Walk Description

The weather forecast for Saturday was mixed.  The further south we went the better the weather was supposed to be, so we headed south to the Roaches. The A53 climbs steadily as it leaves Buxton on its way to Leek and it wasn’t long before we were in the cloud and drizzle.  It was eerie driving a long the road in such limited visibility.  The visibility started to improve as we lost height and we approached the turn off to Upper Hulme.  We parked at one of the lay-bys beneath the Roaches and waited for Les and Kev.   There was still a slight drizzle in the air as we all set off to explore Hen Cloud.  It wasn’t long before we reached the top.  Whilst the others were admiring the view, I was looking for the large pentagram that I had seen last time I was here.  There was no sign of the large pentagram, just a small one next to a large area that had had its surface chiselled away.

We then retraced our steps and began the ascent of the Roaches.  Steve went on ahead and started to explore the rocks.  Kev and I took one of the small paths and made our way up onto the ridge.  There were many interesting rock formations to explore and a number of groups could be seen climbing the rock faces.  Once we reached the gritstone ridge we had a gentle stroll along the top to Doxey Pool.  This small pool is higher than any other pools in the White Peak. It has a number of legends attached to it.  (See Locations)

We carried on along the ridge to the trig point.  From here we had good views south across the plain to the Wrekin and over the Cheshire Plain to North Wales.  We could also see Jodrell Bank gleaming in the sun.  After a quick snack, it was time to start our descent towards Lower Roach End and pick up the bridleway to Hanging Rock.  Although we were walking along the remains of the ridge, the ground was less rough here.  After a pleasant walk we reach the large gritstone outcrop known as Hanging Stone.   Steve and Kev, closely followed by Megan walked up the rock to see the view from the top edge.  There are two commemorative plaques on the rock, one to a faithful dog called Burke and the second to  Lt Colonel Henry Courtney Brocklehurst .  We had a second stop for lunch here and then made our way down to Back forest.  Back Forest is the remains of an old hunting forest and covers the hillside south of the sleepy village of Gradbach in the Dane Valley.  We followed the bridleway through the trees to the Castle Cliff Rocks in a clearing. After spending a while enjoying the plentiful bilberries, we took the narrow path sign posted to Lud’s Church.


 
Lud’s Church is a dramatic gritstone rock chasm, the result of a geological fault extending 75 metres into the hillside. It has steep stone steps going down into its dark and dank chasm.  Even though the weather had brighten up during our walk, it was still gloomy inside Lud’s Church.  After negotiating the steep slippery steps, we were faced with a short awkward muddy section.  It was interesting to see the different ways in which people tackled this section.  We spent a bit of time exploring the chasm before climbing out on to the hillside. The recent heavy rain made the path through the woods somewhat awkward to follow, as we had to detour away from some of the muddiest sections.  Instead of following the bridleway along the southern edge of Back Forest we took the concessionary path back up to the ridge and retraced our steps to the road at Lower Roach End.

When we got to Lower Roach End we turned right and walked along the road, under the Five Clouds, back to our car.  The road was fairly quiet and its elevated position gave a good view over Tittesworth Reservoir and the surrounding countryside.  After changing our footwear we decided to finish the walk with a drink and a chat. 

It had been a thoroughly enjoyable day and the walk had taken 6 hours and 20 minutes.  This time of course included a couple of lunch breaks and plenty of stops for photos.
 

Route & Planning

Details and Route Map

Photo Opportunities

Walk Profile

The route map shown here should not be used as a replacement for the appropriate map(s). Before attempting the walk you should check the suitability of this route in relation to your capabilities and experience.