Stile Cop Downhill Trails

Stile Cop Downhill Trails

Stile Cop Downhill Trails is Cannock Chase's dedicated downhill and freeride site, on a small hill off Stile Cop Road near Rugeley and a short distance from the sister trail network at Cannock Chase Mountain Bike Centre. The Racers Guild team have built and maintained the trails in partnership with Forestry England since 2016, taking over from long-time local group Chase Trails. There are 12 named trails across a modest 65-metre drop, so runs last around a minute each: 2 graded Red, 5 Black, and 5 in the venue's toughest Bike Park tier (marked on site with an orange lozenge and skull and crossbones symbol). There are no facilities on site, so come prepared, and full-face helmets with body armour are highly recommended. Riding is free all year round, though trails may close temporarily for maintenance or safety reasons. Check the Stile Cop Facebook page for build day announcements and trail updates.

The Trails

• Trail difficulty is shown on marker posts using a square symbol and, for the hardest tier, a skull and crossbones. Grades below are from stilecop.com's own trail list.

Red Course (Red)

• The original course on the hill: smooth, wide and flowing, with a series of drops and jumps all the way to the bottom. A good warm up, though watch for loose pebbles in dry spells. The Red Course also leads onto CDL, A&E, Walleater, Snakes 'n Ladders, Black Course, and Mega Trail.

CDL (Black)

• The first left option off the Red Course. Starts tighter and steeper, crosses the gas line into off-camber roots and flatter corners, drops off a tree stump into a fast rooty rattle, then jumps back towards the fire road to rejoin the Red Course finish.

A&E (Black)

• Branches off the Red Course. A full description is still to come from the trail's builders, on iBikeRide and on stilecop.com alike.

Walleater (Bike Park)

• The biggest trail on the hill and a test for the best riders, built with a freeride feel. A rock-backed double leads into a short steep chute, then a gap into a big left-hand hip, a steep road gap and a bermed corner down to the showpiece Sky Berm, an elevated timber berm (not a wall ride) that swings you right into a small drop. From there it's a rock gap into left and right-hand berms and a kicker back onto the Red Course.

Snakes 'n Ladders (Bike Park)

• Breaks right off the Red Course's large left-hander. One of the bigger ladder drops on the hill sends you into a snaking, steep chute, then a small climbing berm into a left-hand hip, another ladder drop, and a tricky finishing berm.

Black Course (Black)

• Starts on the same platform as the Red Course, on one of the flatter parts of the hill: a narrow singletrack line of small jumps, drops and rock gardens, with sticky off-camber sections and a steeper chute into a step-down drop, a long right-hand berm, and a second step-down to the finish.

Mega Trail (Bike Park)

• A jump-focused playground starting from the push-up path roughly halfway up the hill: flowing, progressive jumps and berms, finishing with a wall ride.

The Dark Side

• Head up from the main turning circle at the top of the hill to a smaller platform for another range of trails, brought up to Bike Park standard with Forestry England's support after years as the unofficial local playground.

Ridge Run (Red)

• Open, fast and fun, full speed over rock gardens and sweeping corners to a flagship tabletop jump, then a series of tight, twisty corners over a short root section to finish.

Little Bringe (Black)

• Starts on Ridge Run and breaks left at the gas line into off-camber corners, roots, and a series of tight, twisty, rooty corners through the trees. Noticeably trickier than Ridge Run.

Wonderland (Black)

• A technical introduction trail, with corners, drops, jumps and plenty of trees to dodge. Good fun, but don't go in too fast.

Balboa (Bike Park)

• Named after Rocky, this trail experiments with bigger rocks on the hill: a ladder drop and a decent-sized kicker lead into a fast singletrack finish.

New Line (Bike Park)

• Wide and fast to start, into a rock garden and serious roots, with the two fastest drops on the hill and a squirmy, pinball feel through the tight trees. A must for any serious rider visiting the hill.

All trails finish along the same track at the bottom of the hill. From the end of the Black Course it's no more than a 10-minute push back up the fire road to the top. There is no uplift, the hill just isn't big enough.

Getting There

• Sat-nav postcode: WS15 1ND. This will get you to the right road, but it is not a precise location. Search for "Stile Cop Car Park" or "Stile Cop Bike Park" on Google Maps for the exact spots.
• From the A460, turn onto Stile Cop Road following the sign to the Cemetery.
• Pass the Cemetery on the left and head up the road.
• At the top of the hill, there is a layby on the right giving access to a fire road, which leads to the trails.
• Continue up the road to find the gravel car park on the left. Park here and ride back down to the fire road.
• Please do not block the barrier in the first layby.

Nearby

• Bike shops (with wash facilities): Cannock Chase Cycle Centre, Birches Valley, Rugeley WS15 2UQ and Run and Ride, Walkers Rise, Hednesford WS12 0QU.
• Pubs: Chetwynd Arms, Upper Way, Rugeley WS15 1QB and The Horns, Slitting Mill Road, Rugeley WS15 2UW (reopened in 2026 under new owners).
• Shop: Co-operative, Queensway, Rugeley WS15 1NN.

Emergency Info

• Good mobile signal at top of hill, limited lower down/bottom.
• Call 999; also notify Forestry England and Cannock Chase Cycle Centre (hold access gate key).
• Forestry England: 0300 067 4340
• Cannock Chase Cycle Centre: 01889 575170
• Nearest A&E: Stafford's County Hospital, 8am to 10pm daily (not 24hr; overnight the nearest 24-hour A&Es are Royal Stoke, New Cross Wolverhampton, Queen's Burton, and Walsall Manor).

Share

• If you have ridden any of these trails at Stile Cop Downhill, please share your reviews, photos, and videos to this listing.