Overview

With around 600 oaks, including some over 600 years old, Brocton Coppice is a beautiful fragment of the original Forest of Cannock which once covered 200 square miles.

The predominant tree mixed in with the ancient Oaks is my favourite tree the humble Birch. However, management of the woods now means that the Birch trees are being selectively felled to create light and space for the Oaks. The fallen Birch trees are then being left to decay across unauthorised trails in a bid to prevent increasing damage being caused by mountain bikes, off-road motorbikes and quad bikes.

Whilst in the woods, see if you can find the now famous tree that looks surprisingly like a much-loved Lord of the Rings character. The oak tree, which is found in these woods, looks rather much like Treebeard, the ‘Ent’ in Middle-earth which help the hobbits defeat Sauron at the battle of Isengard. Its location is not difficult to find online, but I like the idea of you finding it whilst you explore the woodlands; far more fun that way 🙂

The circular route provided below covers a lot of the highlights of the wood, but my recommendation is to just explore, take any paths you come across and move off-path which will provide a lot more opportunities than you get from remaining on the paths.