Family camping weekend at Cannock Chase, 18th, 19th 20th May (With MTB trail)

[johneames]

The list so far:-
Kite Boy Chris Deposit paid Pitch 1 in The Paddock
Green Geko Deposit paid Pitch 2 in The Paddock
bigcat Deposit paid Pitch 3 in the Paddock
sell73out Deposit paid Pitch 4 in The Paddock
Schmiddy Deposit paid Pitch 5 in The Paddock
LOL Deposit paid Pitch 6 in The Paddock

r0msey Deposit paid Pitch 1
mossT5 Deposit paid Pitch 3
R5T4 Deposit paid Pitch 5
nogdo Deposit paid Pitch 6
td-eye Deposit paid Pitch 7
elder81 Deposit paid Pitch 8
forever young Paid in Full Pitch 9
T4Chippy Deposit paid Pitch 10
johneames Deposit paid Pitch 11
grizzler Deposit paid Pitch 12
busterben (saturday night onwards) Deposit paid Pitch 14
VWT4SAM (saturday night onwards) Deposit paid Pitch 14

Andy-H Staying off-site



Here is a map of the campsite (which is in no way to scale and shows just how poor my drawing is ). Please note that none of the pitches are triangular and are all reasonably equal in size.



After contemplating this over the last few years, I have decided with the help of bigcat and T4Chippy to run a T4/5 Forum Mountain Biking weekend at Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. The Chase has been reviewed in the MTB magazines over the last few years and has always been given the thumbs up. The dates for this event are the evening of Friday the 18th, saturday the 19th and sunday the 20th (until midday) of May 2012.

I've spoken to the owner (Kaye) at Spring Slade Lodge Tearooms and Campsite and she has agreed to host this event for us. Spring Slade Lodge have an informative WEBSITE.






This is a very picturesque setting as you can see from the pictures below

This is the view from Camp Road


This is the drive down to the campsite


The campsite




The view from the campsite back up to the main buildings where the tearoom and toilets are situated


Below is a scan of their rules and regulations plus rates. Please read them and familiarise yourselves with the information you will need to disclose at the point of booking.


Spring Slade is about 1 mile from the Follow the Dog trail (and about 2 miles to the Birches Valley visitors centre). Cost at this site is £15 per night for upto 4 people (2 nights or more. 1 night goes up to £20 for up to 4 people). Additional people per night are £4 per adult and £2 per child. Dogs are £1 per night and the breed must be declared at the time of booking. They have 6 hook-up's at £20 per night (2 night and above) or £27 for one night. Additional people charges are the same as previously mentioned. A £10 deposit per pitch is required too. They also stipulate no excessive drinking

Kaye and I have agreed that the easiest way for people to book will be directly with her. I am going to propose that she takes peoples Forum name and their name and then email me when the bookings are confirmed so that I can update my list with who has booked. So, when you ring to book, state that you are booking for the VWT4Forum camping weekend and mention my name. She will require a £10 deposit and the balance paid on arrival. Again the dates are 18th and 19th of May if you want to stay over on both the Friday and Saturday nights. To book up, call Kaye on 01785 715091 or 07808 500330.

Just to reiterate, this campsite does have proper ladies and gents toilets situated next to the tearooms. On arrival you are given a code to the gate to gain access when the tearoom is closed. At present, there are no shower facilities available but this may change. Later this week, they are going to see a company who make shower blocks (I think this is the portable trailer kind but I'll confirm when I have more information) but their decision to purchase will be price dependant. She hoped that if they do go ahead with the purchase, they may have something in place by the time we go. I will speak to her next monday (5th March) to determine the outcome of this meeting, HOWEVER I feel that people should understand that it may be wise to plan for there not being any shower facility (a shower tent or a bucket and sponge?). If it's muddy, you wont want to be sleeping in your van covered in it!

If you've got a good set of mtb lights designed to be used off-road in the pitch black, bring them with you as we could do a night-ride too.

There is a Go-Ape at the Birches Valley Visitors Centre which is open at weekends, so if you fancy "swinging around from a piece of string" go to http://www.goape.co.uk/2012 or call 0845 094 8634 to book it in advance as it does get very busy.

I feel this bit is important, this event/meet should be considered a family event and wives/girlfriends/children/dogs all welcome. For those who dont have a bike or have a basic bike but would like to ride a good trail bike (or even want to test something before purchasing), Swinnerton's Cycles have a hire, bike and parts shop at Birches Valley too. Again, they are very busy at weekends so book up early to avoid disapointment on the day. They can be reached here.

There is plenty of other stuff to do at or around the Chase, such as the Mining Museum, walking, a sports centre is not far away at Cannock, etc.

I look forward to seeing you guys there.

If anyone feels I've missed something or wants to know any other information, let me know and I'll try and find out for you.

Cheers,
John and Dave (bigcat)


EDIT :- Kaye has just emailed me to say for the families, she can put on an "It's a knockout", build a den and treasure trail. Plus she has a friend who is a mountain bike instructor who can do guides for beginners, intermediate and advanced riders and skill sessions too. Let her know if you're interested in any of these when you book.

[sell73out]

I'm in

[johneames]

Well I'd taken that as a given Chris

[johneames]

Just been speaking with Angela, the proposed weekend should be for the whole family, not just for the MTB'ers. The campsite that we are thinking of approaching has a cafe/tea room attached. They do kids Birthday parties and put treasure hunts on so if there is enough interest, I'm sure they would put something on for us. Did I mention a date? I was thinking initially some time in May as the weather seems to be good and its before the summer holidays kick in.

The Chase is not just good for cycling, its also great for walking, a great oportunity for some family time and there is also a high probability of seeing deer too.

[t4Chippy]

Put me down as a yes buddy


(dependant on date and price )

[johneames]

Nice one Keith, so that's

johneames
bigcat
the Chippymeister
sell73out
grizzler (hopefully)
busterben (hopefully)
VWT4SAM (hopefully)


If you are in, copy the list into your post and add your name on the bottom.

Thanks in advance


BTW, any chance of making this sticky for a bit?

[the Green Geko]

I'm interested John, but I have Lotts on Sat as Hollie works and I work on Sundays as well, I'll see what dates you come up with. I'm defo away Mayday weekend

[johneames]

Ok buddy, I'll try and avoid that weekend.

johneames
bigcat
the Chippymeister
sell73out
grizzler (hopefully)
busterben (hopefully)
VWT4SAM (hopefully)
Green Geko

[kitvan]

Call me thick if you want but hows about putting an address or a map. As you lurk in the woods and just put Cannock chase down it MAY help others to know where it is.

[johneames]

Originally Posted by kitvan

Call me thick if you want but hows about putting an address or a map. As you lurk in the woods and just put Cannock chase down it MAY help others to know where it is.

Thanks for the advice You are right, I should have put a map or address up so I shall. I just thought that anyone who has the means to read this also has the means to google it.

For information about the Cannock Chase trail centre see HERE

Also, for general information about The Chase THIS is a good link.


I will post information up about the campsite I choose and its location if and when we get the sufficient numbers to make it worthwhile. In the meantime, this is where Cannock Chase is