The Cannock Chaser 2025

I’m awake this morning feeling a bit beaten up to be honest. I clearly underestimated how hard The Cannock Chaser was going to be yesterday. I don’t think I’ll let a map and a calculated elevation figure fool me into thinking it’s going to be ok again. Cannock Chase is a very pebbly, gravelly, sandy expanse that packs a punch. It’s littered with energy sapping climbs and the descents require focus and effort too. I found out the hard way. Time spent riding around it is a true test of your gravel mettle. I’m really tired today, let’s find out why.

After randomly snapping my chain last week, I only managed to fix it on Thursday. As it was only just past the 0.75mm mark on my chain checker, I’d hoped it would be fine on a worn cassette and chainring. A quick test ride confirmed it was tip top. 2 chains per cassette, that’s my rule but only if you change @ 0.75mm. Whats yours?

Fast forward to Friday night and an evening out watching my mate play a gig, drinking and dancing with Sally and Dan probably wasn’t the best prep given I didn’t get into bed until after midnight with a 7.30am alarm beckoning.

I actually woke up fine but felt pretty groggy. I quietly tiptoed downstairs and forced some breakfast and coffee down me before getting my stuff together. A quick check on Waze suggested a 45 min drive to the start. I’d allowed an hour and could have stayed in bed but instead I opted to just go and take a steady drive up to Birches Valley Forest Centre. No rush.

The motorway and roads were quiet. It’s always nice when you leave the West Midlands conurbation and feel like you’re instantly in a bit of a wilderness. That line is like night and day with the Chase. I love it, it always brings back memories of racing down Penkridge Bank 30 years ago and breaking my elbow in a crash and been taken back to hospital while my folks were away on holiday lol.

I don’t come to the Chase often and Birches Valley has changed a lot over the years. The car park has expanded massively and it’s great to see how much more landscaped it is however @ £12 for the day, you do pay for it. I don’t mind contributing, maintaining facilities like this must be expensive but that feels a bit steep to me given how popular it is. Almost enough to deter people or encourage parking elsewhere. What do you think?

I rocked up, parked out the way and chilled for a bit before getting ready and riding down to the cafe/toilets to meet a small group of riders. By 10am, after rounding some more up, we had a healthy-sized group ready to go. A quick introduction and obligatory group photo and we rolled away straight into a running event which was on the same time last year. It’s not really an issue as the trails are open and you just share with care, no big groups of runners to pass, but I immediately thought I must plan next year’s ride around this. I was a little behind everyone now due to sorting a GPS issue.

The first climb away from the start is quite gentle then hits you with some short, steep kickers and dips at the top before crossing the road and picking up the blue route for the long, fast descent down to Severn Springs Car Park to cross the A513 and a lovely cobbled bridge over the River Trent. I could see a rider in the distance, the brief few metres of tarmac welcome and before I know it I was descending some shallow steps onto the Trent & Mersey canal towpath.

Pan flat, bone dry, it was fast and I managed to catch a small group up towards the end of this section. Unfortunately one walker didn’t like us slowing down for him as we passed. He let me know my 10mph was still too fast apparently.

Packhorse bridge required a dismount and short walk. It was such a qwerky bridge I made the effort to go down to the river bank and take a photo. Cool stuff.

Shugborough Estate was a nice wide road. It looked like a dog show was on with owners cluttering up the entrance but I picked my way through safely and rode out to the main road trying to take a pic of deer in a field but failed. At the main road I directed a couple of riders onto the path adjacent for safety but regretted it as it was bone dry, rock hard and bumpy as hell.

The climb through the coppice at Satnall Hills was nice but gave way to a steep, testing descent back to the main road. It wouldn’t be the last of the ride. From here I crossed the road at the Public Bridleway sign and then lost the path and had to pick my way back on the course through the trees. I was now in a part of the Chase I’d never been before and I think the section from here, despite the gentle climb, maybe my favourite of the route. A wide tree-lined avenue almost looked like an disused railway line in parts gave way to a treeless view across the heathland on top. From here it was descent to Springslade Lodge and out towards Bednall for some fast tarmac.

The roads were welcome. Cannock Chase is bloody hardwork. The pebbly trails sap your speed, strength and will at times and the depths vary too so you feel like your riding in sand which makes some of the decsents interesting when it catches you out and the bike goes into a speed wobble.

For the first time, the gate at Teddesley Park was open but I think I made a route booboo here as it took you through the buildings rather than to the left and around. I went left and I’m glad I did because I met a friend who was waiting for me by the fence. I stopped, we chatted and then I carried on at quite a good pace with the tailwind, eating up some miles.

It was back offroad at Shoal Hill common with another slog up onto the top then a descent and a short, overgrown detour which I was convinced I could have probably avoided. One de-forested trail was gated and locked so I had to dismount and run up a short bank to get round it and I was back on track before popping out in a housing estate in Huntingdon. The route used interconnecting paths across the estate but had those annoying barriers which serve no purpose other than being discriminatory to less-abled riders.

The route headed north now back to Springslade Lodge past a vast Sand & Gravel pit. It was quiet and was another section of the route I really enjoyed. I decided not to stop at Springslade. The sun hadn’t come out yet and I was worried I’d get cold so I rolled over the road and took on the dicey descent (deep pebbles) back onto the Chase before left on the blue route again back down towards Severn Springs Car Park. Just before the car park the route took a shapr right and headed up a steep, sandy ascent which kept me glued to the right where it met the grass for grip. It wasn’t long but testing and then it opened up into a wonderfully wide, forest road that meanders up onto the top. However, the steep descent back down to Sherbrook Valley was another tester and something I will try to avoid in my route amendements for next year.

From here the route ran parallel with the descent earlier, only separated by the stream and was gradual until it crossed the blue route and carried on up towards Pye Green mast. At the German War Memorial, a short track popped me out on the road to cross and carry on through a hole in the hedge. This section I can confirm is called dog shit alley on Strava and I bagged a 3rd place! I saw one dog walker and no dog shit.

The bridleway across Brindley Heath was super wide and fast which gave way to Cannock Chase Country Park which was a bit of a gem of a find. It had the feel of an ex-coal mine and boasted some lovely gravel tracks down into a busy Hednesford Park.

The climb onto Hednesford Hills was beginning to make my legs smart a bit now plus it was warming up now too. The last part of the bridleway was via a very overgrown footpath which popped out onto a wider path then left and more climbing until a short sharp descent to Rawnsley Road. Here a taxi driver had stopped for a fag and I think I made him jump when my disc brake squealed as I stopped at the gap.

A short section of tarmac gave way to a nasty little bridleway between the houses skirting the edge of Beau Desert Golf Club. I found this climb really hard and was beginning to try and calculate how long left without checking my GPS so I could measure my effort now. The climbing was taking it’s toll.

After exiting the golf club, the shortest of road sections lead to a superb, winding forest road down to Horesepasture Pools before a lengthy slog up a wet n soggy climb back up to Marquis Drive and it’s descent to cross the A460. From here it was the bridge over the railway and the relentless Marquis Drive climb that featured on The Gravelton so it was weird to see a family of 4 pushing their Brompton’s up it.

At the top I almost just carried on rather than turn right and descend as I knew I would be climbing back up a little further along the same trail. I was tired now and just wanted to get it done. The rest of the descent was welcome and the climb up past Fairoak Pools was gentle to start with then kicks up like a bitch at the top. After skirting around the top past the Rifle Range I crossed the road and completed a couple of sections of The Follow the Dog route. Fatigue made them quite hard so the straght descent back down to the start was welcome and then it was done.

I rolled back to the car and just sat there in the sun for a bit. I think I could have just lay down and gone to sleep I was so tired. Definitely one of the hardest rides I’ve done for a while.

Thanks to everone that turned up and supported The Cannock Chaser. Ironbridge Gorgeous is next at the end of June. Definitely not as hard as this one but still a test

Adios