Going biking this saturday and was thinking about cannock? It's pretty short though no? What do people do when they go there? My brothers recently got his new bike and hasn't been riding for months so his fitness is RUBBISH. Did penmachno last week which was a push for his current fitness. He's previously been able to do it no problem but wants to take his time building his fitness back up. Marin is a bit of a push for him yet and can't be bothered with Coed y brenin or Llandegla. So it was Lee Quarry (although this is very short) or Cannock. I'd love to do something in the peaks which I'm still yet to do. However we can't read maps or find our way too easily so untill we've ventured out with someone else it'll have to wait. Anybody got any info? Sorry if i've gone on a bit long. Living in North Wales...
Cannock is good,
Cannock is rubbish
Is it only 7 miles? Or is there other stuff you can do?
Haha....anybody else?
Nothing to say you can't do a couple of loops at Cannock but I'd question if it's worth the trek for you from N Wales. Sounds like learning to map read to explore locally would be a good move for you. Try something short and simple first - get a local map and try a walk with it somewhere you perhaps vaguely know but not totally unfamiliar to help get your bearings.
I know, I'm really eager to get out somewhere to do it but don't wanna go by myself and nobody else fancies it. It's too easy to follow signposts sometimes isnt it.
have a look at ride the clywds on t'interweb....good routes, easy maps and signs on the trails, good routes starting from ruthin loggerheads areas. Very good riding. It's where i learnt to mountain bike in the mid late 80's. mind you used to ride from chester to moel famau and then on to llandegla and back as well....oh how i miss my bloody youthful fitness!
not worth the journey from Wales even if you know the off piste stuff, stay in Wales!
That should be me! haha. I've ridden the moel famau loop and the cilcain short by following a mate ages ago. Which of the others are worth doing?
Being turned away from the cannock idea now. I've got a route from MBR of Macclesfield forest thats an option too. Not sure about how difficult it is.
hmmmm cannock is ****in awsome xc riding.....just not follow the dog. Leave that to the trailcentre boys who don't know the dark side of the chase! Bloody good singlespeeding too! if you ride a fat arse baggy bike 5" travel plus and have no fitness, then no it's not for you.
Macc forest is tops just be prepared for the climb at the start fromteh leathersmithy pub it's a bit of winch froma cold start. other than that it's a nice easy route to follow
And how do you find the alternative routes. Maybe I'll check out the macc forest one then.
It's dark and time for nite ride..good luck with the selection of a riding venue, just remeber getting lost is half the fun, it's normally when you discover and awsome bit that's a well kept secret.
Cheers, If anyone else can reccomend anything else in the meantime, let me know. Cheers
cannock is crap!!
Seems to be what most people are saying for the main trails.
Get onto bikemaps.co.uk for maps and routes ready to ride in The Peak and others. Nicely detailed, easy to read, written instructions on the rear, offers several routes and alternatives if you want to link up bits and you don't have to be able to read an OS map.
Macc forest for a blast after work but not worth the trip from North Wales IMO
HTH
Carl
Thats brill yeh carl, cheers mate.
Cannock seems a bit of a trek but worth it if fitness levels are not what you want them to be.
No too many hills, and interesting enough to warrant a 2nd lap for sure.
It has enough to keep most everyone happy and there are many routes beyond the Red Route, so you can explore.
I'd say it was about ideal if fitness is an issue at this present time.
You have the Merida in a couple of weeks time out that way, why not do the 50km too?
Tim
Cannock is OK if you're local, I wouldn't travel far for it.
And yeah the best bits are hard to find without someone to show you.
Cannock is far from being crap,but if I lived in North Wales,I wouldn't bother.
I've been riding at Cannock for a few years and rode some stuff that I've never seen before. Follow the dog is so so. Not in the same league as Penmacno.
But as others have said,get the map out.
Cannocks OK, I live an hour away but would rather and do drive 2 hours to North Wales. Whats wrong with LLandegla it would suit your brothers lack of/improving fitness as the first climb has been surfaced to make it a piece of piss!
We've ridden llandegla to death. That's been part of his building fitness "regime".
What about Climachx anyone done that? How does it compare to other routes mentioned
I like Cannock, there's plenty of excellent stuff if you know where to look, follow the dog is easily as good if not better than the trail at Llandegla, the monkey run is excellent too.
I reckon it's worth going to if you can get a local to show you round, dip in and out of bits of FtD and have a good time.
I think I might try Cannock actually now. What's the worst that can happen. I could hate it and never go again but I may like it. It's somewhere new so it'll have some interesting bits anyway.
As an aside: What's a decent time 'round FtD now? 45 mins? I've heard about sub 30 mins but was that the older route?
Tim
If your in North Wales mate then head down to Nant-y-Arian.
That Summit Trail is excellent. As regards your brother's fitness, there is a big climb but its just a gentle fire road, out of the wind in the trees & its just a case of sitting & chatting while you spin away.
If you do go do the little bit around the reservoir on the shorter route also, its a nice little addition.
You mentioned the MachX...brilliant. Best final descent in Wales I reckon. To be honest its nothing more than a fire-road climb, bit of singletrack & into the descent.
Cannock is my local run. Unless your passing I wouldn't recommend driving over for it. The FtD is good for an hours ride but the best bits of the Chase are further afield. The new FtD, thats under construction at the moment, promises to be good but I gather its a way off yet. If your keen to have a few hours round Cannock Chase drop me an email & you can hook up with me and a couple of others. We're no fitness gods but can pootle away for a few hours. Riding here for some 20yrs or so has given us a few routes that can take in some nice trails.
Ti29er...45 mins av for me if done without stopping, but I'm not exactly fit. I reckon a pro would be sub 30 mins if he/she had a clear run. Trick is not to collapse in a heap after the fire road climb, as lots appear to do, just spin slowly to the next (& best!!!) bit.
You'll need a permit if you're going to ride Cannock. They're available from the Wimpy in Hednesford.
Cheers takisawa, i'll drop you an email then if we end up goin. Cheers
part of the whole fun is going out and trying them.. why ask / listen to anyone here for any idea.. just go and ride around clocaenog and try to discover the old cyffylliog challenge or if you want to drive just go to Aberystwyth or even the Brechfa.. or even head north to the lake district.. they have trail centres custom built for those who feel to inadequate to read a map
takisawa's right Nant's a great ride out, if your fed up with Llandegla then try there, it seems a more 'natural' trail. The long climbs a grinder rather than a killer and the last run in, . . . well what can I say, fast flowing singletrack with switchbacks that thrill and exhilerate as much if not better than anywhere else Wales has to offer. Last time I did it about 3 weeks ago the adrenalin was flowing and all the hairs on my neck and arms were standing on end!!!
I really cant recommend it enough!
What permit? Don't listen, there are no permits.
Turn-up and ride.
I'm there next Friday for 2 laps only as I'm riding the Clic24 that w/end, but I'm in the Cannock area with time to kill, so it seems logical.
Will try for 2x 44:59 (!)
Tim
is Sherwood Pines any better?
Sherwood is ok - nice tracks around Sherwood Forest and over to Clumber - a bit too "organised" for my liking but had a good weekend there with my lad a couple of weeks ago.
If you do decide on the Peaks (Dark Peak) couple of us would be happy for you to come along with us - stick a post up if you do.
Ti29er, you ride without buying a permt???
you are spoiling the trails for others!
😉
I have a fishing permit.
Will that suffice?
circa 1975
T
climachx is good fun - fair bit of forest road climbing but good amount of singletrack as well, it's generally fairly steady going, building up nicely to the craziness of the last couple of miles. 🙂
well worth doing if you haven't before, and a damn sight nearer to you than cannock! i'd definitely go for climachx, i wish i could join you!
Sherwood Pines isn't as good as Cannock in my opinion and again, is best ridden with local knowledge.
I wouldn't rule Cannock out, providing you can meet up with someone who can put together a decent loop, taking in some secret singletrack. Alternatively, wait until Phase 2 of FTD is open and you should have enough waymarked trail to make the trip worthwhile to ride on your own.
Try Nant Yr Arian for sure, if you've not been before. It's superb.
oh yeah, good shout on nant as well - we were based there for a week, that's when i went up to climachx for one of the days.
nant's quality, three routes from 9km to 35km and you can customise and combine different sections easily. well worth nipping down there.
Cannock...permit...!!!
Forget Hednesford, Tackeroo...thats the place.
Rumours, no permits as far as I know.
Not mentioned much but Cannock is now £3 to park.
If your a regular join the Chase Trails club for £12 & you can get a years free parking for an extra £15.
Got to be worth it.
If you're a regular join the Chase Trails club for £12 & you can get a year's free parking for an extra £15.
Or park 'round the corner and ride the 4 mins to your start point.
Not as secure perhaps, but one way of doing it.
I'd not begrudge the Forestry Commission the occational, £3 truth be known.
Tim
Ti29er
and you risk having your bike confiscated and crushed if caught!
Why?
trail police
undercover
So?
If i can get the cannock guy to show me a route there I think I'm gonna do that. If not gonna assess my wales options and the guy from the peak as well! cheers
Why?
Ride the Red Route (Follow the Dog). It's well marked and there's plenty on Youtube to have a look at if you want more info.
The café, Swinnertons etc sell maps and so if you don't fancy a 2nd lap after a bacon sarnie & a mug of tea at the café (and why wouldn't you!?)then head out on any of the other routes on the map.
You don't need someone to hold your hand!
Tim
No I don't need someone to hold my hand thankyou. But local knowledge will always win over guessing a route. A lot of people are saying the dog is rubbish so don't wanna go and waste my time so I thought someone knowing a decent route will be much more enjoyable and passing on knowledge to fellow bikers.
There aint no map that shows the best stuff on the Chase,that's a fact.... 8)
takisawa2 you get my message? you free tomorrow?
If you like twisty singletrack 'follow the dog' is not rubbish, it's fun. The main downside is that it is eroded in a few places which spoils the flow a little bit.
But if you are going to Cannock I would do the trail,( take the left at the top of the fire road climb which only adds on a mile but it's a good mile) then do some of the other stuff which is all over the place. The guys in Swinnerton are a good bunch who I am sure would give you some tips.
Cheers mate, We'll give that a go then.
cannock is an excellent place to ride. Go over to an area called sherbrook valley and ride around you will soon come across a few trails and there nearly always connected to another and as above the lads at swinnos are a nice bunch and will generally point you in the right direction
Is this reachable from the main car park? via the "dog" route? Or is somewhere you'll start from?
I think you have enough info here.
Go and ride the Dog, it's fun.
You don't need a guide.
Park up in the main car park by the café (can't recall its name as there is more than one car park)
Start at Swinnertons & ride the Dog (maybe 1hr if it's busy or your mate is not fit), and if you don't fancy a 2nd lap (got to do a 2nd lap, for sure!) then buy a map from Swinnertons and get some simple, useful pointers from the guys in the shop.
Now go and ride your bike!
😀
Birches valley car park is the one for Follow the dog.
There are no permits required to ride on the Chase.
Follow the Dog is a single 7 mile loop in a relatively flat part of the Chase (which isn't mountainous at the best of times). One of the reasons for building Follow the Dog was to ensure that new visitors to the Chase who couldn't find any of the off piste stuff could at least get a ride in before going home. We don't make claim that it's a trail to rival the best trail centres in the UK, it's a good, fun intermediate trail that rewards better riders who can maintain a higher pace through the twistier sections.
Phase 2 once opened later this year will certainly add to the experience and there are miles of great cheeky singletrack.
It's worth a trip if you're within an hour or so or en route to somewhere further afield and want a stop off.
Stu
www.chasetrails.co.uk