Hen Cloud and The Roaches with Lynn and Dave

Last Tuesday we finally fixed a date to go out with my parents in law, Lynn and Dave. The day before, I was worried we were going to have to cancel, as the weather forecast was rotten. This was particularly naff as we'd just had 2 sunny days over the bank holiday. We decided we would go anyway, but did move our start time back slightly as the forecast improved in the afternoon. We met at the Roaches Tea Rooms to fuel up before the walk, and can thoroughly recomend it as a place for a cup of tea, a peice of cake, or even for a full meal!

After the tea and scones we moved the car up the road and parked in between Hen Cloud and The Roaches. Our first objective was:

Hen Cloud with Lynn

Hen Cloud is a lump of gritstone sat at the southern end of the Roaches ridge. It stands out clearly weith great rock formations, and is usually a haunt of climbers. Currently, however, there are nesting peregrine falcons, so climbers are being asked to stay away. The Roaches can be found in the Staffordshire Moorlands, and are a popular spot. On a clear day the views are tremendous, although unfortunately today it was a bit misty. We had better views than on some of my hills (see The Cloud with Rach), but not perfect! The Staffodshire Moorlands can be an erie place in the mist. There are a number of legends and supposed hauntings, including the legend of the ghost of the headless horseman. This phantom was supposedly decapitated in Yorkshire during a battle between the English and the Scots, and his horse brought him home to the Moorlands, and then promptly died himself. The horse and his headless rider have supposedl been seen riding the moors ever since.

Thankfully, there was no sign of him while we were there...

Hen Cloud is a steep climb, but only short, so just as you start to think your out of breath, you're at the top. The very top seems to be a slab of rock which sits at an angle, with a not insigficant drop beyond. Lynn and myself stood upon in slightly nervously, thankfull that the wind was trying to blow us back onto solid ground, not out into the void! We had a short wander around the top looking at the rock formations, then retraced our steps back to the cars for our lunch before heading back to tackle:

The Roaches with Dave

The Roaches are named after a slight change to the French work for rock (roche), and is an apt description. It's a rocky gritstone ridge that sticks up out of the surrounding countryside. A great place for climbing, and indeed there were climbers there while we were out walking. I remember as a boy in the cubs and scouts talking about The Roaches being a good spot for abseiling, and you can see why when you're there. We climbed up with Hen Cloud behind us, finding the path wind it's way up between the rocks to the ridge. Form there it was a fairly easy walk along to the top, some 1-2 miles along. The views were great, even with the mist, and we could see 3 of my previous hills, which was good as when I climbed each of them , I'd had no view at all! We could see The Cloud, Shutlingsloe and Shining Tor.

As you walk along the ridge, you will come to a pool. This is known as Doxey Pool, and legend reports that not only is it thought to be bottomless in the middle, but that it is haunted. Tales tell of a mermaid called Jenny Greenteeth being seen in the pool, luring the unsuspecting to a watery grave. We were fortunate enough not to see her, and Monty was particularly fortunate to escape after running into the mud at the edge of her pool!

One of the creatures it was a shame we did not see during our walk were the wallabies. They had been released onto the moorlands during the war, but the feeling now is that they have not survived, which is a shame - it would have been nice to see one!

After we reached the top, and took our customary photos, we decided to cut a corner of our proposed route, and took a beeline down the side of the hill to reach a small road by heading pretty much due East. Following the road South, then picking up a footpath, we were able to make our way back round to the bottom of Hen Cloud again. A handy bench had been placed, and we enjoyed sitting for a few moments reflecting on our walk.

Although we had not seen a great deal of wildlife, we had heard plenty of birdsong, including skylarks and I'm sure a Curlew, although I'll have to check that! It was another great day to be out, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Just being outside (and missing the rain) was enough to lighten our spirits! Thanks to Lynn and Dave for my 21st and 22nd hills!