After breakfast a small group - Murray, Anne, Dennis, Helen, Stirling, John and myself head off to Cannock Chase with the intention of hiring some bikes and riding some of the forest trails. Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside comprising a mixture of natural deciduous woodland, coniferous plantations, open heathland and the remains of early industry, such as coal mining. Wild deer still roam the Chase. It was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on 16 September 1958 and is the smallest area so designated in mainland Britain, covering 68 km2 (26 sq mi). 

Arriving at Birches Valley Forest Centre, there are hundreds of cars in the car park .   It turns out that it is a huge park that is popular with walkers, joggers, dog-walkers, horse riders and cyclists of all shapes and sizes.   There are designated mountain bike trails for various levels of expertise as well as tracks for leisure cyclists.   There is also a high-wires course featuring a smattering of tree top high wire, tricky crossings (using ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire) and zip wires through the tree tops.   All looks slightly too adventurous for us today.

Turns out the bike hire is exceptionally popular and you need to book a week in advance during school holidays.   We decide to just walk the Fair Oaks Pool trail instead and walk to the Cannock Chase visitor information centre and have a coffee before walking back. 

Back in Penkridge and Dennis, Helen, Anne and I decide to head off to The Boat Inn for lunch.   Its a pub whose delightful beer garden is right alongside the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal and next to a bridge and lock that appears to be no more than a foot wider than the narrow-boats that traverse it .   Their service is terrible and although they advised us it will take them 45 minutes for food, it takes an hour and a quarter to bring our food out.....and I only ordered a BLT !

Spent an hour or two back in the hotel room watching a bit of the Commonwealth Games before Col, Ross, Gill and I wander off around 7:00 to grab an evening meal.   We walk past the closest pub before we try every other of the pubs in town - only to be told that they either stopped serving food at 07:00 or 04:00 or don't have food at all.   Eventually we end up back at the first pub - the Littleton Arms - and I settle for a bowl of chilli and a pint.   One more cleansing ale is consumed back at our digs before we call it a night around 9pm to get ready for our final two games.