Chase Summer Route No 1

Chase Route No 1

Areas Covered:

Moor’s Gorse, Stile Cop, Brereton, Upper Birches, The Horns, Birches Valley, Tackaroo, Kingsley Wood Road, TA Huts, Pepper Slade, Sherbrook Valley, Dekka’s Corner, BT Tower, Rhododendron Valley.

Terrain:

50% wide hardcore tracks, 10% tarmac roads, 40% narrow grass/dirt tracks

Distances:

2-3ish mile, 4-5ish mile, 6-7-8ish mile, 9ish mile, 10ish mile & 13ish mile

Route: (all distances)

From Marquis Drive, go past the back of the toilet block, straight on at first junction then left then right at the next two T junctions.  Head straight along the camp tarmac road to the plaque T junction.

Turn right along tarmac path and take 1^st track grass on the left, going along the grass track to the next cross roads.  Straight over the main track and head down hill and follow this track until you meet Kitbag Hill by the house.  (For 2-3 mile route turn left, climb Kitbag Hill and follow the main gravel track then tarmac road back to the Car Park).

For all other distances turn right and head down hill to the railway crossing.  Cross over the railway and over the Hednesford Road to Moor’s Gorse.  Head straight up the hill until you reach the fork in the track.  Take the right-hand track and continue up the hill towards the road.  Just before the barrier take the wide track on the left heading up the steep hill.  Just over the crest of the hill take the right-hand fork and head down hill until you reach the barrier.  (For the 4-5 mile route turn left at the barrier along the main track, past the houses on the right-hand side, follow the left-hand fork in the track and down to Moor’s Gorse, over the road, across the railway, up Kitbag Hill and back to the Car Park).

For all other distances turn right at the barrier and follow the track to Wandon cross roads.  Turn left along road and climb up to the top of Stile Cop road.  (For a slightly shorter route continue along Stile Cop Road to Hednesford Road)

Turn right into Stile Cop Car Park, through car park and go the right of the trig point and take the 2^nd track on the right.  Follow the narrow dirt track until it widens out.  Take the right-hand fork and follow the track through the trees heading down hill to a small wood by some sandstone cliffs.  Follow the track to the left going around the back of the new houses and the Levels Industrial Estate.  Carry on along the track until you reach the T junction with the tarmac estate road on the right.  Turn left along the wide dirt track road; go past the farm on the left and into the woods.  Take the right-hand fork and head slightly up hill.  Continue along this track until the T junction.  Turn left and head to Stile Cop Road.  Turn right along footpath to the Hednesford Road.

Cross Hednesford Road, go through Upper Birches Farm, over the stile, through the kissing gates, down the path and through the 2^nd set of kissing gates.  Go under the railway bridge and turn right then left along the grass path along side the field.  Go over the foot bridge turning right along the edge of the field.  Take the left-hand fork in the left-hand corner of the field and at the top of the path turn right and head for the Horns pub.

Turn left and head along the road in front of the Horns to the white terraced houses.  Cross the road and take the new path up through the trees.  At the top of the hill go straight on (past the bike track on the left) taking the wide track past the statue doing a hand-stand to the next cross roads. (For the 6-7 mile route take left-hand fork carry on down hill, over the causeway through the trees, around the small fishing pool, over the foot bridge, follow the track along the valley past the pools and back to Marquis Drive)

For the other routes go straight down to the Birches Valley Visitor’s Centre, cross the road, through the barrier and up the hill the other side.  At the top of the hill bear right along the grass track through the trees, turn left onto the main track, over the undulations to the T junction.  Turn right and go up the hill to Penkridge Bank Road.  Turn left and take the track to Tackaroo. (For 9 mile route turn left through the caravans and back to Marquis Drive)

For other routes, turn right, cross Penkridge Bank Road, through the car park along the track to Kingsley Wood Road.  Turn left and go up to the T.A. Huts, through the car park, through the barrier and down Pepper Slade.  At Sherbrook Valley turn left up to the sandy cross roads.  (For the 10 mile route turn left up the hill to the Bremen Stone, through the White House Car Park to Marquis Drive)

For the 13 mile route continue along Sherbrook Valley towards the German Cemetery.  At Gladys’s corner turn left to Penkridge Bank Road.  Turn right then left through the barrier, turn right and up to the BT tower, go sharp left to Birches Valley Road.  Cross the road, through the car park, down Rhododendron Valley to the road.  Turn left along the road then right up the tarmac road and back to Marquis Drive.