Roaches & Ramshaw Rocks, Peak District Day Walk
14 people attending
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The Roaches area forms the Southwestern tip of the Peak District, and is often referred to as the 1st bastion of highland Britain when approached from the South. The Gritstone rocks of the Roaches (the word adapted from the French 'roches', meaning rocks), are a favourite amongst climbers, but this circular walk is ideal who want to get a feel for walking amongst the ridge-top boulders in the area, but without the climbing element!
The walk begins from the car park at Ye Olde Rock Inn in the small village of Upper Hulme. From here, we take a stroll North along country tracks to reach and hop along the fantastic and imposing little gritstone escarpment of Ramshaw Rocks, after which we have an easier stroll NW through (at times muddy / boggy) farmland to reach Gradbach Youth Hostel where we will pause for lunch.
After this, we will climb steadily up the side of the Dane Valley to reach Lud's Church, a remarkable, deep chasm in the rock created by a freak landslide in post-glacial times.
After a bit of exploration, we climb gradually up to the wide ridge top from where the views of Staffordshire and Cheshire really open up, then we continue South to pick up the path leading over the Roaches ridge itself, a favourite with climbers, with opportunities for a spot of boulder-hopping, admiring some of the amazing rock formations, or just simply walking along the broad ridge path, enjoying the views of the plains to the West, and the Peak District to the East.
There then follows an easy road walk around the foot of Hen Cloud of about 1km back to our starting point.
What to bring
Please make sure you have suitable walking boots, as the terrain is muddy and / or boggy in places, and in the event of cold weather, areas of exposed rock are likely to be slippy.
At this time of year it can be windy and cool at the top, so make sure you have your woolly gear and a spare layer.
Food & drink
You’ll need to bring enough food and drink for the day as there are no shops en route. A flask is always a good idea at this time of year!
A Sunday walk wouldn't be complete without a decent meal at the end of the day, and the pub serves good food, so it would be great to have plenty of people staying for eats and drinks at the end, as we've been allowed to make use of their car park!