I'm moving to Stafford for 6 months with work next week.
To keep myself sane I'll be taking the MTB and hope to get out around Stafford and the surrounding area on an evening and I'm hoping some locals can point me in the right direction of some decent trails.
Cannock Chase - Been a few times and enjoy it, but could do with finding some of the off piste trails to mix the riding up a bit. Is there a social ride up there any weeknights?
Stile Cop - Been once and loved it so will probably go there a fair bit.
What else is there around, local woods, bridleway routes etc?
Theres various bridleways and canals stretching into the countryside away and towards the Chase but for everyone just rides on the Chase locally. Around Stafford theres a two half decent skateparks and a [u]proper[/u] dirt jump spot.
Mammoth shop and various skills trainers do group rides and theres WMMTB forum and a few other groups on Facebook.
I used to live at RAF Stafford and cycle to this side of the chase. I'm not sure about now as haven't ridden there for years but there used to be loads of decent trails on this side. I used to park at the bottom of "old English way" (I think that was the name of it )and cycle to top of that.
EDIT: Heart of England way.
Cheers will have a lookout for the facebook groups 🙂
Heart of England way looks good, and there's loads of small bridleways linking up around Brockton / Milford, so will give this area a try too, looks fairly hilly.
I'm no good at massive gap jumps so might have to give them a miss unless there's some smaller gaps or tabletops to build up on? Is this 'Wildwood Dirtjumps'?
Hopwas isn't too far away & there's a nifty pump track at Mile Oak in Tamworth
Milford common and just explore from there, it's only a short ride up from Stafford, spent three happy years mountain biking there when I should have been studying at the university, whoops, still ride, do nothing that requires my degree now, so I guess I got the balance right.
Hopwas isn't too far away & there's a nifty pump track at Mile Oak in Tamworth
Where is this pump track you speak of in Mile Oak? I grew up there and my folks are still there, although I only go back occasionally.
At the community centre:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Mile+Oak,+Tamworth,+Staffordshire+B78/ @52.6172315,-1.7270236,145m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x4870a8d7ede53271:0x6c48c0b438457efa
There's some kids there riding the rattiest bike on the planet who will put you to shame 
At the community centre:https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Mile+Oak,+Tamworth,+Staffordshire+B78/ @52.6172315,-1.7270236,145m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x4870a8d7ede53271:0x6c48c0b438457efa
There's some kids there riding the rattiest bike on the planet who will put you to shame
Haha oh OK that'll the same community centre I spent most of my childhood causing mischief around then, this tells me I should probably visit my folks more.
yorkshire89, dont bother with map for traditional route guidance, theres so many tracks and trails up there you'll never work it out from a map and the forestry are doing 'restoration' work all over the place- best to follow your nose/tyre tracks.
Excellent, lots for me to have a go at for now atleast 🙂
Lots of good natural stuff within a couple of hours driving of Stafford too. The long mynd & other bits in Shropshire. Into the White peak isn't too far, loads of stuff around bakewell.
If you want to get some speed and miles of countryside under your wheels then look for the sustrans track that starts at the back of Stafford station, it's a lovely wooded old railway that heads out towards Newport, all out that way is flat as a pancake and is a gateway to cycle touring into Wales if you want it to be. You could easily get to Shrewsbury & back in a day if you were so inclined.