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Over the years we have walked a huge number of routes around The Roaches, many of which are on this site. Due to being very local to us, as well as having varied terrain it’s often a place we like to go for walks. This route was one designed to combine around 2 or 3 different routes into one big mega walk. Over 18km over rough rocky sections, woodland hills and a riverbank walk means we crossed most types of terrain the UK offers all in one walk.

We started out at the Luds Church car park which is free (getting there very early is a must), and you then need to follow the road up the hill towards the Scout camp. Soon you will come across a stately looking gate and road down on the right, following this takes you to the wonderful Gradbach café as well, which is a great place to stop for a coffee and cake.

Once past the café we followed the trail by the river, this is the lowest part of the walk and follows a woodland trail alongside the river. As you follow the undulating path along, there are beautiful meadows full of wildflowers and a very easy to follow path. A few fields are crossed along the way, but all of this is done via a dirt path and it’s very easy to follow and a good pace can be held. Eventually the route takes you towards Danebridge, however before entering the little village, we take a route to the left up a steeper section with some steps along the way. This takes you up past a small river and is a damp woodland area, this can get a little muddy but for the most part is fine. Once at the top of this section the scenery opens up, there is a large field to walk through, which can be a little overgrown however the beautiful ridges of the Roaches and the popular hanging stone can be seen from here.

Not only are the views great, but as you keep walking towards them, they change and you get new perspectives on them. Eventually, after heading out the field the route moves along a track, that although very quiet, does have some cars on it so take care. At the end of here, we head back up towards the roaches and once at height, it’s a nice simple ridge walk all the way to the main section of the roaches. There are a number of paths off towards Luds church and a few other places but we wanted to make a big walk of this so we followed the path along. It’s easy going with a few sections that can be slippery when wet, but the path is easy to see and follow. The views are fantastic as you get views out to the peak district in the north, as well as down to Tittesworth reservoir to the south and the Roaches ridge directly in front.

At the end of this section there is a road that circles the Roaches, we sat to the side of this to eat our lunch and then continued on up the very obvious path that starts this section of the Roaches. This section is quite steep as you are heading up towards the top of the roaches, but it’s steady going. Once at the high point, you will see a trig point and from there it’s a very nice walk. It takes you along the Roaches ridge with stunning panoramic views out in every direction. Moving down we eventually make our way to doxey's pool, from this direction it’s wonderful as you get to see the beautiful surroundings from above (our usual route, the pool just happens upon you). We continue down the main path, heading towards Hen Cloud.

Upon reaching the bottom, there is the option to go across and up Hen Cloud, however we continue the route round to the left and through some heather filled sections. There is a dirt path all the way, and it’s quite easy going at this point. Eventually you come out towards a gate, as soon as you go through this, a 90 degree turn to the left is required to head back towards the other side of the roaches, this section is quite difficult to follow as the grass is over grown, but there is a path here, that if you take your time you can follow easy enough.

Once out the other side of the farm, we follow the main lane around the back side of the Roaches, this does have cars on it, as well as cyclists so look out, but we’ve probably only ever had 10 cars pass us on all our walks we do here. Following this section is very easy, it does get a little boring with the terrain being so easy on the tarmacked surface, however the views out do make up for this. Eventually you make your way back to the spot where we ate our lunch.

From here, we move through the first gate opposite, and then take a sharp right, the path here is a little narrow, but as with the rest of the walk very easy to follow. It heads down towards the tree lined section of the route that eventually heads through the forest. The initial views are a little different than before as this section of woodland is quite a bit different, but further along the path it becomes more like the start of the walk. Eventually the route follows a track through the trees at a height, but nothing dangerous. Following the path along leads to a few sections where wood has been put down as the paths can become very muddy here, not so much a problem in summer, but the more wintery months, or after heavy rain it can become a bit of a mess.

Towards the end of this woodland path is a section down into luds church, which is a deep chasm that you can walk between. We have been here many times and it never loses its power, it’s stunning to walk through and to even just stand inside. Cooler than the surrounding area, and colder it has a unique feel that’s wonderful to visit. Do be aware, there is a section of luds church than in bad weather becomes exceptionally muddy, so be prepared. Even in the best weather there is usually a bit of mud lining the bottom.

Coming out the other end, we pick up a woodland route again and from here move away from luds church. Not too far along this path and the area opens out to a beautiful rocky scramble that you can climb for excellent views, it’s here that we complete a U turn and head down another woodland path, this route is quite high up compared to the trees next to you, which gives a fantastic feeling of being high up in the trees as you walk down towards the bottom. Eventually, at the bottom you pass a very old tree that’s taken up as much space as it possibly can, another fantastic section as this has its own feel and you can really understand why this place is so special for so many people.

Coming out the other side of the tree is one of the early paths we used to get to the river, this time we followed it back in the opposite direction to Gradbach mill and café, it’s a very easy walk from here to either the café or the car park to end a fantastic route that takes in as much as the area has to offer. It’s quite a long one, and plenty of water was required for us due to the summer heat, but we would do it again quite happily.