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Cannock Chase

Recommended by

Our view

"Explore an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty once ravaged by industry."

Walk directions

From the car park at the Birches Valley Forest Centre, turn left along the metalled road (Birches Valley) past a row of houses. After 200yds (183m), turn left along a wide gravel forest road. Stay left on the main track here, avoiding a less obvious grass track up the hill to the right. In 0.5 miles (800m) you reach a track junction just before Stony Brook.

Turn right, with a small sign for Cannock, along another smooth track. At once fork left, on a track along the valley floor. One of the small Stonybrook Pools is on your left; 300yds (274m) later you emerge into more open ground alongside two reservoirs, the Fairoak Pools. About 350yds (320m) after the second pool, you reach a major track junction.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Gravel tracks

Landscape - Forest and forest pools

Dog friendliness - Can be off lead, but beware of bikes

Parking - Birches Valley Forest Centre pay car park

Toilets en route - At Birches Valley Forest Centre at start

About the walk

Cannock Chase, a vast area of open heathland and conifer forest just to the north of Birmingham, has been the site of human activity for thousands of years. Prehistoric hunter-gatherers built massive earthworks here (see While You’re There), and William the Conqueror, realising that the heavily... forested area would be difficult to cultivate, declared it a royal hunting forest. As a result, anyone caught killing a small animal lost an eye or one hand, while anyone caught poaching deer was executed. The precedent set by William I protected the Chase from being exploited for timber, and it remained a hunting forest until Tudor times. Under Henry VIII, however, the Chase was given to William Paget, later the Marquis of Anglesey, who secured a licence to fell trees for iron smelting in 1560. Marquis’s Drive, running more or less right across the chase, is a reminder of his legacy, but it was his deeds rather than his name that had the greatest impact on the landscape. Iron smelting relied on vast quantities of charcoal to fire early blast furnaces. With the help of water-powered bellows, a mixture of charcoal, limestone and cinders was burned to melt the iron ore, which was then poured into troughs as cast iron, an alloy of carbon and iron. This mixture was very brittle, and even more charcoal was needed to burn off the carbon so that it could be hammered into wrought iron. The bars of iron produced in this way were then heated a final time, to be rolled flat and slit by a water-powered mill. By the end of the 16th century, the process was refined enough to produce items like nails, locks and chains. But the new technology came at a price, and by 1610 Cannock Chase had been almost completely deforested by voracious charcoal-burners. It was still treeless 240 years later when the Cannock Chase Colliery came into being. The area was first mined for coal in 1298 but it wasn’t until the height of the Industrial Revolution that it became big business. With coal came people, and the increase in population pushed back the boundaries of the remaining green areas further still. Mining continued well into the 20th century, and it wasn’t until the 1920s and 1930s that trees began to be systematically replanted in the area. By the end of World War II, coal mining was confined to larger pits, and many of the smaller pits were closed. In 1958 much of the woodland and heather was declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and since then most of it has returned to nature.

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About the area

Staffordshire features lofty moors, deep dales and tremendous views of both. Further south are the six sprawling towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent, which historically have had such an impact on Staffordshire’s fortunes, not to mention its culture and countryside.

Nearby places to stay

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Route details

Difficulty:

Easy

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

3.5 miles (5.7kms)

Ascent:

270ft (82m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

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Cannock Chase

Recommended by

Our view

"Explore an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty once ravaged by industry."

Walk details

Difficulty:

Easy

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

3.5 miles (5.7kms)

Ascent:

270ft (82m)

Walk directions

1 of 5

2 of 5

Here turn left, following cycle signs for Cannock. In 100yds (91m) the main track bears right, ignoring smaller paths off to left and ahead. The path runs uphill, with clear-felled ground to the left and mature conifers to the right (these too may soon be felled). Ignore lesser paths off left and right, and walk on to a junction at the top of the slope, beside a trail bikes signboard. Go straight across for another 150yds (137m) to meet a metalled, car-free road, Marquis’s Drive.

3 of 5

Turn left along Marquis’s Drive (or the bike path alongside). After 0.25 miles (400m) you pass the entrance to the disused air force base of Hednesford on your right. From this point Marquis’s Drive becomes unsurfaced. It heads gently uphill and bends left. About 0.25 miles (400m) from the air base entrance, and just before the very top of the slope, a smaller track turns off left, with a blue bridleway arrow.

4 of 5

Turn left on this long, straight track, which dips downhill between the rows of conifers. At the bottom of the hill, turn left along a wider track, keeping ahead to Stony Brook. Cross the stream and continue ahead (Point 2), retracing the route to the car park.

5 of 5

Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Gravel tracks

Landscape - Forest and forest pools

Dog friendliness - Can be off lead, but beware of bikes

Parking - Birches Valley Forest Centre pay car park

Toilets en route - At Birches Valley Forest Centre at start

Walks in Staffordshire Dog-friendly walks in Staffordshire Family friendly walks in Staffordshire

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

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Get an AA guide

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Staffordshire

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)

Cannock Chase

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Cannock Chase

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