A Walk on the Roaches :: Peak District hills 3 & 4

Hello Lovelies,
following on from a tradition hubby and I started last year, we have recently escaped for a weekend in the Peak District.
This year we left home on Friday to spend two whole nights without the boys. This is unprecedented!

We had booked to stay in Buxton and there are so many wonderful looking places to visit close to there that we were rather spoilt for choice.
 I'm a big fan of Louise's blog and I love all her photographs of the wildlife and the landscape around The Roaches, so that's where we headed.
We went a bit wrong when we left the car and ended up walking a very tricky path up Hen Cloud. It was blustery and it felt like trying to walk on top of a narrow wall with peat bogs either side........

I was feeling rather nervous when we got to the top and left hubby to peer over the scary rock face.....

Having left home in torrential rain it was wonderful to see the sun break through a little, but that wind...oooh.......

I was happy to begin the decent and get away from the worst gusts......

soon we were looking back on Hen Cloud .......

and beginning the steep, though mercifully quiet short climb up onto the Roaches ridge it's self.....

For a while we were out of the wind, though around every corner I expected to be buffeted once more. Instead, we came to this wonderful oasis.....

how I LOVED this sheltered walk through pine trees, the ridge towering above us. It was such a lovely surprise.......

It was lunchtime at this point and we found the perfect spot to perch and enjoy our picnic.......

Soon the path turned right and climbed up, between those towering rocks........

Suddenly it was a whole different world, with open views over lush green fields to one side.......

and amazing rippled moorland to the other........

The wind had dropped a little too. I loved gazing down on Tittesworth Reservoir........

It's water glittering in the sunlight.......

The path felt easy and safe.......

And you could easily go a little closer to the edge of the ridge to take in the magnificent, far reaching views......

This is Doxey pool, a modest body of water, but still a surprising find on top of the ridge. The water looked black and it was impossible to see how deep it was. I was easy to see why there are local stories  about a mermaid living here......

I loved the long ridge walk, it was great to wander along surveying the valley below, and it was so quiet. We hardly saw another person.........

The heather had mostly finished flowering.......

But there were a few clumps still looking pretty.......

I noticed the changing landscape, stone walls giving way to hedgerows.......

And the contrast of sunshine and shadow as it moved across the fields.....

There were some amazing, weather worn stones.........

and the odd cow :0)........

The clouds looked ominous as we reached the highest point.......

But the views were still wonderful......

This stone made us smile, it reminded us of a tortoise.......

The path down from the ridge was easy and well maintained...........

and our walk was not over. Next we headed down into a steep sided valley.......

where the path was much trickier and it was easy to put a foot wrong :0)..........

ooops 

The woodland looked especially nice when the sun peeped out.......

after a mile or so we saw a reassuring sign.........

Ah, this is what we had come to see....Lud's Church. Which is not a church at all, but a chasm........

that you can walk through.....

it was very impressive....

With moss and ferns hanging from the walls......

Here's a picture with Hubby in it so you can see the scale......

Soon we started the climb back out of the valley, another high peak in the distance. Shutlingsloe is a teeny bit higher then the Roaches and it's also on my list of hills to "Bag"......

When we had finished the steep climb out of the valley we sat down for a little rest, and a snack :0)........

A hot cross bun with a beautiful view, lovely.........

The last couple of miles of our walk were firstly along this ridge.......

With it's views back across the moors and the ever changing light........

And then along a minor road  with views towards the reservoir.......

We passed pretty stone cottages.......

 huge boulders........

and  pastoral scenes........

By the time we got back to Hen Cloud we were very happy to see our car in the distance.........

We had done a very hilly 9 mile walk

Poor hubby is not used to walking such distances but he did really well. I felt a bit tired and wind battered, but also so happy to have explored this amazing, rugged landscape.......



It was a short drive to Buxton, and a lovely soak in the bath before dinner was just what the Doctor ordered........

I realise I am indulging in rather a lot of walking this September. It feels like "Bunny Mummy's walking festival" I'm enjoying exploring wonderful new places. And I feel lucky to have this space to record my adventures.
Back soon with day two.
Jacquie x