Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, a working Midlands market town that looks more interesting once you leave the through roads. Its centre still has a tight old street pattern, a proper market-square feel, and enough timber framing and red brick to remind you that this was once a much more important administrative stop.
The best reason to pause is the Ancient High House, an enormous Elizabethan town house on Greengate Street that seems almost too tall and top-heavy for the modern high street around it. Close by are St Mary's Church, St Chad's Church, and the old legal quarter around Shire Hall.
Stafford is not a glamorous destination, but it is a useful one. Trains on the West Coast Main Line make it an easy base for Staffordshire, and the town works well as a low-key stop between the Potteries, Cannock Chase, and the western Midlands.