Any recommended bivi spots not too far from Birmingham ?

The wyre
Client
Kinver

To name but a few

Depends on what you are looking for,do you just want to try it out, try out new kit or are you passing through as part of a tour? Largest and easiest place just north of Birmingham would be Cannock. If it needs to be in Birmingham are you looking at any specific areas?

Just a few ideas really,Done a bit but normally on a campsite , never really done a proper bivi / camp so to speak.
live in brum so within a days riding really, so all the above are doable 🙂 , any specific areas i should be heading for ? …. or just ride and bivi
cheers for the info

I would head to button oak in the wyre- there is a pub there for refreshment and the forest is right behind it.

The rock caves over kinver is a good spot.

never rode kinver and looks interesting 🙂

The Million, just off the canal near Gothersley

Walton Hill/Clent

Himley

Wychbury

Hagley Woods

Kingsford/Shatterford

+1 Kinver, my old haunt – spent many a night in caves there.

Some really good riding over kinver. There are a few caves to sleep in the biggest are big enough for a party.

Edit: Google. Nannys Rock kinver

Sutton Park would be an easy one to start off with, or follow the canal out to Tamworth & there’s Hopwas Woods or plenty on the way.

The rock caves over kinver is a good spot.

This.
Make sure to call into the Anchor for real cider and cobs on the way there.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/6HtCkK]2009_0724bivibikestrip0004[/url] by multispeedstu, on Flickr

I’d not be sleeping in the Million. All kinds of freaks roaming around in there. 😯

I’d not try the million either, its the only place locally where I’ve encountered people with loose and aggressive dogs and genuinely expected to get bitten.

Maybe they’re trying to scare off the freaks!

I’ts more the weird home made shelter with office chairs and ropes i’d be worried about. 😯
I’ll not be riding down that singletrack again.

Where is that in the million? I have never bothered exploring thinking it will all be as sandy as the main route through.

Sounds like the million’s pink ‘shed’ has expanded, since I last (one and only time) wandered down that singletrack, as the track had been looking promising.. and found two gentlemen all dressed up, well one was (in corset and stockings) and the other just had his vest on (cue sharp exit).

Never had issues with dogs over the million.. but it is very well used, so unless your right out of the way, I’d expect ppl to wander past your camp. I’d suggest bivying towards the fox pub part of the wood.. which would be handy & even some obscure cave/tunnels to find.
Again the Edge is extremely well used and everyone loves to explore the caves (there a few of them & I doubt I know them all), the seemingly less well known ones are above the Drakelow bunker, by the bridalway up to Tregarron Farm, but have been fenced off lately (I’d not suggest trespassing there, even if no-one would know 😉 )

EDIT: Andy unless your tastes run to that ^^^ particular way, I’d not bother trying to locate it… I’ve hardly ever ridden down the main path but I’d not try to suggest the riding was brilliant round the wood, but there’s tracks to ride (if overgrown currently)

There’s also a cool little cave/house here that’s right next to the main track but no one seems to know it’s there as you can’t see it from the track.
Last time I went in there it still had tiles on the floor in one part.
Also close to The Cat. 🙂

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=382905&y=285163&z=115&sv=382905,285163&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=612&ax=382905&ay=285163&lm=0

I know that cave! ^^. And the one near the Cat used to have a brick bread oven outside too, still has some window frame remains, and a nice fireplace. A little way up the path is an icehouse dug out for Enville Hall.

Quick tale: My great, great grandfather and family occupied a cave house over at The Gibraltar along Kinver canal. Story goes – he was working on the narrowboats and picked up a pregnant woman who required transport. Great great Grandma had an Irish temper and pushed the woman out of the boat in a fit of jealous rage. This anecdote was related to me by their daughter, so I believe at least some of it!

Re The Million, oo-er, have walked and cycled through there at night many times, usually on the way back from the Wyre, and rarely saw so much as a fox or owl, never a person. This was the early nineties – so my recommendation might well be disregarded by the sound of it!

Cave note – following the fatality-inducing collapse of the one in Bridgnorth in recent times – I’d exercise caution and not light a fire, better still probably stick with the bivvy elsewhere. (counts self a lucky casual troglodyte)

Yep I rode past that one for years, until I was told it was there (Sampson’s Cave) & then it became obvious.. If there was ever a rock cave that ‘really’ looks like a hobbit house, it’s that one

Hi there
Hope you guys can help. I am looking for the caves spoke about by Zippy in Kinver/Enville
I know where Sampson’s cave, ice house, Nanny’s rock etc are but the one in the Million is eluding me, I’ve searched and searched but to no avail….

I’ve linked to a video on Youtube below and emailed the guy who put it up but no reply from him.

Any help would be useful. I.e is it on the same side of the woods as the Fox Inn is? Or is it in the larger part of the Million?

Thanks a million ( no pun there )

+1for avoiding the Million like the plague. I’ve seen the al-fresco dungeon SSStu mentioned – very weird place – all a bit Blair Witch at night.
I hear quite a bit of ‘camping’ goes on at Uffmoor Wood at Clent…

You can find the caves in that video by climbing over the double gates almost opposite The Fox and walking straight up the track in front of you. Not sure how overgrown they are. Not been near them in years.

Hi there
Many thanks for the info.
Really appreciate that. I was probably stood in front of them last week :-/ as that is where I thought I needed to go.

Also thanks for the PM Zippy!
Not seen anything weird up to now, maybe I am going at the wrong times….That said Bunkers Wood was a real eye opener one morning :-/

While I can’t help with your search it’s worth noting that technically wild camping/bivvying is illegal in England however that doesn’t stop me 😆 As such, indicating specific locations on open forums such as this isn’t a good idea. When you get national newspapers having articles on how and where to go it’s hardly a subversive activity.

In practice if you:
a) choose a spot where you can’t see habitation or be seen.
b) arrive sufficiently late, preferably after dusk.
c) leave early.
d) leave no trace (includes posting the location on the web! 😛 ).

Then there is unlikely to be a problem either for you or others that follow.

http://v-g.me.uk/WildCamp/WildCampLegal.htm and this is what the Lake District National Park have to say http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/wheretostay/wildcamping

You may be overthinking it, OP. The beauty of the bivvy bag is that it’s tiny and you can sleep anywhere.

Just pack your stuff, cycle, stop for fish and chips before it gets dark then stop again when you find somewhere that looks good. Just off the top of a hill is usually my favourite place to camp, you only need 6’x 2′ of flat ground.

Nobody’s going to bother you if you’re not on a dog walking path/in someone’s garden. This link may help you get inspiration for the simplicity: http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/

Not seen anything weird up to now, maybe I am going at the wrong times

Luckily it’s a ways from where you were (are) looking for those caves.
Really can’t recommend trying to find it via the Fox inn gates, as the trees are well over grown, densely packed and there no obvious path any more. I’ve gotten turned around and I knew where I was supposed to be.

Supplying directions was not a problem.. whether my instructions are of any use is a different matter!

If you’re looking for the caves from on top of them watch you don’t fall down the hole. 🙂

I guess it depends on what you are looking for, where you are and how far you plan to travel. Could you provide more detail as to what the purpose of the bivvy trip is and maybe I can help.

Are you bike bivvying? If so then Cannock Chase, as already mentioned is a good start, plenty big enough to ride around, when tired find somewhere and doss down. Of course the same holds true if you aren’t on the bike, but I hazarded a guess that given you’ve posted here you might be biking it.

Hi all. Thanks again for the replies and help.
Caves found , no holes dropped down , anyone going there for a nose needs to know that there is one hole that is open but would difficult NOT to see it on approach. The others have gates (metal) across them. Take a torch as well. They are only small but interesting all the same.

I went from the Fox Inn via the gate opposite, as Gothersley route would have taken me a bit longer to reach them, I just reversed Zippys instructions and took into account SST help, didn’t see the no public access sign till on the way back due to it being 2in diameter and 12 foot up a tree , not even sure it still applies now as I always thought it was public access land thanks to the Enville estate??
It is extremely thick forest on the way to it though there is no path as to speak anyone that has walked or ridden will be able to see the way on. So it was a bit of a long winding trail around to them, All very interesting and thanks for helping again.

it’s not so bad atm but come summer the covering of low branches hide everything really well, even the whole “pit” isn’t very visible, so count yourself lucky…
As I said my destructions where more realistic (if a faff) than just heading into that dense bit of new wood growth.
Enville estates seem to be being more pro-active with there sign age, I think the “pink shed” might be part of reason for that & the rather industrial harvesting currently going on, as I’ve never had anyone approach me asking me to leave, just sign-age.

Thanks again all for the help, been back a few times to make sure I know where they are in relation to other parts of the woods. Not seen a soul on my travels there ,though it has always been midweek and in the day time!!
You are right Zippy once the growth kicks in from the trees I doubt anything is going to get through the dense bit of the forest.