Cannock Chase Guided War Trail Walk

 
 

Cannock Chase in South Staffordshire is a 26 square mile designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The landscape we pass through on the Cannock Chase Guided War Trail Walk dates back thousands of years and was a medieval royal hunting forest for William the Conqueror in 1086. The herds of Fallow deer you see today are believed descendants from the original herd introduced in Norman times.

In more recent history Cannock Chase’s prime location and lines of communication were of significant logistical importance in World War 1. This led to its then landowner the Earl of Lichfield granting permission for two large military training camps to be built. Each was designed to hold 20,000 troops and in total 500,000 soldiers passed through them during the war.

Join me as I guide you through 6.5 miles of local war time history in the most tranquil of settings. 

The camps became the base for the New Zealand Rifle Brigade and became more like small towns with their own railway line, roads, sewerage system, shops and even a picture house.

We will take in the sites of the Polish war memorial and the Commonwealth War Cemetery – resting place to all German service men that died in Britain during both world wars (2,143), as well as those British and New Zealand servicemen that died in the camp hospitals on Cannock Chase. We will visit the WW1 and WW11 rifle ranges.

Time permitting we can see a reconstructed enlisted officer’s hut at the Visitor Centre, restored to how it would have been during the Great War. The centre is also home to a display of a soldier’s uniform and kit-bag as well as other small scale military items found on Cannock Chase.

All linked by easy walking routes, excellent views and an opportunity for light refreshments.

  • Meeting Point: Coppice Hill Car Park (free) Chase Road Brocton WS15 2UA. Brocton Village is off the A34 south-east of Stafford. Turn off the A34 onto Sawpit Lane. As you enter the village of Brocton turn right at the Village Green (triangle) onto Chase Road and up the hill passing Holly Bank Cottage on your left, then The Gables on your left and Bracondale on your right. Drive passed Brocton Heights on your left and then Brocton Garden Centre. You will now go over a series of speed bumps with small wooden post either side of the bumps. Go passed the ‘Chase Vista’ car park on your right and take the next turning on your left marked with metal girders about 3 feet high either side. Drive all the way to the very end of this car park, which is where we will meet.

  • Meeting Time: 10:00

  • Distance: 6 – 10 miles depending on number of sites visited

  • Duration: 3-5 hours

  • Difficulty: Easy

  • Price: (Contact me to discuss)