# cannock chase



## the_bing (11 Jun 2011)

just spent the day at cannock chase with some chums. bit of a mission from hertford, but good fun. monkey trail uphill singletrack is the nuts; proper sorts the men from the boys. did the whole trail without pushing up anything. loving the technical descents. gonna go back...


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## Ludwig (12 Jun 2011)

I used to live near there and all the local athletes use it for training. It is a beautiful area and the swithbacks are good for runners but probably too steep too cycle up.


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## the_bing (12 Jun 2011)

well then, i'm the bollox cos i rode up everything. 

it certainly is great training, can't wait to go back. the last bit of 'follow the dog' is a proper hoot....

my thanks to all the guys at chase trails for their hospitality and good trails


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## Cubist (12 Jun 2011)

Try the Adder's back climb at Dalby, and any of the three or four switchback climbs on Riggs and Dales. All of them perfectly doable, but you'll need to be in the granny and have an amount of technique to do them!


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## ThePainInSpain (12 Jun 2011)

Lived 100m off The Chase before we moved here, and knew just about every inch of the place for MTB. But I think it's all changed now.


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## Zoiders (12 Jun 2011)

Ludwig said:


> I used to live near there and all the local athletes use it for training. It is a beautiful area and the swithbacks are good for runners but probably too steep too cycle up.


Every bugger an his dog MTBs on the switch backs and cuttings.

Stupidly steep yes so you may have to shoulder the bike here and there on some technical bits but the descents separate the men from the boys.


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## Muddy Ground (13 Jun 2011)

There's a thing in London for renaming places poshly, if you see what I mean. Battersea is South Chelsea, and Streatham becomes St Reatham. Some guy from around here came back from the Midlands and stated he'd been to Charnook near Wolverhampton..... 

MG


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## PaulSecteur (18 Jun 2011)

Muddy Ground said:


> Some guy from around here came back from the Midlands and stated he'd been to Charnook near Wolverhampton.....



...which is ironic because people from Wolverhampton usually de-posh names, like ka-nuk


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## Muddy Ground (20 Jun 2011)

So we have Charnook and now Ka-nuk. How does a Cannockian pronounce it? 

MG


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## keefus (20 Jun 2011)

Is it right that there is a railway station (rugely?) not far from the trailhead? If so how far? I really do fancy travelling from dorsit to 'follow the dog'.


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## Dave W (4 Jul 2011)

Rugely Town Station is only 2.3 miles from the trail start. Well worth a trip over in my opinion.


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## Zoiders (4 Jul 2011)

keefus said:


> Is it right that there is a railway station (rugely?) not far from the trailhead? If so how far? I really do fancy travelling from dorsit to 'follow the dog'.


You don't have to follow "The Dog"

You can get on the trails from the Stafford side of the chase as well, it's maybe 5 miles and Staffords on the west coast mainline.


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## Sir Humphrey Appleby (27 Jul 2011)

Muddy Ground said:


> So we have Charnook and now Ka-nuk. How does a Cannockian pronounce it?
> 
> MG



When did they learn to talk? 

Did follow the dog tonight, found it quite challenging but good, think I'll try and improve elsewhere on the chase for a bit before going back to it. Are there any trails around that are a step lower than follow the dog?


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## stoofer34 (28 Jul 2011)

The right hand side of Sherbrook valley is a easier trail
From The German Cemetery to Stepping Stones tur right for Seven Springs

S


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## Sir Humphrey Appleby (28 Jul 2011)

stoofer34 said:


> The right hand side of Sherbrook valley is a easier trail
> From The German Cemetery to Stepping Stones tur right for Seven Springs
> 
> S



That's a bit too easy though, I could do with somewhere in between tbh, or even just as hard as FTD if its got less people on it and I can take my time a bit more.


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## Dave W (29 Jul 2011)

Sir Humphrey Appleby said:


> That's a bit too easy though, I could do with somewhere in between tbh, or even just as hard as FTD if its got less people on it and I can take my time a bit more.



You can take as much time as you like on FTD.

I never ever rush, I'm there to enjoy the course not race it. I simply pull over and let someone go past if they catch up.


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## stoofer34 (31 Jul 2011)

Did a 20 miler over the Chase this morning
Rescued a rider in Abrahams Valley (No Pump) 
Some gimp had dug a fire pit in the middle of the Towpath on the way back
Clean over the bars!!!and down the embankment, well nettled and sore ribs!
Ouch!


S


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## chillyuk (31 Jul 2011)

Toatally off topic as far as cycling is concerned:

When I was a child back in the 1950's we had a summer house (glorified shed!) at Brocton and I spent many happy hours roaming Cannock Chase. I remember a hill with a big boulder on top and it always puzzled me how they got the boulder up the hill. We used to pass it on the way to and from Brocton from Stafford. Have any of you locals any idea where this hill is. Bearing in mind it was a long time ago, and to a child the hill and boulder would appear bigger than as to an adult so maybe my memory or perception is playing tricks.


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## stoofer34 (31 Jul 2011)

It is a glacial boulder 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/57546

Rode past it today

S


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## Sir Humphrey Appleby (31 Jul 2011)

chillyuk said:


> Toatally off topic as far as cycling is concerned:
> 
> When I was a child back in the 1950's we had a summer house (glorified shed!) at Brocton and I spent many happy hours roaming Cannock Chase. I remember a hill with a big boulder on top and it always puzzled me how they got the boulder up the hill. We used to pass it on the way to and from Brocton from Stafford. Have any of you locals any idea where this hill is. Bearing in mind it was a long time ago, and to a child the hill and boulder would appear bigger than as to an adult so maybe my memory or perception is playing tricks.



Glacial Boulder.

On the way out of Brocton up Chase Road, its on the left more or less at the top. Its still pretty big even as an adult.


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## Sir Humphrey Appleby (31 Jul 2011)

stoofer34 said:


> It is a glacial boulder
> 
> http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/57546
> 
> ...


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## stoofer34 (31 Jul 2011)

watch out! watch out! There's a Humphrey about!!!!


S


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## chillyuk (31 Jul 2011)

Thanks all and for the picture links. I guess that must be it, but I don't recall all the fancy bits under the boulder, but as I said it was a long time ago so my memory may not be as good as it was


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## homercles (3 Aug 2011)

Yep FTD and Monkey Trail combined make for a great ride and a good workout. If you do start from the main forest centre you start on the FTD because the Monkey Trail is on the other side of the railway and main road that divides the chase in 2. It is also worth pointing out that the Monkey Trail is quite a bit more technical and harder going with steeper climbs, lots of switchbacks and some more serious downhills and I have seen many people caught out by this as they assumed it was just an extension of FTD with a similar technical level. Another word of warning is that thanks to the well compacted gravel surface these trails (especially Monkey Trail) are slippery as hell after heavy rain and they can get pretty busy on weekends and summer evenings.


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