to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
.png)
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
About
The Roaches in Staffordshire is a Peak District gem; located above Leek and Tittesworth Reservoir, it’s loved by hikers and climbers alike. The impressively rugged and steep gritstone ridge is home to mythical mermaids and 15 metre natural gritstone clefts, so this is far more than your average countryside walk.
It groups together two main gritstone outcrops, 'Ramshaw Rocks' famous for the 'Winking Man' rock formation and 'Hen Cloud' offering stunning panoramic views. With panoramic scenery which, on a clear day allows you to see much of Cheshire, Winter Hill in Lancashire and even Snowdon in Wales!
The mermaid, or ‘Blue Nyph’ is said to inhabit Doxey Pool, a stunning pool of water which sits on the top of the Roaches. The myth surrounding the Nyph is that she waits just under the surface, ready to grab children and pull them in! Ignore this folklore, Doxey Pool is in fact a beautiful addition to the Roaches and the surrounding landscape.
Another highlight which is just a few minutes’ walk from the top of the Roaches is Lud’s Church. This deep, moss-clad gritstone chasm is filled with just as much myth and legend as Doxey Pool.
Book Tickets
Facilities
Parking
- Free Parking
TripAdvisor
Map & Directions
Road Directions
From Leek take the A53 (signposted to Buxton) follow the road out of the town, on your left hand-side you will pass The Three Horseshoes Inn, where you can turn for Tittesworth Water and one starting base for the Roaches. However if you carry on you will start to ascend the steep hill leading up to the Roaches, passing the Millstone to mark you have entered the National Park. You will have another turning on your left for the village of Upper Hulme, a second start base for the Roaches. Carrying on and as the steep climb levels off you will see a cottage on your left and farm directly opposite the road, turn imediatley by the cottage, which is a track taking you around the back of the Roaches. As you follow this track off the main road it will lead to a lay-by with space to park four to five cars next to the Roaches.The nearest railway station is Buxton, which is 8 miles away.
