Tackeroo Camping: Five Miles to Another World
- John Nickolls
- 3 hours ago
- 10 min read
A proper off-grid campervan escape in the heart of Cannock Chase
Tackeroo
Every great campervan adventure is supposed to begin with a map spread across the kitchen table.
A passport.
A ferry booking.
A long motorway run towards somewhere with mountains, foreign road signs and fuel priced in euros.
At least, that is what we have been taught to believe.
I have travelled through Belgium beneath enormous skies, walked medieval German streets, crossed the Alps and watched the sun rise over campsites hundreds of miles from home. I would not trade those journeys for anything.
Yet one of the most convincing escapes I can make in Vanilla does not require a passport, a toll tag or even enough driving time for the engine to become properly warm.
Tackeroo Campsite is only roughly five miles by road from my home in Milford.
It is close enough to feel slightly ridiculous packing the campervan. Then I turn off Penkridge Bank Road, roll beneath the trees and realise that distance has very little to do with escape.
The houses disappear. The light changes. Pine trunks rise around the van. Walking and cycling trails peel away into the forest, and the ordinary world seems to have been left somewhere behind the last bend.
This is Tackeroo: basic, beautiful and gloriously uncomplicated.
The Journey That Hardly Begins
There is something almost rebellious about camping so close to home.
We are encouraged to chase bigger mileage, more countries and increasingly complicated itineraries. Tackeroo turns that thinking on its head. If the purpose of a campervan is to give us freedom, that freedom should include disappearing into the woods for one night without first completing a minor expedition.
From Milford, I can leave home and be among the trees in around the time it takes to make a decent cup of tea. If I forget something important, I am not stranded in the Highlands. If the weather turns biblical, I have options. Yet once Vanilla is parked and the kettle is on, none of that matters. The forest does its work remarkably quickly.
That is the first great lesson of Tackeroo: adventure should be measured by how completely a place changes your state of mind, not by the number on the trip meter.
The shortest road trip can still lead somewhere extraordinary.
What Tackeroo Actually Is
Tackeroo is a simple woodland campsite on Forestry England land, managed on its behalf by Chase Camping. Forestry England classifies it as a Class B site, with freely drained hardstanding, water and waste-disposal facilities. Booking is essential.
The phrase “no frills” is often used rather apologetically. Here it should be worn like a medal.
There is no electric hook-up. There are no toilets or showers. There is no reception complex, entertainment programme, launderette or little shop selling emergency tins of beans at the price of jewellery. You must bring your own working chemical toilet and your own means of washing.
What the site provides is exactly what a self-sufficient camper needs:
Grass and hardstanding pitches
Fresh-water points
Elsan or chemical-toilet disposal
General rubbish and recycling points
Picnic benches around the site
Space for tents, trailer tents, caravans, campervans and motorhomes
Direct access to a huge network of forest trails
Dogs welcome for a small additional charge
Current listings describe pitches of approximately eight metres by nine metres, accommodating up to eight people. The site is open throughout the year, although conditions beneath the trees naturally vary with the weather.
In short, Tackeroo supplies the essentials and expects campers to bring the competence. That seems a very fair arrangement.
Caption: No clubhouse, no hook-up and no fuss — just a van, a brew and the woods.
Why Vanilla and Tackeroo Suit Each Other
Tackeroo makes far more sense when the vehicle has been designed to stand on its own four wheels.
Vanilla already carries a 50-litre compressor fridge, gas hob, sink, Porta Potti, leisure battery, diesel heating and enough carefully accumulated technology to worry a small power station. A full-facility holiday park would be convenient, but it would also leave half the van's abilities sitting idle.
Here, everything earns its keep.
The Webasto can take the edge off a cold forest morning. The fridge keeps breakfast and drinks properly chilled. The leisure system runs the lights and essentials without a cable trailing towards a hook-up bollard. The Porta Potti is not glamorous, but neither is walking through wet woods at three in the morning looking for a toilet block that does not exist.
There is one important power consideration: trees and solar panels are not natural business partners.
Tackeroo's canopy can reduce solar production considerably, especially on shaded pitches. Arriving with charged batteries is sensible. A portable panel is most useful only if it can be placed safely in a sunny opening without obstructing tracks or neighbouring pitches.
That slight limitation is part of the pleasure. For a night or two, the aim is not to recreate a house in the woods. It is to enjoy how little is actually needed.
Morning: The Forest at the Door
At many campsites, the first walk of the morning is through rows of white caravans to find the exit. At Tackeroo, the walk begins almost where the step of the van ends.
Cannock Chase is now promoted as a National Landscape, the modern name used for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its mixture of forest, heathland, pools and historic parkland supports fallow deer, nightjars, woodlarks, adders and a wealth of smaller wildlife.
Nearly a third of the wider landscape is protected through designations including nature reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and the internationally important Special Area of Conservation.
The campsite operator specifically warns campers to watch for its free-roaming wildlife. Forestry England goes one better and describes the fallow deer as Tackeroo's “local neighbours”. That is exactly how it feels: we are the visitors here.
Early morning and dusk offer the best atmosphere. The tracks are quieter, the light drops between the trunks and every movement in the bracken briefly looks like a deer. Binoculars and a camera deserve a permanent place near the sliding door.
The wildlife also deserves space. Dogs should remain on leads and under control. Visitors should avoid trampling through tall heather, wet pools and marshy patches where adders may shelter, while ground-nesting birds are particularly vulnerable to disturbance. After walking through long grass or heath, a quick tick check is sensible too.
Bringing Torque Changes Everything
Tackeroo is not merely close to the trails; the forest trail network runs around and through the site. That makes it an exceptional base for Torque, my Scott e-bike.
There is no loading the bike back onto the rack, no driving to another car park and no paying another parking charge before the ride begins. Breakfast can finish, the helmet can go on and the adventure can start directly from the pitch.
Cannock Chase is famous for mountain biking. The more demanding purpose-built routes around Birches Valley include Follow the Dog and the Monkey Trail, while miles of forest road and bridleway offer less technical exploring.
The red-graded routes are not casual family loops. Riders need the right ability, equipment and judgement. Fortunately, the wider Chase provides enough alternatives to design anything from a gentle morning spin to a proper leg-testing expedition.
For me, the real luxury is returning directly to Vanilla. Bike parked and securely locked, kettle on, chair out. No queue to leave a busy visitor-centre car park and no journey home in damp riding gear. The campsite becomes the start line, finish line and recovery lounge.
From campervan step to forest trail — this is exactly what Torque was built for.
A Quick Tour of Tackeroo
This short video gives a useful look at the campsite layout and its deliberately limited facilities:
Any price mentioned in an older video should be treated as historical. The live booking page should always be used for current rates.
A Forest Carrying a Remarkable History
Tackeroo is peaceful, but the wider landscape has not always been quiet.
During the First World War, two enormous military camps — Brocton Camp and Rugeley Camp — were built on Cannock Chase. Together they could house approximately 40,000 men, and local history records suggest that upwards of 500,000 troops trained here.
There were churches, post offices, a bakery, stores, a theatre, practice trenches and a military hospital. It was effectively a temporary town hidden across what is now a wonderfully peaceful landscape.
A railway constructed in 1915 linked the camps and supply areas. Known locally as the Tackeroo railway or Tackeroo Express, its route remains part of the Chase's historical memory. Even J.R.R. Tolkien spent time in the area during his military service, a connection explored by Staffordshire's Tolkien Trail.
The nearby Commonwealth and German military cemeteries add a profound counterpoint to the freedom and enjoyment we find on the Chase today.
Cannock Chase War Cemetery contains Commonwealth burials, many associated with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade and the military hospital. The much larger German Military Cemetery nearby holds thousands of burials from both world wars.
This history changes the way the forest feels. A ride or walk is not merely travelling through attractive scenery; it crosses a landscape that has trained soldiers, treated the wounded, carried supplies and eventually returned to nature.
The History Beneath the Trees
For a wider look at this extraordinary landscape:
Evening: When Tackeroo Becomes an Escape
Day visitors eventually drift away. Bikes become fewer. The light softens and the enormous forest begins to sound different.
This is the Tackeroo I find most appealing.
There is no programme to follow and nowhere I need to be. Dinner can be cooked on gas, the only kind of outdoor cooking permitted here. A drink can be poured. The last light can be watched between the pines until the colours drain from the sky.
Then there is darkness — proper woodland darkness rather than the orange glow of a large holiday park.
Forestry England highlights Tackeroo's night sky, and a clear night beneath the trees can feel wonderfully remote. An owl calling somewhere beyond the pitch supplies better entertainment than most clubhouses ever manage.
Campers must observe the site's quiet period between 10pm and 8am. That is not a hardship. It is one of the reasons for coming.
There is also a strict fire rule. Wood fires, charcoal barbecues and disposable barbecues are forbidden. Gas barbecues and gas-operated fire pits are permitted under the operator's current guidance.
In a working forest, this is not bureaucratic fussiness; it is common sense with trees attached.
Is Tackeroo Safe?
No honest writer should promise that any open campsite is completely risk-free. Tackeroo is a woodland site crossed and surrounded by public trails, not a gated compound with 24-hour security.
That said, its recent feedback is reassuring. When checked in July 2026, Campsites.co.uk displayed a rating of approximately 4.7 out of 5, with all reviewers saying they would recommend it. Pitchup displayed 9.4 out of 10 from more than 250 reviews. Recent comments repeatedly describe the site as peaceful, respectful and back-to-nature.
The sensible approach is the same one I would use at any campsite:
Lock Torque properly, preferably to something substantial, and do not leave removable valuables on display.
Keep keys, camera equipment and electronics inside the locked van when unattended.
Expect walkers, cyclists and dogs near the pitches because the trails are part of the setting.
Carry a torch; the absence of bright site lighting is lovely until you need to find something outside.
Drive slowly, particularly around dawn and dusk, when deer may move across the road.
Prepare for uneven ground, mud, loose gravel and falling woodland debris in windy conditions.
Keep a charged phone, first-aid kit and offline map available; reception should never be assumed in a forest.
The greatest avoidable risks are not mysterious woodland villains. They are poorly secured bikes, careless fire use, unsuitable footwear and attempting a trail beyond one's ability.
In other words, ordinary common sense remains the best campsite accessory ever invented.
What to Take
Tackeroo rewards preparation. My practical checklist would include:
A working chemical toilet, chemicals and toilet paper
Personal washing equipment and a sensible method of containing waste water
Drinking-water containers or a filling hose
Fully charged leisure battery and power banks
Gas cooking equipment — never charcoal or disposable barbecues
Torch, head torch and spare batteries
Levelling ramps for the van
Warm layers, waterproofs and sturdy footwear
Rubbish and recycling bags
First-aid kit, tick remover and personal medication
Strong bike locks and security cables
Offline walking or cycling maps
Camera, binoculars and a mug worthy of the view
One special note for photographers: personal photography with an ordinary camera or phone is welcome, but Forestry England requires a permit before anyone flies a drone from land it manages.
Tackeroo may look made for an aerial reveal, but permission must come before propellers.
Useful Places Nearby
Birches Valley, the main Forestry England visitor hub, is roughly a mile away through the wider forest area and only a few minutes by road. It has Grounds Café, toilets, cycle facilities, Go Ape and family activities, including easy woodland trails and Gruffalo sculptures.
The campsite listing identifies The Horns Inn at Slitting Mill as the nearest pub, approximately five minutes away by car, while basic shopping is available within roughly ten minutes.
Those details make Tackeroo feel remote without actually being isolated.
Further afield, the Chase offers the Commonwealth and German military cemeteries, Sherbrook Valley, Cannock Chase Visitor Centre, miles of bridleways and enough walking routes to fill a much longer stay.
Tackeroo at a Glance
Address: Tackeroo Campsite, Penkridge Bank Road, Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 2UA
Location: Approximately 52.746, -1.9998
Operator: Chase Camping on behalf of Forestry England
Price: From £18 per night for two adults when checked on 20 July 2026. Extras and date-dependent charges may apply.
Booking: Essential through the live online booking system
Arrival: Normally between 1pm and 7pm
Departure: By 11am
Pitches: Non-electric grass and hardstanding pitches for tents and touring vehicles
Toilets and showers: None. Campers must bring a working chemical toilet and their own washing facilities.
Water and waste: Water points, Elsan disposal, general rubbish and recycling
Electric hook-up: None
Dogs: Welcome for a small charge but must be supervised and kept on a lead
Quiet time: 10pm until 8am
Fires and barbecues: No wood, charcoal or disposable barbecues. Gas barbecues and gas fire pits only.
Ground conditions: Woodland ground can be uneven, gravelly or muddy
Booking and Useful Links
Telephone: 01543 427977
Email: info@chasecamping.co.uk
Prices, availability and site rules can change, so always check the live booking page before travelling.
The Nix Verdict
Tackeroo will not suit everybody.
If a holiday requires electric hook-up, heated shower blocks, a licensed bar and somebody in a golf buggy delivering entertainment schedules, this is the wrong patch of Staffordshire.
But if the idea is to park beneath tall trees, cook a simple meal, ride directly into the forest, listen for owls and wake with Cannock Chase outside the door, Tackeroo is difficult to beat.
Its greatest trick is not that it feels remote.
It is that it feels remote while being roughly five miles from home.
That short distance removes the effort without diminishing the adventure. It makes a spontaneous one-night escape possible. It lets Vanilla and Torque do exactly what they were bought to do.
Most importantly, it proves that travel is not always about putting more miles behind us.
Sometimes the finest journey is the one that hardly begins.
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