to the open space known as The Acres. Pass the reedy man made pond on your right and continue up to the childrens play area where you join a footpath to the left of some houses (not the track which leads to the sports club).

Follow the path through a small estate (passing the cul de sac ends of Knightley Way and Shelmore Way), until you reach a stile on your left (at the time of writing the step on the stile is missing but you can duck underneath it). Follow the field edge ahead with the hedge on your right until you reach a gate by a fast flowing brook. Pass through the gate (remembering to close it afterwards) and head across the field beyond to another stile (usually the farm gate to the left of the stile is open anyway). At this point do not follow the lane to your right but cross the stile in front of you (take care climbing the stile or gate as at the time of writing they are in a poor state of repair). And follow the field ahead with the hedge to your right until you see a stile in the hedge on the right. Climb the stile, then follow the field ahead with the hedge on your left, ignoring the open gateway into the adjacent field, until you reach another stile. Climb the stile and follow the next field with the hedge on your left, you will see a white house ahead of you, this is Timbersbrook Cottage.

Nearly at the field corner look for a stile on your left, go over it, and turn right to climb another stile which actually leads you onto the driveway of Timbersbrook Cottage. Turn right to go through the gate (please close it afterwards). Then turn left on the lane. This area is Hollies Common.

After 100 yards, before the first house, turn left down a grassy path which descends down a muddy slope towards a stile which leads onto Doley Common. Climb the stile, and follow the easy to see path diagonally left towards some houses and another stile, this brings you to Doleygate.

After climbing the stile, walk left along the lane, passing the Happy Cats Hotel. This eventually joins the Gnosall to Norbury road. Turn left towards Gnosall, and after passing beneath the disused railway bridge climb up to the left onto the path of the old railway, turning right towards Gnosall. Follow the railway, with views of Gnosall village to your left, until you once again reach the allotments car park. You can access the car park by walking carefully down one of two steep slopes from the railway or by following the railway to the main road, going down the steps and turning left along the lane to the car park.