Cannock Chase - off the beaten track

DXG82
DXG82 Posts: 35
edited January 2012 in Routes
Hi

I have heard that Follow the Dog and the Monkey Trail have got really busy these days, but that there is loads of other decent but unmarked single track on the Chase.

How easy is this to find? Does anyone have any tips for quieter routes on the Chase for times when FTD and MT are too clogged up?

Thanks

Comments

  • Rushmore
    Rushmore Posts: 674
    DXG82 wrote:
    Does anyone have any tips for quieter routes on the Chase

    Thanks

    Yep, Go in the week :)
    Always remember.... Wherever you go, there you are.

    Ghost AMR 7500 2012
    De Rosa R838
  • Too old for this
    Too old for this Posts: 128
    When you approach the tackeroo caravan site, don't follow the red route signs, carry straight on cross the road and then go explore, return hours later with big smiles. 8) 8)
  • DXG82
    DXG82 Posts: 35
    Thanks - its not really possible for me to go in the week as I am not local and work long hours :o(

    I went this weekend and rode the Monkey and Follow the Dog and it was just so busy. If its like that in January, what is it like in summer?! I don't think I will bother going to find out!

    Being a petite female and also fairly new to mountain biking, I am a bit slower than a lot of other people who blast round the trails. I do always try to be considerate and pull over to let faster riders past me, but Cannock was so busy that I found I was having to pull over constantly which meant I could not get into the flow and enjoy my riding. I also find to quite intimidating on the downhill sections when people come right up close behind me - if people can see there is a slower rider in front then why not wait a couple of minutes for them to finsih that section then you can do that section as fast as you like! Like I say I do try and pull over when I can to let people past but it is not always safe to stop on some of the sections of trail.

    I also found that there were crowds of people gathered around the rock gardens on the red section of the monkey trail which put me off attempting them. I have never done them before and would like to try but don't really fancy it when so many people were watching!
  • Alan P
    Alan P Posts: 127
    I was there on Saturday, but I left it until gone 2.30 and it was fairly quiet then. I've also been up there on Sunday evenings loads of times in the Summer and done a lap before sundown and it's been quiet. If you pick your time right (usually early am or late pm), then even at the weekends it can be quiet.
    Ibis Mojo HDR (2014)
    Canyon Grand Canyon AL29 (2013)
  • journey_man_pro
    journey_man_pro Posts: 169
    Alan P wrote:
    I was there on Saturday, but I left it until gone 2.30 and it was fairly quiet then. I've also been up there on Sunday evenings loads of times in the Summer and done a lap before sundown and it's been quiet. If you pick your time right (usually early am or late pm), then even at the weekends it can be quiet.

    I went both Saturday and Sunday about 3 pm start and it was perfect, not many about but it was very windy and quite wet!
  • mtwindowcleaning
    mtwindowcleaning Posts: 57
    We go Sunday morning up there for about 8 am nice and quiet.
  • .blitz
    .blitz Posts: 6,197
    There is plenty of off-piste at Cannock but recently the FC have had a bit of clampdown and a fair amount is brashed off. They are also busy felling in some areas (more to come) and some great singletrack has been lost.

    But hey the Chase is a farm and the FC are farmers and this happens all the time. Great trails come and go and come back again.

    This time of year people are gagging to go riding and if the weather's kind at the weekend you can expect to see a lot of people on the trails - Cannock is within an hour's drive for 7 million people. By the same token it can be surprisingly quiet on Sunday afternoons in summer. There is a kindof 'tidal wave' of riders who start mid-morning and are back by lunchtime.

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