Still only scratched the surface at Cannock Chase

It was, needless to say, extremely hot at Cannock Chase today, but there were very few people sharing its beauty. There is such a lot to see, it's hard to know where to start and I feel I've barely begun to get to know the area. Among the multitude of paths and trails, the road less travelled always appeals strongly.



















There were slightly spooky vistas into the conifer forests, full of the sounds of unseen and (for me) unidentifiable birds. I noticed how intrusive the sound of distant planes can be when everything else is so peaceful. The audio equivalent of light pollution.

Barely visible on the horizon, distant chimneys reminds visitors of the industrial heritage of the area's past, and, less so, present.

These bramble flowers make fantastic bee feeding grounds.

For my money, the local authority does a good job here, providing cheap parking, mobility scooters and trails, tree lined car parks, well marked trails of a variety of standards, an attractive playground and places to dispose of disposable barbecues.

Unfortunately, the visitor centre was not well signposted on roads leading from the M6, which meant I went an unnecessarily roundabout route via the centre of Cannock, but it was a minor niggle.

Next time, I want to investigate the relics of the military training camp on the Chase whichh once held 40,000 men including convalescents in a 1000 bed hospital during WW1. I first learnt of this in Clare Balding's Radio 4 programme Ramblings , well worth a listen. These camps were built from scratch in the countryside, and at one time included a church, a post office and a bakery. Imagine the hue and cry now if such a thing was mooted - it's sobering to think that the demands of war might make such a scheme seem reasonable.