EC RAMBLERS
‘GREAT crooked crags, cruelly jagged, the bristling barbs of rock seemed to brush the sky’, was how the nameless author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight described Staffordshire’s Roaches in the 14th century.
Now, 700 years on, the mighty gritstone cliffs, whose knotted, lumpen faces loom above the main Leek to Buxton road, strike a no less imposing profile.
The walk started from Meerbrook, a tiny, picturesque English village with a highly recommended gastro pub, The Lazy Trout, complete with church, village green and village hall plus Tittesworth Reservoir, a focal point for bird lovers with a well-equipped visitor centre.
Our walk headed out through lush farm fields towards The Roaches, which is reputed to be ‘where buzzards fly and wallabies may still roam’.
Although we had no problem spotting buzzards circling overhead, we were not fortunate on this occasion to see the one surviving wallaby – apparently the last sighting was April 26 last year at the rear of the Roaches near Hazelbarrow.
The wind-carved craggy outcrop, about four miles north of Leek, was purchased by the Peak District National Park in order to protect this unique area and guarantee access for the public.
We stopped for lunch by Doxey pool, which has been associated since the Domesday Book with female occult phenomena (in the regional, medieval dialect of the NW. Midlands ‘doxey’ meant a fortune teller, healer or wise woman).
According to legend, the peaty depths of the pool are inhabited by a 30ft long water nymph who lures unwary walkers to a watery grave!
Having checked we hadn’t lost anyone, we continued our descent past a nesting area known to be used by peregrine falcons towards Hen Cloud, which we skirted round before continuing to Butty Fold and across the fields back to Meerbrook. Brilliant sunshine, jovial company and fantastic views made for a perfect day.