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Cannock Chase

(Staffordshire)

Near Birmingham

Our longest tree top adventure set in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

At Cannock Chase Go Ape, you’ll be lucky enough to see some of the most beautiful views during your day out in the forest.

We’ve used our traditional Go Ape adventure recipe: one lush, green forest, a healthy dollop of breathtaking scenery and blended in a smattering of tree-top high wires, tricky crossings and wind-in-your-face zip wires.

There are also plenty of other outdoor activities for the family to enjoy including mountain biking, and a large children’s play area (perfect for any little monkey!)

Coming Soon: Our Forest Segway adventure. Get off the beaten track on our all-terrain segways.

Find your nearest Go Ape by postcode or location:

Get out and about this season

For full availability simply click  'Book Now' for exact details of Cannock's opening hours.

Times will vary on daylight hours…some adventures even open at 08:00 in the summer for those early birds!

Below is a snapshot of when our forest doors open.

We're open from February to November, but we close our forest doors during December and January (...it gets a little chilly and we like to maintain our adventures so they're all ready to go in 2012).

Weekends in February and March

Plus we're open during February half term - that's 13th - 17th February.

23rd March – 30th October daily.

Closed Tuesday (during term time).

Weekends only throughout November.

Course stats

Check out these crazy stats for Cannock Chase!

  • Number of sections 5
  • Longest Zip Wire 260 metres
  • Longest Crossing 16 metres
  • Total Length 1,465 metres
  • Number of Crossings 38
  • Highest Point 14 metres

The Team at Cannock

The Address

Go Ape! Cannock
Birches Valley Forest Centre
Rugeley
Staffordshire
WS15 2UQ

Get directions

By car

Cannock Go Ape is located at Birches Valley Forest Centre (not Cannock Chase Visitors Centre). Birches Valley Forest Centre is just 2 miles from Rugeley, where Birches Valley road meets Penkridge Bank road.

From any direction, follow the small brown directional tourist signs.

From the M6 or Cannock, follow the A460 towards Rugeley.  The brown signs with the deer logo direct along the A460 through Hednesford to a left turn off on Station Road (also signposted Pye Green).  Turn left onto Station Road, then immediately turn right, as directed by the brown sign, onto Brindley Heath Road.  Follow this for around 3 miles to a crossroads and turn right onto Birches Valley.  In 2 miles you will arrive at Birches Valley Forest Centre!

From Rugeley, from Globe Island in Rugeley town centre, take Western Springs Road towards Stafford for 400yards and turn left at the traffic lights, as directed by the brown sign onto Hagley Road.  Follow this road, which becomes Penkridge Bank as the houses of Rugeley gives way to the lush greenery of Cannock Chase.  After about 2 miles you will come to Birches Valley Forest Centre on your left! Please be aware, some sat nav’s direct you to Chase Golf Club, about 3 miles away.  If you end up here, from the roundabout near the Chase Golf Club, take Broadhurst Green Road and follow it as it becomes Penkridge Bank and you will see Birches Valley Forest Centre on your right after about 3 miles.

Please note that the following parking charges apply: £3 all day.

By train

Public transport is available from Stafford, Cannock and Rugeley.

Staying Over

Need a place to crash?
Our friends below (excuse the pun) come highly recommended from the tree-tops...

Colton House

Willow End Bed and Breakfast

The Barns

Cannock Chase Camping and Caravan

Silvertrees

Springslade Lodge

Some grub and a pint...

The Horns Inn around the corner from Birches Valley in Slitting Mill is a popular haunt for dedicated Chase mountain bikers and walkers alike.  A warm welcome, cold pint and good feed are always on offer.

Local Area

Some nearby places which may be of interest:

Visit Cannock Chase and you will enjoy time in the smallest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on mainland Britain. Younger baboons can explore the excellent adventure playground situated close to the car park and Go Ape.

If you prefer to spend your non-tree time on two wheels rather than two feet, take on the ever popular Follow the Dog mountain bike trail or have a totally themed day and ride the Monkey Trail! These trails are built and maintained by the volunteer group Chase Trails.

From Birches Valley you can explore the Route to Health sculpture trail which is a 1 mile flat walk through the trees with amazing and impressive sculptures along the way.  This includes the ever popular Fairy Trees!  You could take on a slightly longer walking route around the magnificent Fair Oak pools.

Take a look at Swinnerton Cycles and get yourself a bike for the afternoon after your tree-top adventure. Browse Chase Trails to look at the trails.

Why not contact our Events Team to get your whole tribe in the trees. It can include outdoor catering, mountain bike hire and much much more. Just give us a call on 0845 643 9314.

Cannock Forest is cared for by the Forestry Commission.
From trails to sustainable timber, and concerts to conservation projects, the Forestry Commission looks after forests and woodlands, for everyone to enjoy. Visit www.forestry.gov.uk to find out more.

Rated 4 Bananas Roger 30 December 2011
The whole trip was very good, the safety brief was excellent, the gloves we bought were excellent! Enjoyed the long zip run, but you could do with a bit more bark chips on the landings
Rated 4 Bananas Laura 1 December 2011
Tarzan jumps to the nets, zip lines. It would be good if there could be a couple more 'more difficult' parts of the cannock site. Very very enjoyable all the same!!
Rated 4 Bananas Tony 1 December 2011
Best parts were the zip wires and the tarzan swing.
Rated 4 Bananas A 1 December 2011
the zip wires where great the best bit for me everyone was great it made my daughers 16 birthday great thanks alot
Rated 5 Bananas Samantha 29 November 2011
very daungting at first,as i'm so scared of heights,me and my husband took our daughters and 2 friends,so there was 6 in the group.Really didn't think i was going to get any further than the first ladder,i started shaking and crying with fear,but our instructor came up with a very good idea,after completing the 2nd phrase we moved onto 4 so i could get my confidence up,then went back to 3 after,and i must say was a great idea,else i think i would have quit there and then.On the whole i loved every minuite of it,iv'e over-come my fear of heights,and even though it took an hour longer than expected,i'm so proud of my achievements.Thankyou all at go-ape.mrs samantha wileman.
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GORILLAS
18 years +
£30
BABOONS
10 - 17 years
Over 1.4m
£20
ENJOY A 2 - 3 HOUR TREE TOP ADVENTURE

course facilities

  • Food & Drink
  • Parking
  • Bike Hire
  • Dogs Welcome
  • Cycle Trails
  • Walking Routes
Hover over a facility to find out more info.

updates from Cannock Chase

  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Cannock Cycle Trails Reach Semi Final
  • Top Tips for Going Ape!
  • Everything Is Running Smoothly

Cannock Chase