The Roaches, together with Windgather and Ramshaw Rocks, form the v-shaped gritstone outcrop along the western side of the Peak District. The pinnacles of rock have been weather worn into bizarre shapes known locally as clouds (from the Celtic ‘clud' for rock).
The Roaches rise in two tiers from the surrounding plain, facing towards the south west and take their name from ‘les rochers' – French for 'the rocks' – a name thought to have been given by French prisoners of war imprisoned at nearby Leek during the Napoleonic war. The ridge now provides formidable climbing grounds with such descriptive and forbidding names as The Mincer, Crack of Gloom and Death's Knoll. Below and to the west runs a lower edge known as Five Clouds.
The serrated skyline of Ramshaw Rocks lies at an angle to the Roaches with the single impressive outcrop of Hen Cloud in between. Though geologically part of the Roaches, these towers of gritstone face east and run along side the A53 Buxton to Leek road, often overhanging the heather moorland below.
The Winking Man is part of Ramshaw Rocks – this particular rock outcrop overlooks the A53 and can clearly be seen from the road. It has the appearance of a face looking upwards out of the hillside. As you travel past in a car the 'eye' appears to wink as a pinnacle of rock passes behind the face – an instance of parallax.
Lud's Church, north west of The Roaches, is a mysterious and spectacular gritstone chasm hidden in Back Forest above the River Dane. It has been identified as the legendary Green Chapel from the medieval poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The ‘church' is said to be named from Walter de Ludank, a 14th century follower of Wycliff who held secret services here and it became a popular place to visit during Victorian times.
The area was once famous for its wallabies, which were released from a private zoo at Swythamley during World War II – they managed to breed and survive until the late 1990s, although none have been seen since that time and it is doubtful that any still survive.
Further Information
The White Peak | The Dark Peak | Geology
