We visit a refreshing village on the Staffordshire border steeped in Royal history and found some of the country's finest countryside walks
Nestled in the gentle countryside on the Staffordshire and Shropshire border, life moves at a pace that feels both refreshing and rare in this village.
Located within the parish of Brewood and four miles north west of Eccleshall, Bishops Wood offers something many places strive for but few truly achieve: a strong sense of community paired with the quiet beauty of rural England.
What makes Bishops Wood special is more than just its scenic surroundings - although the rolling fields, winding lanes, and fresh air certainly play their part.
The village also carries a quiet thread of national history within its landscape. Following the turmoil of the English Civil War, the future king Charles II is said to have passed through this region during his dramatic escape in 1651.
Local tradition connects the area to the famous tale of the oak tree - echoing the story of the Royal Oak at nearby Boscobel House - where he hid to evade capture. These stories, woven into the fabric of the surrounding countryside, lend Bishops Wood a sense of living history, and the village pub is named 'The Royal Oak' to honour the tale.
