Staffordshire
Access note: Forestry England says the forest reopened on 1 October after tree-safety works, but the top car park remains closed and some areas remain out of bounds. Follow safety signs and staff instructions; check individual trail restrictions before riding.
Cannock Chase’s mountain-bike hub is Birches Valley, where marked trails give you a clear progression from gentle cycling to demanding cross-country riding. Perry’s is the short blue option; Follow the Dog brings longer climbing and technical features; the Monkey Trail adds a substantially harder outing. The appeal is purposeful woodland riding with a useful starting hub, rather than a promise that every path across the wider Chase is open to bikes.
The red routes combine constructed features with loose stone, roots and mud, so the challenge changes with the surface as well as the gradient. There are optional black lines, but the main red loops still need established off-road skills. Younger children have Pedal and Play, while the shared Fairoak circuit suits a slower forest outing. Choose your day around the least experienced rider’s actual ability, then agree whether stronger riders will split off for the longer circuit.
Green · 4 km
A shared circuit through woodland and the Fairoak Valley, passing the pools. It is mostly gravel with some slopes and is used by walkers and other forest visitors as well as cyclists. This is a scenic, unhurried ride rather than dedicated singletrack; use it when exploring the forest matters more than technical riding.
Official route information →Green · 2 km
Designed for children aged three to eleven, with three progressively harder challenges and play areas along the way. The route gives young riders a reason to practise handling on different surfaces without sending them straight onto adult technical loops. Allow time for stopping and repeating challenges, rather than treating it as a timed lap.
Official route information →Blue · 4.3 km
The blue circuit uses gradual climbing, gentle berms and rollers, with rock features designed to be rolled. Three optional sections offer extra practice before moving to red. It formed part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games mountain-bike course, but the published visitor route is moderate grade: the event connection does not make every feature suitable to ride at race pace.
Official route information →Red · 10.8 km
The established cross-country loop adds more climbing than Perry’s, including a sizeable incline, and mixes flowing trail with rock gardens, boardwalks, steps and drops. Named sections include Twist and Shout and High Voltage. Optional black lines add unavoidable rocks; staying on red still requires proficient mountain-bike handling rather than simply avoiding those alternatives.
Official route information →Red · 22.8 km
The operator publishes this longer ride as a more demanding option than Follow the Dog, with steeper climbing and harder descending. Reach its start after the first 3.7 km of Follow the Dog. Treat that shared approach as part of the outing, not a separate warm-up distance to add automatically to the published total. Black alternatives require an additional judgement about your skills.
Official route information →Forestry England separates the green family routes, blue Perry’s Trail, Follow the Dog and the Monkey Trail. Paper mountain-bike maps are sold at the visitor hub.
For an adult moving from easy paths into singletrack, Perry’s is the sensible first circuit. Its short length leaves room to repeat a lap or practise optional features without committing to the red network. Pick Fairoak instead if you want a quieter-paced shared ride, and use Pedal and Play for children in its intended age range.
Confident red riders can make Follow the Dog their first Cannock outing, then decide whether the Monkey’s additional climbing and technical descents match the group’s energy. Do not make that decision solely from the kilometres: the operator explicitly describes the Monkey as considerably tougher. Leave black options alone on a first visit until you have inspected their features and understood the available line.
Cannock Chase is reached from Birches Valley / Rugeley. Use WS15 2UQ alongside the official entrance directions. Official directions →
Use the Forestry England main car park at Birches Valley, off Penkridge Bank Road, with postcode WS15 2UQ. Parking uses cashless number-plate recognition: enter your registration and pay at the end of the visit. Keep the registration details correct if using a Forestry England membership; the barrier system recognises the registered vehicle.
Rugeley Town and Rugeley Trent Valley are the nearest stations, both approximately two miles from the visitor centre according to Forestry England. That leaves a separate last-mile journey to organise. If bringing a bike, check the train operator’s carriage rules as well as planning the onward route; the station name does not mean you arrive directly at the trails.
Find the planning area on a map →Cannock Chase Cycle Centre supplies hardtail, full-suspension and electric hire bikes, along with a shop and workshop. Reserve the right size and read the hire conditions before travelling. The provider excludes its rental bikes from Stile Cop and black sections, which matters if the most experienced member of your group hopes to explore those lines.
Birches Valley has toilets, including an accessible toilet, picnic space and Grounds Café. Forestry England also lists bike wash and tuition through the cycle centre. Maps can be bought at the cycle centre, café and Go Ape. The site has no bins, so keep food packaging in your bag and take it home after your ride.
Forestry England manages Follow the Dog and the Monkey Trail in partnership with Chase Trails, the local trail volunteer group.
Cannock Chase Cycle Centre hires hardtails, full-suspension bikes and e-bikes. Its hire conditions exclude Stile Cop and black sections; choose the intended riding before reserving.
Birches Valley opens daily except Christmas Day; October hours are 7.30am–7pm. Parking uses cashless ANPR: £4 for one hour, £7.50 for two, £11 for three or £12.50 for longer.
Perry’s can have muddy stretches in winter, despite its generally smoother surface. Follow the Dog and the Monkey already include variable ground, roots and loose stone, making wet-weather braking and line choice more demanding. Keep the short blue loop available as a fallback if the longer red plan stops feeling enjoyable. Forest harvesting instructions apply even when machinery is not visibly operating, including at weekends.
Rugeley gives a practical base for a weekend combining the trails with an evening meal. The Ash Tree on Armitage Road serves food beside the Trent and Mersey Canal and has a beer garden; it provides a separate destination after leaving Birches Valley rather than assuming the trailhead café will cover dinner. Arrange secure bike storage with your accommodation before the trip.
For a non-riding outing, walk the Fairoak circuit and spend time by the pools, where woodland opens into the valley. The same route has shared use, so keep clear of approaching cycles. Its stepping-stone stream crossing can be avoided by returning along the path between the pools, useful when choosing a gentler walk with family or tired legs.
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Displayed distances are straight-line estimates using OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), not road journeys. Ask the property about secure bike storage and wet-kit arrangements before booking.
RIDE PREPARATION
Consider what suits the route, forecast and your own experience.
Perry’s is the blue, 4.3 km progression route, with optional practice sections. Fairoak is green if you prefer an easier shared forest circuit.
Its start is reached after riding the first 3.7 km of Follow the Dog. Use the official map for the connection and do not assume the Monkey is an isolated loop beginning at the car park.
Forestry England describes black options on Follow the Dog and the Monkey. The red routes remain technical even without them; the black lines include large unavoidable rocks and rock gardens.
Yes. Cannock Chase Cycle Centre offers electric hardtail and full-suspension bikes. Its rental conditions exclude black sections and Stile Cop, so book for the route you intend to ride.
Yes. The green 2 km trail is designed for ages three to eleven, combining cycling challenges with play areas and opportunities to build off-road confidence.
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Develop braking, cornering, climbing and technical riding through deliberate practice, with sensible progression for roots, rocks, steeps, wheel lifts and jumps.
Book the right uplift, riding pass, hire bike and coaching session, check equipment and carriage rules, and plan a controlled first bike-park day.
Plan solo rides, lead mixed-ability groups, find welcoming clubs and choose mountain-bike events with clear communication and realistic expectations.
Trail conditions change — check the official page before you travel.
Open official site →