We’ve really enjoyed finding new places to walk local to us during the 2020 lockdown. Exploring beautiful Cannock Chase has been top of our list and it’s been great to discover some new favourites. I’ve rediscovered a treasured walk from when my daughter was little – Cannock Chase Stepping Stones and have spent time exploring some more less popular routes.
Last week, after a little research we came up with the Cannock Chase War memorial walk. Being a relatively new side of the Chase for us, decided to give it a go.
History of Cannock Chase War Memorials
During the First World War, Cannock Chase was home to a large Prisoner of War hospital. As well as a Military Camp which became a base for the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. The Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery contains burials for both New Zealanders and Germans. Additionally in 1959 the UK government made an agreement with the Federal Republic of Germany to relocate around 5,000 graves of German and Austrian soldiers which were dotted around the country to one centrally located and maintained by the Commonwealth Graves Commission. These are located in the German Military Cemetery.
If you’re a fan of historic memorials than make sure you check out the Alrewas National Arboretum hope to almost 400 memorials, it’s a wonderful place for reflection.
The Memorial Walk
Begin the walk at Glacial Boulder Carpark. During these times of social distancing, this filled me with a bit of dread. There were lots of families and groups of kids having BBQs and picnics around the carpark. There were even a few gazebos set up! But I do promise you, head just five minutes away from the carpark and it gets a lot quieter. We didn’t see many other people for the rest of the walk.
The trails on Cannock Chase are not signposted at all so a map and a good sense of direction are essential. Basically you’re heading away from the carpark with the road to your right. It’s a wide expanse of bracken, dusty paths and trees ideal for climbing. This path will lead you down to the Katyn Memorial after around 10 minutes walk – you’ll need to veer slightly further right towards the road.
Katyn Memorial Cannock Chase
Also known as the Polish memorial, the Katyn Memorial was built in memory of the 4,500 Polish lives lost in 1940. Their mass graves were discovered in the Katyn Forest in 1943. This is a very peaceful part of the forest and we didn’t see another soul while we visited, sat and remembered.
German War Memorial
About ten minutes from the Katyn Memorial you’ll find the German War Cemetery. The resting place of almost 5,000 German Nationals who lost their lives in the two World Wars. There’s a small indoor memorial and line upon line of beautifully kept graves. The whole area provokes reflection and it’s well worth taking some time to sit and remember. You can read more about the German Cemetary on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
On leaving the cemetery, keep the woods to your right and complete the loop back to the car park. This section is around two miles across small tracks through thick heather and more bracken. It’s enough to give you a sense of just how vast the Chase is and often you’ll be exploring it with ought another soul in sight.
Parking for the Cannock Chase War memorials
If you only want to see the memorials then there is a large carpark located at the German War Memorial but as we wanted to add the loop we parked at Glacial Boulder Car Park, again, there was plenty of space. The postcode for this car park is ST17 0SG, put it in your sat nav and it will get you pretty close then just look out for the car park sign.
The Cannock Chase war memorial trek is a lovely circular walk taking in some lush forest, fields of bracken and plenty of historical monuments to make you stop and think. The whole walk took around 2 hours including a stop for lunch and a rather dawdly 9 year old. It’s a relatively flat 4 miles so fairly easy for all fitness levels. As we visited during Lockdown, we took a picnic and plenty of water for the dog.
Another great walk on Cannock Chase for history lovers is this two and a half miler from Castle Ring Hill Fort. It will only take you an hour and is the highest point on the Chase offering some amazing views.
If you’d like to enjoy a coffee before or after a walk exploring the war memorials of Cannock Chase then check out this 3 mile loop from Fallow Forest we tried this Autumn.
For another lovely circular walk in Staffordshire you could try this 3 mile route up Battlestead Hill in Tatenhill.
If you’re visiting from a distance then you may want to stay over night. For something a little different, why not try a safari tent, these are available to book from the Camping and Caravanning site actually in Cannock Chase. Find out more is my post on Glamping in Staffordshire.
Make sure you pin for later for planning your War memorial walk on Cannock Chase.
