Hill Street Guidebook
Woodland Walks and Bike Trails
Birches Valley Forest Centre is an exciting day out on Cannock Chase. It has some of the best bike trails and woodland walks to adventure play and Go Ape.
Activities include the Gruffalo Spotters, Follow the Dog and the Monkey mountain bike trails, adventure play area, Go Ape tree top adventure course, Go Ape Tree Top Junior and Forest Segway Experience.
Birches Valley Forest Centre is also home to Birches Valley Café and Swinnerton Cycles bike shop offering sales, service and bike hire.
6 moradores locais recomendam
Birches Valley Forest Centre Car Park
Birches ValleyBirches Valley Forest Centre is an exciting day out on Cannock Chase. It has some of the best bike trails and woodland walks to adventure play and Go Ape.
Activities include the Gruffalo Spotters, Follow the Dog and the Monkey mountain bike trails, adventure play area, Go Ape tree top adventure course, Go Ape Tree Top Junior and Forest Segway Experience.
Birches Valley Forest Centre is also home to Birches Valley Café and Swinnerton Cycles bike shop offering sales, service and bike hire.
The Visitor Centre and Café at Marquis Drive is open 7 days a week and is the starting point for numerous self-guided walking and family cycling trails, including routes for people with disabilities. Electric scooters are available, free of charge, for people with mobility problems. There is an adventure playground, picnic sites, BBQ stands, bird watching area and a recently reconstructed Great War Hut (limited opening). The shop sells maps and souvenirs. There are toilets including disabled provision. The Chase has internationally important heathlands and woodlands, a rich industrial history and longstanding connections with the military.
Opening Times 2017
Summer 10am - 5.30pm
Winter 10am - 4pm
15 moradores locais recomendam
Cannock Chase Visitors Centre
Marquis DriveThe Visitor Centre and Café at Marquis Drive is open 7 days a week and is the starting point for numerous self-guided walking and family cycling trails, including routes for people with disabilities. Electric scooters are available, free of charge, for people with mobility problems. There is an adventure playground, picnic sites, BBQ stands, bird watching area and a recently reconstructed Great War Hut (limited opening). The shop sells maps and souvenirs. There are toilets including disabled provision. The Chase has internationally important heathlands and woodlands, a rich industrial history and longstanding connections with the military.
Opening Times 2017
Summer 10am - 5.30pm
Winter 10am - 4pm
Sightseeing
Castle Ring is an Iron Age Ancient Monument that is over 2000 years old. The hill fort is a matter of minutes from Cannock and warrants the journey for its views alone.
At this elevation you can see big swathes of the county of Staffordshire, as well as almost all of Cannock Chase to the north and the Trent Valley.
Castle Ring was founded around 50 AD by the Celtic Cornovii tribe and would have had great ceremonial value.
The main evidence of their occupation can be found in the intact perimeter earthworks.
When the hill fort was at the height of its powers, these orange sand ramparts would have been visible for miles.
In the 1780s when Castle Ring was on the Beaudesert Estate, the north and west sides of the rampart were landscaped into the current walkway, while two carriage drives were laid out on the site.
Castle Ring
Castle Ring is an Iron Age Ancient Monument that is over 2000 years old. The hill fort is a matter of minutes from Cannock and warrants the journey for its views alone.
At this elevation you can see big swathes of the county of Staffordshire, as well as almost all of Cannock Chase to the north and the Trent Valley.
Castle Ring was founded around 50 AD by the Celtic Cornovii tribe and would have had great ceremonial value.
The main evidence of their occupation can be found in the intact perimeter earthworks.
When the hill fort was at the height of its powers, these orange sand ramparts would have been visible for miles.
In the 1780s when Castle Ring was on the Beaudesert Estate, the north and west sides of the rampart were landscaped into the current walkway, while two carriage drives were laid out on the site.
After calling in at the Museum of Cannock Chase you can stretch your legs on this expanse of hilly heathland and acidic grassland.
The environment on Hednesford Hills has hardly changed in hundreds of years and was donated to the council by Marquis of Anglesey on 7 March 1933. If you can pick your time to come, be here in early autumn when the heather’s purple blooms are breathtaking.
The heathland is a key habitat for moths – in fact, 546 different moth species have been counted here.
One of these is the Welsh clearwing, which is extremely rare outside Wales.
One way that the heathland mosaic is preserved is through grazing, so you’ll have cows for company on your walk.
Reserva Natural Local de Hednesford Hills
Valley RoadAfter calling in at the Museum of Cannock Chase you can stretch your legs on this expanse of hilly heathland and acidic grassland.
The environment on Hednesford Hills has hardly changed in hundreds of years and was donated to the council by Marquis of Anglesey on 7 March 1933. If you can pick your time to come, be here in early autumn when the heather’s purple blooms are breathtaking.
The heathland is a key habitat for moths – in fact, 546 different moth species have been counted here.
One of these is the Welsh clearwing, which is extremely rare outside Wales.
One way that the heathland mosaic is preserved is through grazing, so you’ll have cows for company on your walk.
Step back in time through 900 years of history in Tamworth Castle. Wander the chambers and hallways of this unique building and get a real sense of how the Saxons, Normans, Tudors and Victorians spent their time in the castle.
There are more than 15 fully furnished rooms to discover and everything is clearly signposted. The castle is packed with information and displays matching the era of the room.
Relax in the Day Parlour used by the Ferrers family to gather in before dining then step into the Tudor Dining Room with large, colourful tapestries decorating the walls. Sit at the table in front of the large, log fireplace to really get a feel of this marvellous room.
The Tamworth Story houses our display of the Staffordshire Hoard, which you can see the Saxon weapons and a range of real and replica items found as part of the Staffordshire Hoard.
Venture up our tower which gives 360° views of Tamworth, including St. Editha’s Church and the surrounding Castle Grounds.
Our Lady’s Chamber, one of the grand wooden panelled rooms, houses a special four-poster bed graciously supplied by the V&A Museum.
The South Range of the Castle shows the life of the families who lived in the Castle in its more recent years, before it was opened as a museum in 1897. The Townshends and the Cookes had very refined tastes and this is clearly shown in the Bedroom and With-Drawing Room.
16 moradores locais recomendam
Tamworth Castle
Step back in time through 900 years of history in Tamworth Castle. Wander the chambers and hallways of this unique building and get a real sense of how the Saxons, Normans, Tudors and Victorians spent their time in the castle.
There are more than 15 fully furnished rooms to discover and everything is clearly signposted. The castle is packed with information and displays matching the era of the room.
Relax in the Day Parlour used by the Ferrers family to gather in before dining then step into the Tudor Dining Room with large, colourful tapestries decorating the walls. Sit at the table in front of the large, log fireplace to really get a feel of this marvellous room.
The Tamworth Story houses our display of the Staffordshire Hoard, which you can see the Saxon weapons and a range of real and replica items found as part of the Staffordshire Hoard.
Venture up our tower which gives 360° views of Tamworth, including St. Editha’s Church and the surrounding Castle Grounds.
Our Lady’s Chamber, one of the grand wooden panelled rooms, houses a special four-poster bed graciously supplied by the V&A Museum.
The South Range of the Castle shows the life of the families who lived in the Castle in its more recent years, before it was opened as a museum in 1897. The Townshends and the Cookes had very refined tastes and this is clearly shown in the Bedroom and With-Drawing Room.
The team at Cannock Chase Trekking Centre offer you a truly distinctive horse-riding experience from its location nestled in the thousands of acres of stunningly beautiful and tranquil forests and heathlands of Cannock Chase. This trekking centre specializes in providing off-road horse/pony trekking that will enable you to experience the ever-changing seasonal landscape from the unique viewpoint you can only get on horseback.
Cannock Chase Trekking Centre
The team at Cannock Chase Trekking Centre offer you a truly distinctive horse-riding experience from its location nestled in the thousands of acres of stunningly beautiful and tranquil forests and heathlands of Cannock Chase. This trekking centre specializes in providing off-road horse/pony trekking that will enable you to experience the ever-changing seasonal landscape from the unique viewpoint you can only get on horseback.
Day Out
Chasewater Railway offers the family a great day out, a trip along the Colliery Line is a near four mile journey lasting an hour. There is a Heritage Centre with a collection of vintage carriages, steam and diesel locomotives at the Heritage Centre at Brownhills. The Museum houses a vast array of railway items, many from the 1800's.
Please check the website for timetables as does not run every day.
Chasewater Railway
Pool RoadChasewater Railway offers the family a great day out, a trip along the Colliery Line is a near four mile journey lasting an hour. There is a Heritage Centre with a collection of vintage carriages, steam and diesel locomotives at the Heritage Centre at Brownhills. The Museum houses a vast array of railway items, many from the 1800's.
Please check the website for timetables as does not run every day.
Tree Top Adventure, the main course for grown-ups and bigger kids, is set five metres over the forest floor and has the longest combined crossings of any Go Ape course in the UK. These add up to almost 1,500 metres, and there are lots of tricky obstacles to overcome like rollers, a slack line, log balance and rail track.
At the culmination of two to three hours of hard work there’s a 260-metre zip wire with knockout views.
Tree Top Junior is a 292-metre course for all ages, while down in the forest you can take a one-hour family Segway trip through the woodland.
23 moradores locais recomendam
Go Ape Cannock
Birches ValleyTree Top Adventure, the main course for grown-ups and bigger kids, is set five metres over the forest floor and has the longest combined crossings of any Go Ape course in the UK. These add up to almost 1,500 metres, and there are lots of tricky obstacles to overcome like rollers, a slack line, log balance and rail track.
At the culmination of two to three hours of hard work there’s a 260-metre zip wire with knockout views.
Tree Top Junior is a 292-metre course for all ages, while down in the forest you can take a one-hour family Segway trip through the woodland.
Hednesford Hills Raceway has over 50 years of motorsport history and is the fastest quarter-mile oval in Europe, with the speeds many cars achieve around its fearsome steeply banked turns really having to be seen to be believed!
Since the 1950's Hednesford has provided stunning racing and great entertainment from Stock Cars, Hot Rods and Bangers in equal measure with a huge variety of other attractions in between. Some of the biggest events in the sport of short oval racing take place at the venue, with the annual Bill Morris Veterans Day and Civil War seeing huge grids of cars raced to destruction, while the sky is lit up every Bonfire weekend with one of the Midlands’ biggest firework displays.
One of the most spectacular events of the year is the annual National Championship Weekend at the beginning of August each year, whilst the annual Caravan Grand Prix on May Day Bank Holiday Monday always supplies the huge Bank Holiday crowd some incredible, not to be missed action.
The circuit was built in 1952 utilising the site of a former reservoir. The track is a full quarter mile length oval, with two banked corners, and a tarmac track surface surrounded by an armco safety fence.
With the track built at the base of the reservoir, it has the advantage of being at the bottom of a large "bowl" and means that viewing is superb all around the track from its grass banks and two covered grandstands, and there are excellent facilities to ensure a great day out for all the family.
Racedays:- 01543 422046
Hednesford Hills Raceway
Reservoir RoadHednesford Hills Raceway has over 50 years of motorsport history and is the fastest quarter-mile oval in Europe, with the speeds many cars achieve around its fearsome steeply banked turns really having to be seen to be believed!
Since the 1950's Hednesford has provided stunning racing and great entertainment from Stock Cars, Hot Rods and Bangers in equal measure with a huge variety of other attractions in between. Some of the biggest events in the sport of short oval racing take place at the venue, with the annual Bill Morris Veterans Day and Civil War seeing huge grids of cars raced to destruction, while the sky is lit up every Bonfire weekend with one of the Midlands’ biggest firework displays.
One of the most spectacular events of the year is the annual National Championship Weekend at the beginning of August each year, whilst the annual Caravan Grand Prix on May Day Bank Holiday Monday always supplies the huge Bank Holiday crowd some incredible, not to be missed action.
The circuit was built in 1952 utilising the site of a former reservoir. The track is a full quarter mile length oval, with two banked corners, and a tarmac track surface surrounded by an armco safety fence.
With the track built at the base of the reservoir, it has the advantage of being at the bottom of a large "bowl" and means that viewing is superb all around the track from its grass banks and two covered grandstands, and there are excellent facilities to ensure a great day out for all the family.
Racedays:- 01543 422046
If you drive up to Norbury, which is 41 minutes away from the property, you will be able to hire narrowboats for a day and take them around the Shropshire Union Canal, this experience is suitable for beginners and experienced participants. It will cost between £85 and £149 to hire a boat for a day, depending on if you booked in advance or not.
The boat yard also has a tea room and a giftshop for any visitors to enjoy a bite to eat and a drink, or you could have a look around and see what the gift shop has to offer.
Opening times 2022
Open from 8:30am – 5pm
6 moradores locais recomendam
Norbury Junction
If you drive up to Norbury, which is 41 minutes away from the property, you will be able to hire narrowboats for a day and take them around the Shropshire Union Canal, this experience is suitable for beginners and experienced participants. It will cost between £85 and £149 to hire a boat for a day, depending on if you booked in advance or not.
The boat yard also has a tea room and a giftshop for any visitors to enjoy a bite to eat and a drink, or you could have a look around and see what the gift shop has to offer.
Opening times 2022
Open from 8:30am – 5pm
Museums
A free attraction on the edge of Hednesford Hills and Cannock Chase. This Museum is on what was the Valley Colliery, a training pit for young miners.
The pit has since disappeared and has been covered with 30 acres of greenery on the edge of Hednesford Hills. You can investigate the industrial history of the area as well as its military connections.
The Museum Of Cannock Chase
Valley RoadA free attraction on the edge of Hednesford Hills and Cannock Chase. This Museum is on what was the Valley Colliery, a training pit for young miners.
The pit has since disappeared and has been covered with 30 acres of greenery on the edge of Hednesford Hills. You can investigate the industrial history of the area as well as its military connections.
A 27-minute drive away from the property, the Royal Airforce Museum is great for anyone with an interest in aviation and the RAF. The museum is free to enter (you just have to pay for parking) and offers a fun day for all of the family. Once you’ve had a look around, you can visit the 4D experience, virtual reality zone or the flight simulator (charges apply). Don’t forget to visit the gift shop at the exit of the Cold War exhibition where you will find an array of gifts and souvenirs.
40 moradores locais recomendam
Museu da Real Força Aérea
Lysander AvenueA 27-minute drive away from the property, the Royal Airforce Museum is great for anyone with an interest in aviation and the RAF. The museum is free to enter (you just have to pay for parking) and offers a fun day for all of the family. Once you’ve had a look around, you can visit the 4D experience, virtual reality zone or the flight simulator (charges apply). Don’t forget to visit the gift shop at the exit of the Cold War exhibition where you will find an array of gifts and souvenirs.
Kill Some Time
The Chase Leisure Centre has a swimming pool, where you can swim or do aqua aerobics. The leisure centre also has a gym, badminton and tennis courts, a cycle studio and an 18-hole golf course.
Opening times 2022
Monday - Friday – 6:30am – 10pm
Saturday & Sunday – 8am – 4pm
Prices and specific opening/closing times can be found on www.chaseleisurecentre.org.
Chase Leisure Centre and Golf Course
Stafford Road The Chase Leisure Centre has a swimming pool, where you can swim or do aqua aerobics. The leisure centre also has a gym, badminton and tennis courts, a cycle studio and an 18-hole golf course.
Opening times 2022
Monday - Friday – 6:30am – 10pm
Saturday & Sunday – 8am – 4pm
Prices and specific opening/closing times can be found on www.chaseleisurecentre.org.
The McArthur Glen Designer Outlet is a brilliant place to shop in the local area. Just a 9-minute walk away from Cannock train station and a 1 mile walk from Cannock Town Centre.
There are over 50 stores in the outlet, offering up to 60% off of RRP – these stores range from Hugo Boss, Adidas, Nike and Vans.
After some shopping, you can grab a bite to eat in one of the many restaurants at the Outlet, including, Five Guys, Wagamama and Pizza Express.
Opening times 2022
Monday – Friday – 10am – 8pm
Saturday – 9am – 8pm
Sunday – 10am – 6pm
13 moradores locais recomendam
West Midlands Designer Outlet
Lichfield RoadThe McArthur Glen Designer Outlet is a brilliant place to shop in the local area. Just a 9-minute walk away from Cannock train station and a 1 mile walk from Cannock Town Centre.
There are over 50 stores in the outlet, offering up to 60% off of RRP – these stores range from Hugo Boss, Adidas, Nike and Vans.
After some shopping, you can grab a bite to eat in one of the many restaurants at the Outlet, including, Five Guys, Wagamama and Pizza Express.
Opening times 2022
Monday – Friday – 10am – 8pm
Saturday – 9am – 8pm
Sunday – 10am – 6pm