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Lud's Church and Roach End from Gradbach

Peak District Walk

Nat Park - Peak District - The Roaches

County/Area - Staffordshire

Author - Lou Johnson

Length - 4.5 miles / 7.3 km    Ascent - 700 feet / 212 metres

Time - 3 hours 0 minutes    Grade - easy/mod

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Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Lud's Church and Roach End from Gradbach
Click image to visit gallery of 6 images.

This Peak District walk explores the 'quieter' side of the Staffordshire Roaches visiting the rocky cleft of Lud's Church before exploring the moorland and woodland of Back Forest. The start is a small car park beside the River Dane on the Staffordshire/Cheshire border close to the Youth Hostel at Gradbach. On busy days parking may be problematic so an early start is recommended.

Exit the car park onto the lane and turn right. After 200 metres bear right down the access road to the Hostel, following the footpath signs through the property and alongside the river to reach a footbridge (grid ref. SJ990657). Cross the footbridge. Ignore the paths either side along the river, instead climbing up amongst the trees to reach a cross path. Turn right towards Lud's Church. The path climbs gently through the woods. A signed diversion leads you to Lud's Church which is on your right. After exploring this rocky cleft, return to the path you have just left and continue to climb soon leaving the woods and entering open country.

The path is clear and improving views over the Dane Valley towards Cheshire soon emerge. The path swings left to reach a path junction (grid ref. SJ977655). Turn left here and follow a clear rising path across the moorland (Back Forest on OS maps). You get a superb view forward to the highest ground of the Roaches with its westerly facing crags dominant. The undulating path eventually descends to a road at Roach End (grid ref. SJ995644).

Here you have the option of climbing to the summit of the Roaches by taking the clear path ahead, which leads without any navigational problems to the summit trig point at 505 metres above sea level. The views are excellent on a clear day and worth the extra effort. This option will add an extra mile and 300 feet of ascent to the walk.

To continue from Roach End, turn left and cross the stile on your left. This path leads down beside the wall (on your right) to enter the woodland above the River Dane. In places the path has been washed out and you need to be careful in descent. Almost immediately on entering the woodland you reach a path junction. Take the right hand fork. This descends through the pleasant mixed woodland to the footbridge crossed towards the start of this walk. Cross the footbridge and retrace your steps through the Hostel grounds and back to the car park.

Other walks nearby

Walk 1652 Three Shires Head easy4.5 miles
Walk 2233 Flash & Three Shires Head easy/mod6.2 miles
Walk 1178 Roaches and Lud's Churchmoderate7.3 miles
Walk 1707 The Roaches short circulareasy/mod5.0 miles
Walk 3030 Roaches & Lud's Churcheasy/mod7.0 miles
Walk 2272 Flash Circular from Cistern Cloughmoderate8.0 miles
Walk 1728 Axe Edge Moor & Three Shires Headeasy/mod7.2 miles
Walk 3136 Shining Tor & Goyt's Clougheasy/mod5.1 miles
Walk 1183 Shining Tor & Axe Edge Moormoderate9.0 miles
Walk 1288 Roaches & Hen Cloud from Tittesworth Reservoirmoderate8.5 miles

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