Places to visit

Cannock Chase National Landscape is a beautiful wilderness, packed with landscape, nature and heritage interest.

There are great views, both to the elevated domed plateau of the Chase from surrounding areas and from the high ground across the farmed vales and countryside of the Midlands. Castle Ring Iron Age hillfort in the south, at 242 metres above sea level, is its highest point.

The Chase has extensive heathlands, woodlands and forest , as well as rivers and waterways where you can experience wildlife if you are quiet and patient.  The Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s Wolseley Centre has a small lake, accessible paths and nature trails with a café for refreshments.  You can get up close with nature at a number of other Nature Reserves on and around the Chase such as, Hazelslade, Hednesfield Hills and Brocton.

There are numerous historic sites on the Chase where wealthy landowners created stately homes, gardens and parks in the 17th and 18th centuries. The most intact is the National Trust’s Shugborough Estate, the family homes of the Earls of Lichfield and once lived in by the fashion photographer Patrick Lichfield. A stunning walled garden, house, farm, areas for play for children and renowned cafe for a delicious afternoon tea can all be found here.

Cannock Chase Forest offers woodland walks and a range of cycle trails for all abilities. Take the treetop challenge and see the forest from above at Go Ape where you can head up into the trees with nearly 1500m of tree to tree crossings.

The Chase has a unique military heritage. During the Great War two huge Army training camps were constructed and later when the Second World War looked imminent RAF Hednesford was built and many service personnel were trained here. The buildings are long gone but the road infrastructure and buildings remains are still visible.  The German Military Cemetery dedicated in 1967, contains nearly 5,000 burials from both World Wars. Together with the nearby Commonwealth cemetery and other smaller memorials provide a poignant reminder of the human cost of conflict.

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