Cannock Chase National Landscape — Attraction in Cannock Chase

It is a fantastic and beautiful place to walk around and follow the various trails, definitely a lot to see, and will likely take multiple trips to see all of it. There are various different car parks hidden away that link to parts of the reserve. Some are in better condition than others, but they are free to park at. This reserve is an ideal place for cyclists, walking, and dog walking. I saw many dog walkers when I was here. There are many, many different trail options here, as the place is massive and extends to different fields, canals, and a river. I followed a 5-mile route when I was here and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am definitely planning to go back, but it's quite a nightmare to get here from where I live. If you travel here from the south going through Wolverhampton, the trip is extremely annoying and trying as you have to pass through the city centre. It's even worse on the way back if you head back about 5 or 6pm, as you will be stuck in traffic in Wolvo for what seems like hours (not to mention all the red lights). Before I came here, I saw a few different pictures of stepping stones above what looked like a big pond. I actually saw this while I was here, but it's not a pond, and it's not deep at all, only a few inches deep. It's more of a brook that passes through the main trail path and the water groups up in the middle. Still enjoyed it though, just some of the photos I saw made it seem much bigger than it actually is. There are some park benches and tables just to the side of this where you can sit down for lunch. It's pretty quiet around here, definitely not usual noises of a city or town. The only thing you'll hear is some distant traffic on the nearby 60mph road. The road seems to surround a lot of the reserve and you sometimes have to cross this to get to different areas. Highly recommend coming here though, definitely a great place to visit. Just try and dodge all the...

H and I came up to check to see if we should add Cannock Chase Forest to our 'great walking' list. The answer was a resounding 'Yes'. We were staying at a nearby Premier Inn and got two days walking - both walks over 10 miles. We parked at Birches Valley Centre. It has loads of car-parking space. We were happy to pay £6 to park all day although you can pay less for less time. To do the place properly, plan on staying all day. There's a Go Ape centre there too. There are three main walks - all way-marked. The 'easy' is suitable for a nice bimble and two 'moderate' which you can make as long, or as short, as you want. We had a great time! The views from the trails are so variable that you won't get fed-up just looking at trees! The flora is astounding and squirrels abound. It's impossible to describe, here, the feelings of open country, forest-walking, space, freedom and pure enjoyment. You'll just have to go and do it...

There are several parking areas. I parked at the information centre off Marquis Road / Lane. Sadly the information centre was closed for refurbishment and there were workmen with noisy equipment at the child's play area. There was a pleasant cafe with plenty of outdoor seating. I was planning on buying a sandwich or something for lunch. But the cafe only had hot drinks, cold drinks, crisps, chocolate and ice-cream. There were toilets available nearby. The car park was £1 for 3 hours and £2 for longer period. There are large noticeboards warning you that when the car park is locked at the time stated, your vehicle won't be able to leave until the following morning. Today was 7pm. The area of Cannock Chase was much larger than I had realised. There were lots of routes to follow and its easy to get away from people. Although there were lots of cars around, I didn't see many people...