I haven’t had a chance to blog about it until now but a few weeks back I drove up to the Peak District for the weekend. The Peak District had never really appealed to me but a few recent trips around the UK had opened my eyes to how beautiful our country can be and, as it is very accessible from the south, I thought I’d make the drive up. Armed with my “Walk Britain: Great Views” book, I set my sights on hiking The Roaches and Mam Tor. Here is my account of my two hikes:

The Roaches
As you drive through Upper Hulme and approach the gritstone cliffs and clustered rock formations of the Roaches, you can’t help but get a little excited. While I’ve seen plenty of beautiful sights on the British landscape, I’ve never seen anything so quite unusual. When you approach the gritstone rocks themselves you will wonder what natural events could possibly have led them to take on such mangled and twisted shapes. But there is plenty more going on. On the larger cliff faces you’ll find rock climbers taking on the challenge of scaling them. Surrounding the rocks are clusters of woodlands, pasturelands and moorlands that add plenty of colour and texture to the scene. The problem is that if you focus too much on the details in front of you, you may miss the stunning panoramic views of the hilly Peak District countyside beyond. The views are visible from all the way along the ridge and stretch for miles.

Starting at the road alongside the Roaches, you can start your hike at Hen Cloud, the first of four distinct summits. Make your way along the The Roaches until you come to Roach End. Many people turn back here but I’d recommend carrying on through on the “Concession Path to Danebridge”. Then, at the intersection, if you turn right, heading in the direction of Gradbach, you’ll come to Lud’s Church. Which, incidentally, is not actually a church but a green, mossy chasm that seemingly appears out of the middle of nowhere. It is the stuff of fairytales. From here, make your way back along the ridge towards Hen Cloud. All in all, the hike is about 8.5 miles.

Mam Tor
My second hike was Mam Tor, or the “Shivering Mountain” as it also known. The hike centres around the Great Ridge, where you hike up to the top of Lose Hill and make your way along up to Mam Tor. The views are amazing, particularly over Hope Valley where you can see cliffs, moorland and the dramatic gorges – most notably Winnat’s Pass which is believed to have once been an undersea ravine. Meanwhile, the cliff-face of Mam Tor reveals it’s layers of shale and grit, an awesome addition to the view.

From Mam Tor you can either head back down to town via Winnat’s Pass or through Cave Dale. The latter option provides this hike’s fairytale addition: Peveril Castle, which sits nestled along the edge of the cavern. The town you are heading into (which is also where you’ll start) is Castleton is blessed with an abundance of great pubs that you can visit for a well earned post-hike drink. Castleton also has a number of other great local attractions most notably Peak Cavern.

Despite my preconceptions, these hikes opened my eyes to what a stunning addition the Peak District National Park is to the British landscape. The Roaches is now one of my favourite UK hikes. And the best thing is that it’s central position makes it a highly accessible park to visit from many parts of the country!

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