The Roaches
Encyclopedia
The Roaches is the name given to a prominent rocky ridge situated above Leek
and Tittesworth Reservoir
in the Peak District
of England
. The ridge with its spectacular rock formations rises steeply to 505 m (1,657 ft).
Along with Ramshaw Rocks and Hen Cloud they form a gritstone
escarpment
, which is very popular with hiker
s, rock climbers and freerunners. It is often very busy especially at weekends. The local mountain rescue
team is a regular attendee to this popular crag.
The Roaches Estate which includes Hen Cloud was purchased by the Peak District National Park Authority in the 1980s to safeguard the area from adverse development. The British Mountaineering Council
maintain a mountain hut named in memory of Don Whillans
in the area.
In clear conditions, it is possible to see much of Cheshire
and views stretching as far as Snowdon
in Wales
and Winter Hill in Lancashire
.
The Roaches are the most prominent part of a curving ridge which extends for several miles from Hen Cloud in the south to Back Forest and Hangingstone in the northwest. Nearby are the broad hills of Gun
and Mixon
.
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system from ca 315 to 326.4 Ma, which occurs widely across the Peak District and takes its name - the Roaches Grit
- from this location. The nearby Five Clouds are formed from a thinner bed of similar sandstone known as the Five Clouds Sandstone. These sandstones originated as delta
sands dropped by major rivers draining a mountainous landmass to the north. The sandstone beds of both The Roaches and Hen Cloud dip moderately steeply to the east into the north-south aligned syncline known as the Goyt Trough. The same beds at Ramshaw Rocks dip steeply to the northwest into the syncline. The southern end of the Roaches is defined by the presence of an east-west fault which runs through the col separating the Roaches from Hen Cloud.
In 2008, a pair of Peregrine Falcon
s successfully bred on the Roaches, causing climbing on part of the rock face to be suspended for a period.
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
and Tittesworth Reservoir
Tittesworth reservoir
Tittesworth Reservoir is a water storage reservoir near Leek, Staffordshire, England, fed by the River Churnet.The reservoir and associated water treatment works are owned and operated by Severn Trent Water. A visitor centre contains a restaurant and small shop...
in the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The ridge with its spectacular rock formations rises steeply to 505 m (1,657 ft).
Along with Ramshaw Rocks and Hen Cloud they form a gritstone
Gritstone
Gritstone or Grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for paper and for grindstones to sharpen blades. "Grit" is...
escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
, which is very popular with hiker
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
s, rock climbers and freerunners. It is often very busy especially at weekends. The local mountain rescue
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
team is a regular attendee to this popular crag.
The Roaches Estate which includes Hen Cloud was purchased by the Peak District National Park Authority in the 1980s to safeguard the area from adverse development. The British Mountaineering Council
British Mountaineering Council
The British Mountaineering Council is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers...
maintain a mountain hut named in memory of Don Whillans
Don Whillans
Don Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. Born and raised in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, he climbed with both Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. He was an apprentice plumber when he first started his...
in the area.
In clear conditions, it is possible to see much of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and views stretching as far as Snowdon
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Winter Hill in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
The Roaches are the most prominent part of a curving ridge which extends for several miles from Hen Cloud in the south to Back Forest and Hangingstone in the northwest. Nearby are the broad hills of Gun
Gun Hill
Gun Hill is a noticeable peak situated in the South Western extremity of the Peak District National Park.-Nearby Peaks:The Roaches, a popular gritstone crag is situated nearby....
and Mixon
Mixon Rocks
Mixon Rocks is a rock outcrop about 2.5 nautical miles west of Gadarene Ridge in the Allan Hills, Oates Land. Reconnoitered by the New Zealand Antarctic Research Program Allan Hills Expedition, 1964, who named this feature for Lieutenant William A. Mixon, a U.S. Navy medical officer at McMurdo...
.
Geology
The Roaches, Hen Cloud and Ramshaw Rocks are formed from a thick bed of coarse sandstone ('gritstone') of Namurian age - a subdivision of the NW European CarboniferousCarboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
system from ca 315 to 326.4 Ma, which occurs widely across the Peak District and takes its name - the Roaches Grit
Roaches Grit
Roaches Grit is a coarse sandstone which outcrops widely throughout the western part of the Peak District of northern England and gives rise to several significant landscape features in the area...
- from this location. The nearby Five Clouds are formed from a thinner bed of similar sandstone known as the Five Clouds Sandstone. These sandstones originated as delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
sands dropped by major rivers draining a mountainous landmass to the north. The sandstone beds of both The Roaches and Hen Cloud dip moderately steeply to the east into the north-south aligned syncline known as the Goyt Trough. The same beds at Ramshaw Rocks dip steeply to the northwest into the syncline. The southern end of the Roaches is defined by the presence of an east-west fault which runs through the col separating the Roaches from Hen Cloud.
Wildlife
In the 1930s five Australian Bennett's wallabies were released into the wild from a private collection. A small colony is believed to continue to live there.In 2008, a pair of Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s successfully bred on the Roaches, causing climbing on part of the rock face to be suspended for a period.
External links
- The Roaches Website
- Roaches Tea Rooms Information
- A page partly about the Roaches - from a website about the town of Leek, StaffordshireLeek, StaffordshireLeek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
and the Staffordshire MoorlandsStaffordshire MoorlandsStaffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The 2001 census recorded the population as... - another page about the Roaches from a different website about the Peak District
- Computer generated summit panorama The Roaches index
- Water colour of the Roaches seen from Hen Cloud
- A novice rock climber on a route called Prow corner at the Roaches
