Cannock Chase

Ditch Witch

Looks like we'll be hitting this for a few days on the way back from our wedding, probably around the 15th of July. Anyone do evening rides there and fancy meeting up if the weather is good?

Mrs Toast

Ah, my local! Well, sort of, it's over an hour's drive away (or 15 minutes from my mother's...), but we go there every weekend. I don't know if I'd be able to make an evening ride during the week though.

Ditch Witch

Ah, That's a shame.

Recommendations for good (read: easy) routes?

deadliest

Not sure what you consider as Easy but you really cant go wrong with ''Follow The Dog'' pretty much everything is rideable and easily navigated around if worried.

There are a couple of other routes . . . A blue if im not mistaken which I am sure Mrs Toast can explain in better detail ( Or check out her blog ).

Ditch Witch

How much is parking? And is Stile Cop really as scary as it sounds?

Mrs Toast

There's not a blue yet, think there might be one in the planning stages though. There's the waymarked green route which is really pretty and a good length (19 miles altogther), which is all fireroads.

Follow the Dog isn't too hard, there's nothing that isn't rollable, apart from Evil Root Number One and Evil Root Number Two, which are protruding roots on climbs. Everyone seems to be able to tackle them fine, they're just my nemesises....nemesisi?

Both routes are loops, and can be started from the two visitors centres - Marquis Drive and Birches Valley. Birches Valley has the better cafe, a bike shop and wash, and is the official start of Follow the Dog (and is also home to the Go Ape course). Marquis Drive has a collection of stuffed deer though...

Ditch Witch

Mmmm, stuffed deer, cake, stuffed deer, cake... Not sure which way to jump on this one.



We'll be staying at a campsite very near Stile Cop so maybe the Marquis Drive centre would be better for us, then we could stop for cake halfway! (no cake, no ride, amigo) However, as we'll be camping, the bike wash would really come in handy....

I've heard that Wonderland at Stile Cop is the easiest, does that sound right?


I'm going to join chase trails now, just to get the coasters

SpinningJenny

I need to visit my Midlands based part of my family for this one. I have a feeling that Cannock Chase is where I learned to ride my Budgie bike when I was a littlun...

Mrs Toast

Ah, Stile Cop is all the downhill stuff, I'm more of a cross country fairy! I'm not really familiar with the downhill courses, but a brief rundown of the trails can be found here though:

http://www.chasetrails.co.uk/downhill.php

http://www.chasetrails.co.uk/xc.php

Ditch Witch

We're hoping to stay at CC for a few days so I expect Mr DW will want to have a bash at Stile Cop at least once. I'll either have the day off or want to do the very very easiest course

Ditch Witch

Look at the back wheel on that bike! Proper little chopper, that

SpinningJenny

Yep, I think that was the aim... I was so jealous of my cousin's Chopper but wasn't allowed one...

Nor a BMX...

*sigh* a deprived childhood....

Ditch Witch

I always wanted a BMX too, but by the time my parents could afford one, we'd moved to the foothills of LA and everywhere was so steep, I didn't want one anymore

SpinningJenny

Yeah, not so good on them thar hills!

Ditch Witch

Nor in that heat

SpinningJenny

God no. The tyres would melt

ChrisMidsUK

Ditch Witch wrote:

How much is parking? And is Stile Cop really as scary as it sounds?

This video will give you an idea of typical trail runs. Not ready for it myself, that's for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtXhxl2LyTc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_fk3v3UI8o

ChrisMidsUK

How good is this lad? 8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9se0cAelIC0

This reminds me of me trying some singletrack jumps not long back, without the falling off part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVgcq87qVgw

And just for fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU7kGyj1Z20

Alex

Perhaps too late, but hopefully not.

Wonderland is not a good "Beginners downhill" route.

Try the Red (all rollable, even the little drops), Ridge (sans double, all rollable), or Little Bringewood (severely technical but all rollable).
The grading of Wonderland as a single dot trail is a printing error. The swtichbacks at the start and the jumps in the middle lift out outside of the "easy, rollable beginners trail" catagory.

The following trails are suitable for intermediate riders:
Wonderland, CDL, Snakes and Ladders, Ridge Run Double, Ridgewood
These contain unrollable features and require advanced riding skills, but are not that difficult overall.

The following tracks are wholly unsuitable for beginners: New Line, Black Line, Walleater, Balboa, All contain unrollable features and present an extreme challenge.



When riding Stile Cop, please take care, wear a full face helmet and pads and always walk a track before riding it.

Have fun

Ditch Witch

That's excellent, thanks! Not too late, no, as we won't be there until July