We visit Cannock Chase a lot and it frequently appears on this blog. Today was particularly special as we had it almost to ourselves. For those readers unfamiliar with Cannock Chase, it’s an AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty) that lies between Stafford and Cannock, so just north of the West Midlands conurbation. It’s small at around 26 sq miles but very popular and in easy reach of around 3 million people. This morning we saw more deer than people in Sherbrook Valley and Brocton.

We saw around 50 deer, clustered near the old quarry and the heath beyond. We saw one jogger, one dog walker and a cheery man struggling with the Times crossword. Other than that we had this wonderful space to ourselves. We had tea and biscuits and listened to the brook (below). Regular readers will know this area was…