Castle Ring

The highest point of Cannock Chase at 242m, crowned by a well-preserved Iron Age hillfort whose ramparts and ditches make a genuinely interesting top-down subject. It's a council-managed scheduled monument with free public access, which makes it the most workable drone spot on the Chase — much of the surrounding heath is SSSI and the forest is Forestry England, both effectively off-limits, so keep launches and flights over the open hillfort grass and don't drift out across the protected heather. From the ramparts you look south over the plantation forest and out toward the Trent valley. Launch from the mown interior of the fort. This is a National Landscape (AONB), busy with dog-walkers and families at weekends, so pick a quiet early slot, keep clear of people, and check for any local signage before you fly — council byelaws can change. Heathland is bird-sensitive in spring and summer. Nearest restricted airspace is Birmingham's zone roughly 28km south-east and RAF Cosford about 22km, both well clear. Autumn colour in the forest below adds depth.