went out today and saw 3 guys descending from this point, to where i was at the bottom gate having a breather…ive never come down this way before and have no idea how to get to it? one guy did kindly explain, but it was hard to take in to be honest due to not knowing the area that well…

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=398274&y=365560&z=120&sv=398274,365560&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=840&ax=398274&ay=365560&lm=0

(descent is the way the arrows pointing)

its looks really cool, and i know quite a specific area, only a handful of local people on here will probably know but worth a shout? at worst i could climb up (its quite steep and techy downhill) but really dont fancy it as a climb, and id love to know how to join it on to the ride….

any ideas?

cuckoo maybe? i remember you having quite a bit of knowledge around this area?

Looking at the OS map there don’t appear to be any “legal” rights of way for bikes on the Roaches. Isn’t it access land though?

not entirely sure to be honest, on the os map, all of that is footpath….though i often cross walkers up there and never had any problems, in and around the wood area….its just that descent i want to do..

like i said at very worst i can push up the climb, and see where it leads to eventually…..it really looks like cracking fun, and the 3 chaps bombing down it today certainly enjoyed it…

may have to do a bit more exploring 🙂

The arrow is pointing uphill surely (both from reading the contours on the map and having walked around here dozens of time. Do you want to end up near to Gradbach YHA starting from Roach End? If so there is a VERY techy descent (well to my mind anyway, I wouldn’t even try to ride it but then I am a wuss) that follows a dry stone wall for a while, from Roach End down to the river at the bottom, where there are junctions for all the paths through the wood.

Otherwise you can head west from Roach End along quite a wide track on the north side of a DS Wall. Eventually you will come to a junction with signs for Lud’s Church. You can follow this route to Lud’s Church, go around it and follow the finger posts for Gradbach/River Dane/Back Forest.

These are footpaths, narrow-ish (not singletrack as such but certainly not doubletrack). I would happily ride these as they are far from techy and I would be surprised if this is what you are really after.

Let me know how you get on.

Presuming you cameup from past swythamly hall? Through the gate and up the slope to the next gate? Roaches would be on your right. None of the roaches ridge can be ridden legally, cheeky trail to be done early!!!been up and back down the same way, but there is a way on from the far end, not done it for years though so couldn’t direct you

i’ve just bought this only £2.80:
bike maps

I was going to do it this morning but ended up doing family stuff instead but can’t wait to give it a go.

Nick

M6TTF !!!

thats spot on squire! thats the exact route im on about, you come up swathamley hall….bit of off road to gate, steep slope to another gate…THEN..you go straight on to head back to gradbach or theres a turn to 90 degrees right, where the descent im on about is….thats exactly the spot!

so above its defintely a descent, and yes it is rather techy to be honest, id defo ride down it though, dont fancy pushing up it..

so mttf is this ok to ride upwards? i want to join it from the other side so i can ride down it and continue right at that gate back through the woods to gradbach?

i guess the only real way to figure it out then is to ride up it really…

speaker2animals – Member
The arrow is pointing uphill surely (both from reading the contours on the map and having walked around here dozens of time. Do you want to end up near to Gradbach YHA starting from Roach End? If so there is a VERY techy descent (well to my mind anyway, I wouldn’t even try to ride it but then I am a wuss) that follows a dry stone wall for a while, from Roach End down to the river at the bottom, where there are junctions for all the paths through the wood.

Otherwise you can head west from Roach End along quite a wide track on the north side of a DS Wall. Eventually you will come to a junction with signs for Lud’s Church. You can follow this route to Lud’s Church, go around it and follow the finger posts for Gradbach/River Dane/Back Forest.

These are footpaths, narrow-ish (not singletrack as such but certainly not doubletrack). I would happily ride these as they are far from techy and I would be surprised if this is what you are really after.

Let me know how you get on.

hi matey…yes looking to get to YHA from roach end….im looking to descend where the arrow is, and its pointing down going away from roach end…so yeah – roach end to the YHA…

i know how to get to YHA via, the woods and around that area…but im looking to do the descent from roach end to get there…..not sure where the hell it even starts…though its all rideable as i said there were 3 blokes riding down it sunday early doors…..i wish i understood there pointers more 🙁

any ideas then my good man? can you tell me in a bit more detail how to get to it from roach? looking to get to it from starting up at 3 shires, then guessing a bit of road to roache end? but how??

bumpidy bump! 🙂

cuckoo maybe? i remember you having quite a bit of knowledge around this area?

I’m afraid I can’t help you on this one OW.

I am not local to this area and only ride there a handful of times in a year.

I have been walking round Lud’s Church before and remember thinking there were a lot more trails about than I first thought.

Looks like the only way to be sure is an out-of-hours cheeky ride 😀

no worries sir! thanks for the response, yep, cheeky early morning/late at night trails searching it is then!

still good to know you can ride up it to some extent, will just follow it on and see where it brings me out 🙂

Morning

Officially… the track from Gradbach behind Lud’s Church to Swythamley Hall is a permissive bridleway. All the other paths through the woods are footpaths.. although nice techy ones 😉
The Park ranger wasn’t that bothered about teh occaisional cyclist on the ridge path from Roach End towards Swythamley and there was even talk a while ago about making that a permissive cyle path too. that would include the descent you are talking about… Although it does make a good climb too…

hi graham, cheers for the info, yeah the walkers are laid back up there too, most friendly!

soooo then, how on earth do i get to this ridge including the descent im on about?? any directions or help appreciated 🙂 or is it just a case of climbing up it from the 2nd gate after swymanthely hall and descending back down?

cheers and hope you can help

I was walking up there a couple of years ago and was confused to see this sign as it doesn’t match up with what the OS maps say.

Bridleway? by matt303uk, on Flickr

not entirely sure mate – we usually just descend down to the river then up the steep track to the scout centre, then take the road on the left… sharp left at the llama farm then takes you back to 3 shires.

there is a steep technical descent off the ridge top that takes you into the woods near ludschurch that we did in the better weather – definitely not a legal route though.

I too was confused when I saw the bridleway marked as a footpath on the map.

I’m confused why the OP is so confused as to how to find this path. There is a path that runs all the way from roach end to the Swthamley-Gradbach ‘col’. I think the last part of this is the descent in question. It follows the ridge all the way and it follows the black dashed line on the multimap link. Otherwise do you mean dropping off to the left (south) of the ridge? in which case Ive no idea, but I imagine its not an established path and avoidance may be the best plan.

As has been said before this is a sensitive area so best to show some tact and avoid when too muddy.

right – chees for the help guys, a kind man has emailed me a .gpx of the said descent, and how best to get to it from 3 shires way….it was the area trying to join up to it all i didnt get…..so i need to join it from the goldstitch moss area which i had no idea about, through a few fields etc and onto the ridge, which carries onto said black line to drop to the descent in question and onto the gate at the bottom – mystery solved, thanks again for your help and input, really appreciated 🙂

of course i wont be riding this in peak times so walkers need not fret 🙂

thansk again one and all!

Hello again… Interested myself in how you get from Goldsitch Moss to Roach End without going down the track that turns into a BW… As that is definately better to ride in the other direction.. Even un-rideable in parts from E to W…?

hi graham if you post your email ill send you the said bit that i have been given as a .gpx file for you to view…

it basically starts here : http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=399550&y=364510&z=120&sv=399550,364510&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=841&ax=399550&ay=364510&lm=0

and finishes here: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=397745&y=365535&z=120&sv=397745,365535&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=841&ax=397745&ay=365535&lm=0

and follows the black lines inbetween, yes not legal i know, but i will ONLY ride it when dry and when no body is about 🙂

hope that helps abit

That’s fine.. That is the ridgeline I mentioned that the Peak Ranger wasn’t that bothered about folks riding… I was more interested in getting to Roach End from Goldsitch Moss without riding the BW the ‘wrong way’…
I’m at graham (underscore) clark (at) bigfoot (dot) com