Review Date
March 16, 2013

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: Leighton Rees ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Cannock Chase has trails for all abilities, the red trail is deffo a challenge, it has everything you would want, drop offs, boardwalks, downhill, berms, technical, climbs to name but a few, you have to be physically fit to do the Dog and Monkey, but you can do them separately, it has stunning views whatever the weather, excellent drainage and always people around to help if needed, Swinnertons is the Bike store that is based in the Chase visitors center, and from experience they are very helpful and have what you need, if you are confident then please give it a try, but wear a lid as there are plenty of obstacles to tackle, take spare tubes and a mech hanger too, overall you wouldn't want anything more!

Recommended Route:
Follow the Dog for a confident rider, if you want a family day, take a backpack and follow the Blue, they are all such a pleasure with fantastic scenery!

Other recommended trails in the same area:
there are none near like this one :-)

Review Date
January 23, 2012

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: saltpot ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Weather Conditions weren't prime, so we had a bit of a difficulty getting a long on the chosen trail. We're no too experienced yet, but it was a lot of fun and manageable.

Recommended Route:
We followed the Dog around Cannock before we got on the Monkey Trail. If you want the full experience I'd recommend taking the long way (Follow the Dog --> Monkey trail --> Follow the Dog again) It's a superb Cross Country route.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Beacon Hill Country Park has stunning views, but a simple trail. This is for a bit of leisure and bird watching. The park's trail is only about five miles, but the surrounding area is well suited for cross country.

Review Date
January 21, 2011

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: Clive on the cliff ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Excellent for all abilities. Excellent flow to the ride and for me one of the best trails around. Like previously mentioned, go at the speed of your ability and you'll be happy. There's some nice swoopy bits with nicely built berms and some excellent switch-backs on the descents.

At a leisurely pace and stop off for sandwiches, myself and a few mates went round it in about 3 hours. Some nice little drops and a larger one at a quarry. Stunning views.

My favourite section was Weirwolf Drops.

Recommended Route:
Follow the Dog. Maps here: http://www.chasetrails.co.uk/chasemaps.php

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Without popping over the Welsh border, I'd stick to Cannock as trail centres go.

Review Date
May 19, 2010

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Reviewed by: omaruk ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Just got a whole load better with the opening of the new Monkey Trail. This has made the ride longer (15 miles) and now includes much more of a technical challenge.

Review Date
May 9, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Reviewed by: Dan Hemmings ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Nice XC trail that you can ride to your own ability. This isn't going to earn you any plaudits in trail name dropping, but that's not the point. You can ride this at whatever speed you like - the flow is the key it really does work - simple as that. The tree-lined sections give a nice feeling of speed, and some of the more sweepy sections can be absolutely railed. If you get complacent, this trail can still bite you. Also, to respond to the 'be prepared to be slow at the weekends' comments, this is true. But the sections are very separate, so if you find yourself nudging people along, you can easily let them go a good distance down each section, or a lot will actually let you go through. Good people around here as well, I've ridden this twice on my own, but still had a good chat at the bike wash with other people.

Recommended Route:
FTD