A Snowy Morning on Cannock Chase

Pedometer says: 10.07 miles in 3 hours 1 minute
Average speed: 3.34 mph

When I looked outsite this morning, the snow came as a bit of a suprise. I hadn't bothered with the weather forecast last night and their predictions of when it will snow and how hard haven't been all that accurate anyway. The local council hadn't been expecting snow either as all the roads were untreated until I got to the Lichfield Road. On the way, there was more evidence that the weather has ADD: the snow on the ground turning to slush at the same time as it starts to snow agin.

The road through Cannock Chase was, unsurpisingly, untreated. I decided not to go for my usual start at Chase Road Corner but instead parked at Bednal Belt.

Bednal Belt car park

I set off on foot for Chase Road corner, thinking as the snow fell that it might be a good idea to turn around and go home. In the first half hour I saw one cyclist and no footprints. Going across Brocton Field I found the path I'd picked was a layer of snow on a thin layer of ice above a puddle. For 40m.

Brocton Field near Chase Road Corner

I headed down into the Sherbrook Valley as the weather cleared up and the cyclists and runners all started to appear.

The route I ended up following was roughly one I use a lot, slightly exteded by the fact I parked at Bednal Belt instead of Chase Road Corner. Along the Sherbrook to the Stepping Stones, then across to Seven Spring and up Abraham's Valley past the shooting butt to Rifle Range corner.

Heading back

As usual it was mostly mountain bikers out that early, with a half-dozen runners and the same number of walkers.

I notice the bit on my £5 pedometer that hooks onto my belt is fracturing, thus perfectly justifying the purchase of a GPS...