The Roaches and Ramshaw Rocks

Saturday 17th June 2023

After walking over Kinder Scout in 2022, the men of my church were keen to do another challenging walk in the Peak District so I suggested the Roaches, copying a walk that I had done in 2021 with someone from work. However the event organiser was keen for us to start from Gradbach on the other side of the hill, which would have eliminated some of the problems with my 2021 walk, but since I was not familiar with that route we planned to echo my 2021 walk, but in the end it was cancelled because too many had pulled out, which left me free to do the Gradbach walk on my own. The Wildlife Trust car park in the valley was full, including a lot of campervans, though nearby fields were available for a charge and accompanied by swarms of flies I set off along the track through the Dane Valley, past Gradbach Mill, formerly a youth hostel that I had stayed in as a child, but is now a hotel. Soon, I crossed Black Brook and entered Forest Wood climbing steeply to some outcrops where I turned sharp left to reach Lud’s Church. Despite being there several times before, most recently in 2021, the chasm known as Lud’s Church was an awesome place with sheer rock walls covered in moss and the temperature noticeably colder than outside. With many wildflowers including wood sorrel growing in the crevices I was enthralled by the narrow ravine and really wanted to explore, but I was mindful of how I would direct a group of guys so I kept to the main path through and soon climbed back out into the wood.

Wooden boardwalks led me through the wood to a signpost where I turned right to climb out of the wood and through moorland to the ridge north of the Roaches. Turning left, I proceeded along the ridge but made a point of stopping occasionally so I could admire the view, despite overcast skies, along the ridge and into the Dane Valley. The ideal time to do this walk would be when the heather is in flower, when the moorland is ablaze with purple, while at this time the heather was overshadowed by the vivid green of bilberry leaves. Slowly, I made my way along the path at the top of the ridge that eventually brought me up to the trig point that marks the summit of the Roaches while passing many people on the way, most of whom were wearing shorts, which I soon found quite amusing when it started to rain. Eventually I turned off the ridge to pass below rock climbers and descend steeply with the isolated hill of Hen Cloud before me, which I tackled enthusiastically despite a tiring climb and having to come straight back down again. A path is marked on maps descending the southern slopes but instead I tried to descend the eastern slope beside a drystone wall, which took me into a wood where a clear path took me north back towards the Roaches. Soon, I branched off to pass near Well Farm as the rain began to fall heavily and I doubled back again heading south.

Route-finding was rather difficult at this point and after entering a very muddy section I decided to check my location and realised that I had missed a turning, so I had to double back (again) to reach the correct path and now I was on the Churnet Way. This is a long distance trail that I have followed in part on a few occasions but always further south in the wooded, steep-sided Churnet Valley while here the River Churnet is a slender stream amongst moorland. The path led me around a farm where wet grass saturated my shoes and then later a narrow path through overhanging heather and bilberry completed the job by wetting my trousers. While the rain continued to fall I made my way up to Ramshaw Rocks, which is a line of outcrops that I cannot remember visiting before, so I was excited to be there, though it was short-lived and soon I was crossing moorland to reach a road that had been on my drive in. Now the walk settled into a gentle stroll along the road, past Black Brook Nature Reserve and along a track around Gradbach Hill that led me back into the valley and the car park.

The route for this walk had come from the OS Maps app (“Gradbach, Luds Church, The Roaches, Hen Cloud, Ramshaw Rocks and Dane Valley”), and was surprisingly strenuous so I doubt it would have been suitable for the guys from my Church who would have probably preferred a much easier walk than going over the Roaches. I enjoyed the walk even though it had not taken me more than four hours and with the weather now improving I considered continuing north from the car park towards Three Shires Head, but in the end I decided to head home and be satisfied with what had been a good walk through stunning scenery despite poor weather.

Gritstone Trail: Timbersbrook to Kidsgrove

Monday 1st May 2023

At the start of my final day on the Gritstone Trail I woke to hill fog enveloping the Wild Boar Inn campsite where I had been staying for the weekend. This didn’t seem hopeful for the walk but after packing up I drove away from the campsite and was soon below the level of the clouds as I made my way to the railway station at Kidsgrove. The Gritstone Trail lends itself to being done using trains which almost run alongside the trail and indeed it starts and ends at railway stations. I had caught a train to Disley at the start of the trail and on each stage I was able to walk to a railway station to get back to where I needed to be, and now I caught a train from Kidsgrove to Congleton where I had reached the previous day. A short walk along the Macclesfield Canal and Brookhouse Lane brought me back onto the Gritstone Trail not far from Timbersbrook where the third and final stage of the trail begins. Soon I was on the Biddulph Valley Way, which follows the course of an old railway, and I loved walking through the gorgeous woodland which was filled with birdsong and overflowing with greenery including bluebells and stitchworts that was very soothing and uplifting for me. I couldn’t help contrasting this with my state of mind at the start of the Gritstone Trail when I had felt stressed and overwhelmed, but now the trail had completely restored my mind and spirit.

Eventually I moved away from the Biddulph Valley Way to climb slowly past a campsite and up onto a ridge, finally reaching the top at a dip known as Nick i’ th’ Hill whereupon I proceeded along the wooded ridge with bilberries lining the path until I reached a road. While the sky brightened with the sun briefly trying to break through the clouds, the trail continued along the road on top of the ridge with extensive views west across the Cheshire plain. There were many parking laybys beside the road to afford motorists the opportunity to appreciate the extensive views, but it was distressing for me to see that these were covered in litter despite bins being provided. I picked up loads of the litter and put them in the bins, but I could have been there all day and I would have needed many bins. This was very frustrating, but eventually I tore myself away and finally branched off the road to reach the Old Man of Mow where a tall, rock monolith sat amongst burnt heathland. Quickly, I made my way around the gritstone pillar and up to the trig point that marks the highest point on the hill behind before carefully making my way back down and across to Mow Cop Castle, though it was the millstone grit outcrops that the folly sits on that was of more interest to me and I enjoyed scrambling amongst them. There were extensive views south from the castle, but this only reinforced the knowledge that I was coming to the end of the trail and the high ground that I had been following throughout was no more.

I had enjoyed this walk which had succeeded in lifting my spirits more than anything else could so I was sad for it to end, but now I descended to the Cheshire Plain and picked up the Macclesfield Canal which I followed beside delightful displays of bluebells, briefly coming off to find somewhere to sit and have my lunch. Upon returning to the canal I followed it out to the junction with the Trent & Mersey Canal, which was a dirty brown colour from the iron oxide seeping into the water, mainly from Harecastle Tunnel. The urban surroundings of this canal were much less appealing to me than on the rural Macclesfield Canal, so I felt fortunate to not be following the Trent & Mersey for long and soon I returned to Kidsgrove railway station. This was a relatively short walk, by my standards, having reached the station by 1.30, but I wasn’t bothered by this as it meant that I was able to get home and enjoy the afternoon sunshine. This holiday performed wonders on my mental health after starting the trail feeling anxious, stressed and in a fragile state, but by this last day I was feeling relaxed and carefree. After just three days, the Gritstone Trail had performed a miracle on my mental state. The trail was surprisingly hilly, but I could have easily done it in just two days, though I enjoyed the more relaxed schedule which gave me a chance to relax and obtain the refreshment I needed.