Forest Live - Cannock Chase Forest

By car, Birches Valley is easily reached via the M6 and nearby A-roads. Use the venue postcode WS15 2UQ to plan your route, but when you get close, switch off your sat nav and follow the event signage to the designated concert car parks. If coming from the south, take M6 J11A (Rugeley); from the north, the M54/A5 is a good route. On-site parking is available for a fee (booking in advance is recommended, as spaces often sell out) and accessible/blue-badge parking is provided. Parking usually opens mid-afternoon, so arriving early will help you avoid queues. Keep in mind that the forest roads are narrow and it can get dark at night, so drive carefully.

Public transport: The nearest train stations are Rugeley Town (on the Chase line from Birmingham, about 2–3 miles away) and Rugeley Trent Valley (West Coast Main Line, around 4 miles). From there, local taxis can quickly bring you to the site. There is no direct bus to Birches Valley; buses do serve Rugeley and Cannock, but you would then need a taxi or shuttle for the final stretch. Check train and bus timetables ahead of time and plan your return trip, as services can be limited late at night. (Forest Live sometimes runs shuttle buses from Cannock on concert evenings – see the event info for details.)

Airports: The closest major airports are Birmingham (BHX, about 1 hour by car) and East Midlands (EMA, roughly 1–1.5 hours by car). Birmingham Airport has a train station (Birmingham International); you can take a train to Birmingham New Street and down to Rugeley Town, or hire a car for the drive north via the M6. From East Midlands Airport, the M6 toll leads into Staffordshire, and car hire is available there as well. Both airports have coach connections to nearby cities. (London’s airports are much farther away – generally a 2+ hour drive – so they are not a convenient choice for this event.)

Accommodation: If you plan to stay overnight, nearby Rugeley, Cannock and Stafford offer a good selection of hotels, inns and B&Bs. These book up fast, so reserve early for concert weekends. For a more outdoorsy experience, Four Oaks Farm runs an official Forest Live campsite (Chase Camping) about a 10-minute walk from Birches Valley, with grassy pitches and fully equipped bell tents, plus toilets and hot showers. The event organizers also offer ticket+hotel packages with local hotels. Wherever you stay, allow extra travel time on event day and check the weather forecast – forest paths can get muddy, so pack sturdy shoes and warm layers.