At the top of Ramshaw Rocks
Rising to a height of 1,666ft (505m) on the Staffordshire borders, the prominent gritstone ridge known as the Roaches (from the French les roches – rocks) has long been a favourite with walkers and climbers, not the least with East Cheshire Ramblers who made one of their regular visits there recently led by Frank Gay.
The curving escarpment, which extends for some 3.5miles from Back Forest in the north west to Hen Cloud in the south, once belonged to the Swythamley family but was bought by the Peak District National Park in 1980 order to protect its unique character and safeguard public access when the estate was broken up. Last year it was taken over by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
Before tackling the ridge the walk took in other, less well-known outcrops, such as Ramshaw Rocks which formed a striking sight from the start point on the A53 and was the first big challenge.
Although first Frank explained that although the route was rocky in places and there was no serious scrambling, others were not convinced. However, they were soon compensated with magnificent views over the Cheshire Plain and the Staffordshire Moors.
“After heading across the moorland which was very boggy in places, we came to the Bald Stones – a popular area with those into the branch of climbing known as bouldering,” he said. “Our path now took us across Black Brook Nature Reserve, the habitat of curlew, short-eared owls and important moorland plants, before passing the rocky outcrop of Gib Tor.
“After lunch we had to negotiate our most challenging bog so far. Indeed, some of the party thought that flippers would have been a good idea,“ he added. “After this, the paths improved and we were soon at Roach End where, after a welcome ice cream from the van, we climbed up onto the ridge for more great views, including the Wrekin in Shropshire.“