A moderate route in Peak District. Check the GPS track on Outdooractive for full details of the route, waypoints, and terrain.
Starting Point: Roadside parking, Roaches Road (SK 006 615)
Terrain: Road, ridge track, woodland path, Lud's Church (narrow chasm, muddy, slippery steps), open moorland path, Bearstone Rock, gritstone ridge, The Roaches, path around Rockhall, field path, gate, summit path, Hen Cloud, return GRID REFERENCE NOTE: This walk crosses the SJ/SK grid boundary mid-route. References up to and including the Roaches ridge are given with the SJ prefix; from the trig point at SK 001 638 onwards the prefix changes to SK. Both prefixes are correct for their respective sections — do not treat the change as a typo. TERRAIN WARNING: Lud's Church can be extremely muddy, particularly after wet weather. The steps leading out of the chasm can be slippery — take care. Appropriate footwear is essential for the whole walk.
A magnificent and varied walk in the southern Peak District that packs an extraordinary amount into 13 kilometres — a dramatic gritstone ridge, one of the most atmospheric natural features in England, fine views across two counties, and a pair of excellent summits to finish. The opening road walk north is rewarded immediately by the views, The Roaches rising to the right and the Cheshire and Staffordshire plains spread out to the left. The ridge track to Lud's Church is fine open walking, and Lud's Church itself is simply unlike anything else on the route — a deep, dark, moss-walled chasm with a history that ranges from medieval heresy to Arthurian legend. It stops you in your tracks. The return south over Bearstone Rock and along The Roaches ridge is one of the better ridge walks in the southern Peak District, the gritstone crags falling steeply to the west and the views wide and uninterrupted. Hen Cloud rounds the day off with real style — a compact, characterful summit with a fine retrospective view back along the ridge. An excellent day out in country that richly rewards the effort.