Mares Hall

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

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Mares Hall, Ingestre
Review by: - Helen Price

Beautiful spring weather greeted us as we drove into Staffordshire. The county holds fond childhood memories for me as my mother was from Stafford. My grandparents and family still lived there after she moved ‘down south’ and we visited them in Staffordshire regularly throughout my childhood. After losing my grandparents we didn’t visit as often, so it was so lovely to go back as an adult and walk down memory lane with my husband Ben and our two Norfolk Terriers, Orla and Ada.

We started on the beautiful Shugborough Estate where my mum had her first job selling admissions tickets, so it was a must on my memories list. The Shugborough Estate is a National Trust property in the heart of the Staffordshire Countryside with over 900 acres of landscape to explore with your dog. There are rules for dogs, as it still is a working estate. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the Park Farm Cafe, Walled Gardens and Pleasure grounds, but they must stay on lead as there is livestock grazing and ground nesting birds across the estate throughout the year. There are nice added touches of water bowls and tie up areas as well in Park Farm Yard and Middleton Yard. 

It’s such a pretty space to explore and walk round and you can go to the visitor’s centre when you arrive and get a map, which also has information on poop bins, etc. You can also download the map from National trust website if you wanted to pre-plan your route. The routes vary in length from 0.7 miles to 5 miles with monuments and lots of lovely highlights to see along the way.

Our choice was a two-mile ‘Plantation walk’ which in the autumn and winter months can be a little muddy, so make sure you have your wellies or walking boots on. It’s a nice circular route, always my favourite type. However, if you have an OS Map you can branch off and extend the walk to Santnall Hills and explore further. You will need to have a National Trust membership or pay admissions on entry to visit the estate. The standard adult admissions £13 per person.

After a wonderful trip down memory lane, we headed to our accommodation for the night, Mares Hall, which was super cool and quirky. A fabulous find for two equestrians, having been converted from a stable block with one of the original stalls still being in place and used as the bedroom. It had original brickwork and was decorated to suit the stylings of the barn, owned by two architects who had really put their creative stamp on the place. 

The girls loved trotting around and exploring and it was such a great space for them to enjoy. There is no fully secure garden at the property but there is an exercise area for the dogs at the front of the property or a lovely long driveway to the hall with grass verges for your dog’s toilet breaks. 

The property setting is stunning. Within a quadrangle and also housing the Ingestre Riding School. The timeless Victorian stables were originally built in 1886 by the Earl of Shrewsbury and were part of his Ingestre Estate. Sitting and relaxing before dinner and hearing the clip clop of horses across the yard was just perfect and such a nice atmosphere. The entire setting was simply marvellous and unlike any other place we have visited.

We enjoyed our downtime and then left to go to The Saracens Head a short drive away in the village of Weston for dinner, which was incredible. A beautifully decorated gastro pub with a dog friendly bar area. A dog friendly table is a booking choice if you reserve your dinner online. We were seated in a quiet corner of the pub next to a cosy fireplace and set the girls up with some treats to keep them busy. Ada fell asleep pretty quickly – I think the busy day had wiped her out – but Orla sat and watched the world go by. The food was so tasty I really would put it on your list as a place to visit for some food during your stay. The pub does have the option of accommodation here as well which we had a look at it and it was in keeping with the rest of the pub and looked a stylish setting.

The next morning, we enjoyed a lie-in thanks to our hosts letting us stay longer and then packed up ready to go and explore one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country, Cannock Chase. 

My fellow Norfolk Terrier owner and friend Lisa lives in Stafford. She suggested we park at the Punch Bowl carpark to follow a circular route she often enjoys with her boy Jasper. After starting the route, we decided to go off the popular track to find a little peace as it was a busy Sunday. There are signs you can follow to explore away from the more popular trackways while still staying on the official trails which protects the hard work of the local councils and trusts who care for the land. We came across a beautiful stream and some lovely quiet trackways to walk the girls as the area is so big; Ada is a water baby whereas her older sister Orla has always been a lot more cautious. However, Orla followed her little sister into the stream with a bit of confidence and enjoyed a paddle in the beautiful clear waters. It was so picturesque. I have to be honest; we did get a little lost and divert from the route suggested by my friend, but we loved every moment. 

We find that is part of the fun when you go on these adventures – making your own discoveries. My advice for anyone visiting Cannock Chase for the first time would be to park at the main centre and grab yourself a trail map.

Forestry England run some great dog friendly and family activities here including several pre-planned walks with one popular option for dog walkers wanting to make a longer walk. This is the ten-mile trail called the Heritage Trail which goes through three local villages all steeped in history. The route isn’t circular, but there is another option of doing a loop that’s around 3.9 miles long and starts and ends at the visitor’s centre, a great choice if you want to enjoy a nice cup of tea at the start or finish of your walk. The girls had such a blast on the chase. Orla fell into some boggy ground. Her puppy sister, Ada, was light enough to trot over unscathed, but a full-grown Orla sank in into the mud. We had to laugh, even if it did mean using three bottles of water, we had just bought at the supermarket to clean her off. 

We then popped her in her drying coat and prayed she would dry off on the journey to the pub for our Sunday roast dinner.

We arrived at the Seven Stars pub. I chose to come here as it was one of my nan’s favourite pubs when I was younger. It has changed a lot since then and the updates were wonderful. Gorgeous décor, the friendliest staff, and a happy vibe all round. We met my uncle here as he still resides in Stafford and we had a delicious Sunday roast while talking about childhood memories and visits to the Chase, Shugborough and my nan and granddad’s old pub in the village of Little Haywood. Towards the end of the meal the girls ended up with their own fan club. Three of the waitresses came over to see the girls and they adored all of the fuss. The staff loved having the wee terriers there and were asking lots of questions about them and telling us all about their own dogs – one of the most cheerful teams of staff from start to finish.

It truly was the most lovely way to end our short stay in Stafford a place that has a huge place in my heart from my childhood and had now helped me create new memories with my husband and hounds as an adult. With the size of Cannock Chase and the added element of the Shugborough Estate I would certainly say you can make a much longer weekend of your visit here. The Chase has so many walks for your waggies you could dedicate a good few days to enjoying this incredible place.

Mares Hall, review by Helen Price and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue 74.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine