Monday, 15th August 2022
| Walk: | The Roaches ridge, Lud's Church (chasm), Hanging Stone, Five Clouds | ||
| Start Point: | Roach Road layby | Grid Reference: | SK 004 620 |
| Distance: | 8.8 miles | Ascent: | 1,100 feet |
| Time: | 5 hours | ||
| Weather: | Overcast with a cool wind | ||
| Comments: | It is important to note that parking along Roach Road is only in the laybys. A parking ticket may be received for parking on grass verges. The path onto the ridge is well made and good to walk along. A lot of work has been done to maintain the quality of the path, including re-routing in places. Dropping down from the footpath to Lud's Church was steep and slippery in places. Entering from the upper end gave good views into the chasm but was steep and difficult to navigate. Leaving the chasm at the lower end we followed a good path to The Hanging Stone. We then contoured along the side of the ridge and joined Roach Road to walk back to the car. |
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Hen Cloud above our parking spot
Walking below the escarpent where Marie, in the bottom left corner, gives perspective . . .
and rock formations add interest
Heather in full bloom
Doxys Pool . . .
lies on top of the ridge
Interesting striations . . .
in the rocks
Reaching the summit . . .
marked by the trig point . . .
there's quite a strong wind
On the descent . . .
another group of rocks . . .
provide a vantage point . . .
where we take the opportunity . . .
for a last shot on the ridge
The steps lead down . . .
into Lud's Church . . .
a deep chasm . . .
penetrating the millstone grit bedrock . . .
created by a massive landslip . . .
on the hillside above Gradbach
Followers of John Wycliffe, an early church reformer . . .
was supposed to have used this as a secret place of worship during the early 15th century . . .
when they were being persecuted for their religious beliefs
Lud's Church may have been named after Walter de Ludank or Walter de Lud-Auk who was captured here at one of their meetings
The Hanging Stone. Sir Philip Brocklehurst, who had Rock Hall cottage built as a hunting lodge, left his mark upon the Hanging Stone
in the form of two plaques, one is in memory of the Royal Hussars
and the other in memory of his favourite Mastiff dog Burke who was buried here in 1871.
Heather forms the backdrop of our second stop . . .
before we return past Five Clouds . . .
to Hen Cloud and our car