Cannock Chase

A Day Of Two Halves

OK, I know I live in Tier 3 Greater Manchester… so what was I doing in Staffordshire.

Well sadly, I was attending the funeral of my cousin and godmother, Wendy Harding (25/8/39 – 19/11/20) at Bushbury Crematorium on the north side of Wolverhampton. It was good to see some family who I haven’t seen for a few years.

For the Aston Uni peers amongst my readership, Wendy was particularly helpful to me by persuading her boss in a small building firm in Bilston to give me my first industrial training placement when I was struggling to find one…. way back in 1976!

However, getting out of the local area for the first time since March gave me an opportunity to take in some countryside that was pretty much on my way home, hence a trip to Cannock Chase.

After leaving my home “village” of Kingswinford, near Dudley, for Stockport, there were a few occasions when I’d meet my parents at Cannock Chase for a stroll in its beautiful countryside.

So, it’s a delight to revisit, and share on the blog.

It’s a 1 hour 25 minutes journey home, and a 2 hours 10 minute walk, so I calculate that this trip could be completed from home in my target of 5 hours, so I may return in the future.

Geologically Cannock Chase is part of the sandstone Cheshire formation, and the sandy base makes this an ideal place to visit after recent heavy rains as it is certainly well drained with good solid paths.

The first half of the walk was completed in clear blue skies and sunshine, before the clouds rolled in from the west.

The walk is 6.2 miles but the good paths and easy going meant I made good time. My usual modus operandi is to start a walk at the lowest point, and get the uphill parts out of the way while I’m feeling fit and energised. Today I did the opposite as the profile picture shows.

For you dog walkers, I would say this is the most dog friendly walk I’ve completed since I started the blog. No roads and no livestock. I do wonder whether there could be restrictions during the bird breeding season as there are large areas of habitat suitable for ground nesting species.

I parked in a lay-by at Anson Bank, a little north of my intended starting point. There are lots of places to park, but I imagine it would be busy at peak times of the year, and on weekends.

OS Explorer Map 244

The Walk

There are so many paths criss-crossing the Chase that it is too difficult to describe the walk. The OS Map or app is a help, but in essence I followed the Heart of England Way north until I reached Mere Pits pond.

Mere Pits and the Stepping Stones

At Mere Pits, a right turn took me east to a junction with the Staffordshire Way. Bearing right I soon came to a picnic spot and stepping stones over Sher Brook.

Sherbrook Valley

I didn’t cross but made my way up Sherbrook Valley, keeping the brook on my left, continuing all the way up until meeting the Heart of England Way once again.

As I made my way up the valley I was taken aback by the calls of a pair of ravens. At first you see them and think they’re crows but they are massive and the call is so distinctive. Mind, you’ll need to be on a big screen to see the bird on my picture!

Katyn Memorial

Heading west back towards the starting point I come to the Katyn Memorial to 25,000 Polish prisoners of war and professional classes murdered by Soviet Secret Police at Katyn Forest and elsewhere.

A reminder of how lucky I am to be able to do this.

From here, it was a short walk north back to the car.

And Finally….

The last time I came to Cannock Chase was for an outdoor concert 2 or 3 years ago (seems like another age) when we saw one of my favourite artists, Paloma Faith, so here she is with the brilliant Only Love Can Hurt Like This.