ROACHES HALL – DO TRY THIS WALK – NO NEED FOR A CAR!

This small walk takes under an hour but can be extended with our suggestions to take up as much of your day as you like! It can be followed on the OS Outdoor Leisure Map 24 (there should be a copy in your Party House).

Firstly leave Roaches Hall by taking the footpath over the style opposite the front door. Follow the path diagonally up the hill. Once you are near the top of this path (literally a couple of minutes from your front door) you will find a sort of secret hollow in the stones – a magical place for a ‘hidden picnic’ (bit please make sure you do not light fires and leave nothing behind - take all your rubbish back to Roaches Hall). This is all classified as ‘Open Access’ land which means that you can go wherever you like and do not have to stick to footpaths only. Go around to the right side of the hollow and continue climbing. You will notice that the landscape changes here and you have great views across to Ramshaw Rocks. Follow the path along the tumbled down stone wall until you reach the very top of Hen Cloud. Be careful here as it feels that you are really on top of the world and there are some dramatic edges!

Notice as you go, the Roaches Hall bird box trail and also some of the wonderful wild flowers. Watch out too for rabbits, hares and all manner of birds. In the summer you can hear the curlews distinctive call (quite a shriek really!) Curlews are distinctive as they have a long curling beak. If you are walking in the summer you may be lucky enough to see the Peregrines that have nested on Hen Cloud recently. In the evening you may well see barn owls, and tawny owls (although you are more likely to hear their familiar call tiwit tiwoo – actually a male and female talking to each other)

Now you have a choice:-

For the really short version of this walk. Turn right on top of Hen Cloud and follow the path back down directly to Roaches Hall (but beware this is a bit steeper than the route up – not impossibly steep but certainly more of a scramble than a stroll in places).

For a short walk but without the steeper slope. Turn left on top of Hen Cloud and follow the path down the hill away from Roaches Hall. This drops you down the gentler hill. You then reach another path onto which you turn right and follow it around the front of Hen Cloud before you reach the driveway of Roaches Hall. Follow this along the base of the rocks and you are soon back at Roaches Hall.

If you want to really blow the cobwebs away. Turn left on top of Hen Cloud and follow the path down the hill away from Roaches Hall . You’ll need the map for this (no space here for the full directions – sorry!) but follow the paths up onto The Roaches, along to Luds Church, back through Gradbach Wood and then back to Roaches Hall. PLEASE FOLLOW THE COUNTRYSIDE CODE AND HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME!