A walk led for the walking group by Helen

Roaches Walk 3rd March 2013

 A walk led for the walking group by Helen

Sunday saw 22 of us out on a walk round The Roaches, on a day that was finally feeling more like spring, at least initially, with the first shorts of the year out.

 Parking at the base of The Roaches, the first part of our walk took us straight up onto The Roaches. After initially heading straight for a sheer rock face (which some of our members did attempt) we descended slightly to pick up the main path, and enjoyed good views in the sunshine as we made a full traverse of the ridge, enjoying elevenses in a sheltered spot next to the trig point. From there we dropped down to the road, where Linda fell over in her excitement at seeing an ice cream van. Thankfully after a brief rest she was soon back on her feet and ready to go again (Campbell having used the time to eat an ice cream).

We then headed downwards through a forest to reach the steep sided gully of Lud’s Church, where we spent some time looking round before continuing down to the river, and a pleasant easy walk along the river to Danebridge. There we ate our rather late lunch outside the Wincle Brewery, accompanied for some by an excellent pint of beer. However by now the sun had disappeared and it was feeling much cooler, so we pressed on, with a steep climb out of the valley soon warming us all up again.

A long gradual climb then took us back to the base of The Roaches, with an easy amble back along the road to the cars. Thanks to all those who came and made this an enjoyable day, hope to see you all again soon.