[Closed] A Cannock Update.

Cool.

Big respect going out to the trail builders. 👊

Always tricky for builders no matter what you do some people will complain. Always good to see people building.

Not to sure on all the trail names but I thought most of it was good fun, even the horrific braking bumps were good as you could almost launch them. It would be a shame to make it like Swinley.

It's a good few years since I've been to Cannock. Sounds like it's changed a lot since the mid-late 2000s when I rode there often. I must make the effort to return.

Have you heard about the price increase for parking next year (from Jan 1st 2020) Doubling it is a bit much, how many people will pay £12 for all day?

Good news, it'll be nice to see the end section reopen as last. I go to Cannock a fair amount, though not as much in the last year or so and think the place is brilliant for what it is, they make good use of the elevation and terrain they have.

There's always plenty of moaning on Facebook, but as said they can't please everyone and if you don't like it you should get involved with the volunteers and have a say.

you're right Homer. I also reckon that anyone who moans about how 'featureless' the main trails are haven't taken the time to explore the wealth of very technical off piste.

Or haven't ridden the black options...

Is that right that it’s going to be £12 to park? That will put a lot of people off going as everyone I see by the pay machine moans at the current £6! As Fathomer says, I think they’ve done a great job with the topography they have to play with.

Yeah, £12 is pretty steep, it wasn't that long ago that it went up to £6.

Agreed. I like Cannock and generally dislike people who go and use the facilities but don't pay the car-park. I think £6 is good value for a day out, especially if there's a couple of you sharing the car. £12, I can see that putting people off. It's only the price of a small round I suppose, as I'm a very irregular user, I can live with that.

the increase also covers having your car washed though while it is parked. this is a good idea and creates additional jobs plus its cheaper than parking at a railway station.

There are plenty of places you can park around Cannock for free so I'm not bothered about a price rise.

the increase also covers having your car washed though while it is parked.

What if you don't want it washed by some gritty old sponge? I don't have a problem with paying £12 for a day out on the trails, but I definitely don't want the car wash. I presume it's an optional service?

The carwash will be an extra donation for the charity who does the washing, like the Fire Service, Scouts, local schools etc. This is on top of the £12 but obviously you don't have to have it done (they will do bikes aswell).

Does the £12 include the cost of the riding permit?

sootyandjim

There are plenty of places you can park around Cannock for free so I’m not bothered about a price rise.

From what I've heard some of the 'free' car parks around the Chase are going to be turned into paying ones - specifically the ones opposite the White house and Takeroo.

Also regarding the Commonwealth Games - last I heard from a fairly reliable source was possibly 5km of new trail from around the start of the Dog down and around the 'bowl' where they have the concerts as this would be used as a temporary stadium section for the race.

the increase also covers having your car washed though while it is parked.

Pffft Swinley has a Bikini Car Wash.

Put that in your well managed voulenteer trail mainenance scheme and smoke it!

BigJohn

Subscriber
Does the £12 include the cost of the riding permit?

The permits remain free, available from the Forestry Centre and the bike shop. They should start charging for E-Bike permits though.

I don’t have a problem with paying £12 for a day out on the trails,

The trails at Cannock take a couple of hours not a full day. You could get a fair few laps in through a whole day and it would get a bit tedious. £12 is starting to take the P. I thought it was a bit cynical before when it was about £3 for an hour and a half and £6 for a whole day...the 1.5hrs just set at that touch and go time it takes for a leisurely lap. If you're just rocking up for a lap of the trails its extortionate. I'm struggling to think of any other activity that is so expensive. If you're turning up with the family for a fun day out then a bit better but still a bit steep.

I'd rather pay say £40 a year for a years pass just for cycling on the basis I'll be done and dusted in 2hrs...maybe 2.5hrs if I stop for a coffee in the cafe, then once I've packed up and gone home the parking spot is clear for another punter to come along and pay the full £12.

I appreciate the efforts that go into the build and maintenance of the trails and its definitely worth paying for....but not £12 a lap.

What riding permit? Have never got one before! £12 is too high but in line with bedgebury.

not been to cannock in many years, if its now £12 to park and going all flowy and berms then Ill give it a miss and head to the peaks

I’m struggling to think of any other activity that is so expensive

So you really can't think of any other activity that costs more than £12?

I presumed the £12 charge was for the full day. Are we saying there isn't a shorter stay price, like £6 for half a day or an hourly rate? If so then I agree, it's a rip-off. I would typically only be there for a couple of hours.

£12 for parking is insane. Llandegla is my local centre and that's £4.50 or £60ish a year for a season pass, which seems reasonable, but given what Cannock has to offer, that is just plain daft pricing. £6 is bad enough, charging double that is going to turn a lot of people away. I get the trails need maintaining somehow, but surely there are better ways than this. Maybe they're just hoping putting the price up so much reduces traffic so they don't get torn up as much? Who knows but I won't be going any time soon that's for sure!

scruff

Member

Have you heard about the price increase for parking next year (from Jan 1st 2020) Doubling it is a bit much, how many people will pay £12 for all day?

I'm calling BS, any sauce scruff?

It's fake news for sure

I like FTD and The Monkey.  A bit of flow is nice but hopefully they won’t let an increase in that detract from the more rocky and rooty feel that some of the trail already has.  I already ride the black stuff - have since it was first there and I am well into my third decade of rising ‘off piste’ in the Chase - but still, I don’t want to lose some of the qualities of the built trail that give it its ‘Cannock character’.

I usually buy the annual car park pass - which is good value, but I do think doubling the £12 for a days parking is a mickeytake.  Riders coming to the trail already bring money into the area - whether it’s the trailhead cafe and bike shop or the local shops and cafes etc.  I worry that this super-expensive charge could detract from that.  An alternative big drive to get people to join Chase Trails would surely be a better idea.

I’m struggling to think of any other activity that is so expensive.

Er, ever bought a football ticket, gone to a gig of a famous band, comedy show, nice, (or not even very nice) meal? All of those last a couple of hours, similar to your lap of Cannock and cost a shit load more than 12 quid!

I haven't been for a year or so usually go for a blast in the depths of winter once a year for somethign different

But jesus 12 quid to park.. That's insane, sorry but just nuts to ride a 2hr trail centre... Wtf

I thought it sounded dear at 6 quid to be perfectly honest but 12 quid is a joke

And the car park wash isn't a good idea either the car park is filthy as it is and by the time you've driven off in your nice clean car it will be filthy again in winter getting out of it

Wow 12 pounds to park at Cannock that's shocked my world if its true

A whole £12!!! My God!! 😉 in a hobby where people spend thousands on bikes and gear, folks are wetting the bed over £12. If I went with my mate or daughter, that's a whole £6 each. In fairness. You could double your value by going around twice? Crazy I know, but is 4 hour's of riding out of the reach of most folk? It's hardly the most taxing of terrain, and given the parking is all day, you could even have a little sleep between your runs to recover.

It’s been £12.50 at Thetford for a while now, and not exactly trail nirvana by most people’s standards

Now you put it like that it seems so reasonable, everything's too cheap you're so right.

Hopefully they will cover the surrounding area in double yellow lines so the council can get in on the action and swarm the area with parking pataweyo's. Ratcheting increases every year (no **** it every six months) cos tech businesses are doing it and they are so like innovative and mazing.

I think they should charge per exhalation due to climate crisis and per step for walkers due to erosion, horses free of course the queen and all that!

Let's not go there with Ebikes, license, per millimetre, bastards.

Rename the final descent, the cliff or whatever it's called the gold run as a tribute to the late great Bob Holness!

Hmmmm.... Thursday night?
I drive a Reliant Robin so will I get a parking discount as I only have three wheels?

I like an annual trip to Cannock, wouldn’t want to ride there every week, but it can be a decent ride when the weather is grotty.  I just don’t like the ‘feel’ of the place.   Always feel like I’m being watched, almost certainly paranoia on my part, certainly wouldn’t leave my bike even for a second

So you really can’t think of any other activity that costs more than £12?

No. Not for 1.5hrs routinely at least.

Er, ever bought a football ticket, gone to a gig of a famous band, comedy show, nice, (or not even very nice) meal? All of those last a couple of hours, similar to your lap of Cannock and cost a shit load more than 12 quid!

Not sure what extravagant lifestyles you lot lead, but these sorts of events are a once in a while luxury to me, not a routine event. I live reasonably close to Cannock and tend to ride there every week over winter to save churning up the natural trails I usually ride when the ground it soggy and soft and not so enjoyable to ride, so for me Cannock is a great little weekly blast over the winter and at £12 a pop would turn out to be more expensive than crack and hookers.

When I lived in Walsall I used to ride to the Chase and back. So assuming your ‘reasonably close’ is within 10’miles I’m not sure why you even need to park?

Have come back up to the Mids this week to catch up with family but camped in the CC&C site on the Chase, just up by Stile Cop.
The trails are in pretty good shape considering the crap weather and it’s only really the braking bumps that are full of water.
Be good to see a bit of work done on the two loops though, was last back here in June and the closures/diversions were pretty much the same.

Forestry membership is usually around £50 per year, so to be fair if you're riding a lot then the £12 shouldn't touch you either way. < £1 a week seems pretty reasonable.

You might find that it ends up only £12 on Bank holidays etc. Thats what happened at Hamsterley.

Either way though I think the bigger issue could be the FC bringing in contractors to do the works normally done by volunteers. How is that effecting Cannock? Are funds being diverted to pay commercial operators where they could be used to support local trailbuilders?

I live reasonably close to Cannock and tend to ride there every week over winter to save churning up the natural trails I usually ride when the ground it soggy and soft and not so enjoyable to ride, so for me Cannock is a great little weekly blast over the winter and at £12 a pop would turn out to be more expensive than crack and hookers.

Have we even established if £12 is the only charging option? To me that sounded like an "all day" charge, which would be very reasonable if you were going to be there all day. But maybe there are hourly rates or an annual pass?

Maybe the fees should be means tested? Turn up with an £8k bling-susser and pay the full £12 or £1 for your 20 year old Halfords HT.

£12 for parking to use a purpose built trail is peanuts. People spend a fortune on their bikes without flinching. Asked to pay £12 that will contribute toward to maintenance and upkeep and safety of the people using it and because they don’t get anything tangible “it’s a bit steep” what a joke!

The new final section is nearly complete.

When will it open? (I’m getting hassled by No1 son to take him down there again but it makes sense to wait if it’s not going to be long)

It may be finished this week but will need to settle and be inspected and signed off so possibly another couple of years 😉

The Discovery Pass pricing varies on the site: my local is £5 for all day parking and the Discovery pass is £32. Thetford is £12 a day so the Discovery is £64...

Scruff got any source to lend creditability to your £12 parking claim. And the other chap who mentioned the car parks at Tackeroo and white starting to charge for?

I was out last night for a night ride and was riding some stuff away from the main trails but a trail had been purposely blocked by big sticks and also a small jump to get you over a log and been destroyed.
I cleared out the sticks and also kicked out a few of the puddles while I was walking around but I couldn't fix the little roller/jump over the log.
So please take care out there.

@jekkyl there have been consultations where this has come out.
There's a big thing about them fencing parts off for cattle to graze and access to those areas.
Someone had a response from the council:
[img] [/img]
Doesn't say which car parks will be pay ones - but rumours are Takeroo and White House to name a couple - and also possibly the access road around Marquis Drive.

They put pay machines on Marquis Drive's tarmaced section before, every single pay machine was ripped out / apart within two nights...