Brocton Camp Information Board loop from Cannock Chase National Landscape
Brocton Camp Information Board loop from Cannock Chase National Landscape
25
hikers
Brocton Camp Information Board loop from Cannock Chase National Landscape
01:10
4.28km
60m
Hiking
Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: July 10, 2026
Tips
Your route passes through a protected area
Please check local regulations for:
Cannock Chase National Landscape
Waypoints
Start point
Bus stop
Get Directions
3.39 km
Viewing platform overlooking Cannock Chase
Highlight • Viewpoint
Tip by
4.10 km
Brocton Camp Information Board
Highlight • Historical Site
A large workforce was assembled to build the camps and the associated railway,later nicknamed the 'Tackeroo Express' with more than one hundred men working on the construction of the camps at any one time. Water was supplied by the South Staffordshire Waterworks Company, and electricity by the Cannock and Rugeley Colliery Company. The camps were based upon a complex of timber huts adapted for specific purposes such as barracks, mess rooms and workshops. Following the implementation of the camps' infrastructure, the first huts were under construction in March 1915 and the first battalions arrived soon after.
Use of the camps
During the early part of the war the camps were primarily used as transit camps to accommodate Service Battalions travelling towards the western front; following their completion, the camps settled into the mould of a training facility and there was a steady influx of battalions, including men of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, who later made Cannock Chase their UK headquarters. Various schools of war were established, offering instruction in musketry, scouting, signalling,physical training, gas warfare and many other related subjects.
The camps, when completed, could hold up to 40,000 men at one time and probably trained upwards of 500,000 men. They had all their own amenities including a church, post offices and a bakery as well as amenity huts where the troops could by coffee and cakes, or play billiards. There was even a theatre.
Tip by
4.28 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
2.56 km
1.41 km
161 m
134 m
Surfaces
1.46 km
1.15 km
660 m
609 m
270 m
121 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Monday 20 July
26°C
10°C
0 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 16.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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