Firing times for Kingsbury, Whittington and Leek Ranges
Firing times information for Kingsbury, Whittington and Leek.
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Do not enter the danger area when the range is in use, this is a danger to life. Learn more about accessing MOD training areas safely.
The only right of way available for use by the public on the range complex is via the bridle path.
Maps are located at the following locations:
- beginning of the bridle path near the entrance to Whittington Village
- the access point in the south of Hopwas Wood at the point of the bridge crossing the canal
Members of the public must follow the route of the bridle path and not enter the range complex. Full details are contained within the Whittington byelaws.
Hopwas Wood and parts of the range may be used by soldiers for dry training, including the use of blank ammunition. Members of the public should stay on the bridleways or recognised tracks and observe any warning signs displayed.
Related links
As seen in the Security Defence Review, the Army are at heightened readiness due to a new era of threat. This has placed greater demands on the Defence Training Estate across the UK, which is being used for training more regularly and at shorter notice.
As such, the firing time notifications published on Gov.UK have been standardised to show the daily timings for when live-firing is permitted on the UK DTE. This is a change from the previous method of showing when training bookings had been made in advance.
This to ensure safety of all users, as it is not possible to change Gov.UK notifications at short notice. Broadly, the only guaranteed safe times for access are before or after the firing times provided on this page, however there may be exceptional circumstances where extensions have been requested.
If you wish to use the DTE for recreation, please always refer to onsite safety warning signals to understand if the site is safe to access before doing so.
Firing Times for April 2026:
These are the standard firing times subject to operation requirement extensions:
Kingsbury Range
| Monday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Tuesday: | 8.30am to 11.00pm |
| Wednesday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Thursday: | 8.30am to 11.00pm |
| Friday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Saturday: | 9am to 11.00pm |
| Sunday: | 9am to 4.30pm |
Whittington Range
| Monday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Tuesday: | 8.30am to 11.00pm |
| Wednesday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Thursday: | 8.30am to 11.00pm |
| Friday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Saturday: | 9am to 11.00pm |
| Sunday: | 9am to 4.30pm |
Leek Range
| Monday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Tuesday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Wednesday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Thursday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Friday: | 8.30am to 4.30pm |
| Saturday: | 9am to 4.30pm |
| Sunday: | 9am to 4.30pm |
Your safety:
Danger - When warning signals are displayed, regardless of the timings, do not cross the range boundary.
Warning signals are red flags by day and red lamps by night; range boundaries are marked by red and white poles. Red flags and red lamps indicate that live firing is taking place within the range boundaries.
Do not enter the danger area when in use, this could result in loss of life.
Do not touch any military debris, it may be dangerous. Please note the location and inform a Training Safety Officer (TSO) 01874 635599 or the police.
Learn more about accessing MOD training areas safely safely.
Public access to military land
Site specific notes
Leek Range
No longer active but has a closed impact area that has not been cleared of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
- Clearance operations are conducted at irregular intervals as per the firing times.
Full details are contained within the Upper Hulme Range byelaws
Whittington Range
Has a bridle path on the range complex. It is the only right of way available for use by the public. Maps are located at the following locations:
-
Beginning of the bridle path near the entrance to Whittington Village.
-
The access point in the south of Hopwas Woods at the point of the bridge crossing the canal.
Members of the public must follow the route of the bridle path and not enter the range complex. Full details are contained within the Whittington byelaws. Hopwas Woods and parts of the range may be used by soldiers for dry training, including the use of blank ammunition. Members of the public should stay on the bridleways or recognised tracks and observe any warning signs displayed.
Kingsbury Range. There are no site-specific notes for this range.
Read more about West England - public access to military areas - GOV.UK
Contact us
For further information on the armed forces’ training at Swynnerton, contact: Swynnerton Training Camp (Includes Kingsbury Range, Whittington Range, Hopwas Woods and Leek FTA) Defence Infrastructure Organisation Swynnerton Staffordshire ST15 0QN
Email Address: Philip.Finch105@mod.gov.uk
Phone: 01874 635599