Looking for a family friendly easy walk in Staffordshire? I got you. Cannock Chase Stepping Stones in the Sherbook Valley. An easy and well maintained walk through beautiful woodland enjoying the stepping stones that traverse the shallow Sher Brook.
As a family we love a walk. More specifically we also love to discover new walks we can add to our ‘we need to see something different than the tried and tested because we have seemingly walked all of the walks’ (we defintiely haven’t) roster of go to’s.
In walks (see what I did there?) Sherbroook Valley Stepping Stones.
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase (or The Chase to locals) is a 26 square mile area of outstanding natural beauty in Staffordshire FULL to the brim with walking routes a plenty, cycle paths, bridleways & wildlife. A peaceful tranquil area for a much needed nature escape or indeed those forest adventures! Think Go Ape and mountain bike tracks that make me nervous just looking at their steepness.
The Sherbrook Valley, situated centrally in the heart of Cannock Chase is a beautiful mixture of trees, woodland and open heathland. We visited for the first time in the Easter Holidays on a sunny weekday in April after searching for a teen and tween approved walk to get us all out of the house on a lovely day.
Parking
The Stepping Stones can be accessed from very many routes through Cannock Chase so there is no one designated parking spot as there are plenty of free car parks around depending on your preferred route and miles wanted to walk. They can also be accessed from Shugborough National Trust or local villages Milford, Brocton & Bednall.
The internet will tell you they are best accessed by Brocton Coppice or Punch Bowl car parks. I cannnot confirm if that is in fact true or not as we drove around ALOT trying to find both of them (and 4 more) to absolutely no, do you know how expensive diesel is right now, avail! The first postcode actually took us to a cul de sac which I am quite sure the gorgeous bungalows were *delighted* with as I quickly tried my best feel like a learner driver again with a tight 3 point turn avoiding nearing their driveways. Curtain twitchers unite.
20 minutes and an emergency (word used very lightly) coffee bar stop later and we landed on Seven Springs Car Park ST17 0WT. Parking was free, I would say capacity was about 30 cars and the access off the main road is down a narrow single track road for about 200m with one passing place. Which is a bit ‘you’re aware you’re breathing in despite the knowdlege you’re in a metal box’ tight. Essentially be prepared to bring out the aforementioned driving skills to reverse back down the track with an oncoming car staring directly into your soul.
Route
At the top of the car park (with the entrance behind you) we took the right hand trail and essentially walked straight following the path for half an hour just over a mile to arrive at the stepping stones ahead of you. Beware of snakes – said the sign – we didn’t see any much to the childrens delight after a big converstion about why they probably weren’t going to die from a snake bite on this little walk in Staffordshire. And yes even if they did walk past the ‘logpile house’ that Julia Donaldson has alot to answer for even this many non Gruffalo bedtime story years later.
There is plenty of woodland and walks coming from all directions, you can carry on over the stepping stones right, left or straight ahead as far as you like to explore and the routes loop around.
We stopped for a snack and sit down on the picnic benches and merely walked our way the mile back to the car. Just in time to see two horses starting a hack much to Roma’s delight.
The (somewhat macabre) History
For the History buffs and fellow just love to knows. The 12 coping stones were installed by the Friends of Cannock Chase in 1954. Reportedly known to be salvaged from the demolished Stafford Prison gatehouse used until 1864 for public executions. Granting them the apt nickname ‘Hangmans Stones’.
Though thankfully. I guess unless you are into these sorts of otherwordly things in which case you might have the desire to look up the ‘feelings’ people often report. Facebook doing its due diligence for the spirit world community there. To the layman on a wonderfully innocent walk it’s just a lovely little picturesque woodland family friendly place with no word or sign of the stones dark history!
The Stepping Stones
As you approach the stones the trees clear to an opening of sorts and the meeting of many trails and headways providing, in my opinion, that coming together community feel. There are some picnic benches next to the stepping stones and enough grass for whiling away as much time as you have to spare. Or a snack, which is the approach we liked to take!
The stones themselves, I am not going to lie, are a little underwhelming.
Hear me out! In the sense that they are small, it’s a shallow ford and you can easily walk through the water. Essentially if you’ve been to Dovedale Stepping Stones, and queued for the privilege, waded through with your trousers up to your thighs, or indeed with a baby on your hip and pram in hand (yup, that’s us) you won’t need any of those skills here.
Though I am reliably informed they can get flooded/covered after rainfall as they really are not that tall but let’s just say you won’t get stranded one side or the other should this be the case.
Don’t let this disuade you however as water is always alot of fun for children and the walk is pictureque and lovely in and of itself. Would still recommend. Honestly as a parent to older children if for nothing more than the nostalia of seeing toddlers act like it is the best body of water they have ever seen in puddle suits zipped up to their chin. Or siblings who wear crocs and ‘accidentally’ splash each other as they walk behind before denying all knowledge like every sibling in history has, and ever will! Children really do remind us to enjoy the small things in life don’t they? Says the mother sitting on the bench with the teen!
It was an overall delightful way to spend a few hours outside in nature. We saw a number of people enjoying the stepping stones area and really only a few on our walk to and from. A great way to spend some quality time together which, as a parent of older children, I am never not thankful for.
Attire
We walked on a dry April day and whilst we all wore walking boots you could have as easily managed with trainers. The stepping stones would be the only bit you might want a little more water protection in case a tip toe isn’t your thing and you wanted to pass.
If you have small children who want to splash in the ford fed by Sher Brook then waterproofs are of course perfect, or a towel in the good old british summertime; you do you.
There are no facilities at the stepping stones, or at the car park we chose, but a village pub is never far away.
What Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Peak District walk should we do next?