Want to put that ‘New Year, new me’ promise to the test by swapping Manchester city centre for a scenic walk in the great outdoors? Cure those January blues with an expedition for all abilities right on your doorstep.
The Roaches and Lud’s Church circular in Allgreave, Cheshire has all bases covered for a perfect Peak District adventure and it’s only about an hour away in the car.
This 10km hike takes around three to four hours and features everything from rocky scrambles up to exposed ridges to green woodlands leading through mysterious caverns. Winter can be the perfect time to get out there as well, so dust off your boots, wrap up warm and set off on an adventure only an hour away from the town.
The easiest way to access the starting point is via car, parking at The Roaches Tea Rooms. A small stroll up the road will take you to the beginning of the footpath with the jagged crest of The Roaches ahead. The 550m rocky ascent is the first and arguably most difficult obstacle of the entire journey.
Credit: The Manc Group
You’ll see walkers and climbers alike gearing up at the base of the first striking ridge. Its unique rock formations are notoriously admired by climbers and made famous by Salfordian mountaineer Don Whillans who trained on the very rocks.
Once you’ve scrambled up through the cracks of the landscape, you get to soak in the views of Leek and the nearby Tittesworth Reservoir and the rolling moorland of the Peaks. Dotted along the horizon are grazing sheep amongst self-sufficient farmhouses that have catered for the land for decades.
As you continue along the open ridge, the elements can be pretty relentless, especially on a fresh winter’s morning. Check the forecast before you head off but we’d consider a hat and gloves mandatory!
Following the trail north, you will pass a series of small pools, only applicable to swim at this time of year if you are brave enough — or slightly insane. The most famous is named ‘Doxey Pool’, which has a historic and mysterious reputation.
In folklore, some say the small body of water is bottomless and is home to a malignant mermaid otherwise called a ‘blue nymph’. The creature was reportedly sighted emerging out of the tarn in 1949 by a woman on her morning swim although the sighting could never be confirmed.
Sadly, we didn’t see any mermaids on our stroll, so for now we’re calling it mythical nonsense.
Around halfway through the walk, the well-trodden route will lead to a cross junction showing signposts for Lud’s Church, where the scenery gets even more dramatic. They say what goes up has to come down, and the trail towards this 15th-century cavern takes you so deep through the woods you step into another world.
The entrance to the gorge takes you into a rocky cavern plastered in moss and ferns. Lud’s Church itself lasts only around 100m but there are a variety of different routes to explore.
We can’t think of many more walks as unique and scenic as this so close to Manchester.
The name derives from its use as a secret place of worship in the early 1400s for Lollards, a group of reformed Christians who were often persecuted for their beliefs. It is likely that the ‘Lud’ came from Walter de Lud Auk, who was captured at Lud’s Church during one of their meetings.
The circle back to the start begins as you exit the chasm with the latter half of the walk being much less physically demanding than the way there. Returning back to the cross junction, take the paved road which splits the face of Roaches Ridge to the left and the spanning views of the Reservoir to the right.
The leisurely downhill stroll should take around 40 minutes, passing more farmhouses, more sheep and on this occasion a few donkeys. Enough time before you get back to the car to decide which local pub to grab a roast on the way home. A rewarding end to a wholesome day.
If you’re looking for more scenic walking routes so close to Manchester that you can get there using public transport, we’ve got a load of great ones for you here:
Final few tickets remaining for Manchester’s mega-hit comedy festival Laughterama 2025
Emily Sergeant
The final few tickets are still up for grabs as Manchester’s most popular comedy festival returns next month.
After what was a smash-hit success in its inaugural year back in 2022, and after several other successful runs in each of the years following, Laughterama is back in Manchester for more next month time, and will once again be taking over the iconic Castlefield Bowl in the heart of the city centre for five days of fun.
Thousands of comedy lovers attend Laughterama each year to enjoy countless sell-out stand-up sets, and this year will be no different, as festivalgoers are in for an ‘explosive series of shows‘ from some of the hottest names on the comedy circuit.
Multi award-winning comedians Frankie Boyle, Ed Gamble, Rosie Jones, and Phil Wang are just some of the famous names on this year’s jam-packed lineup.
They’ll be joined by other household names like Russell Kane, Fern Brady, Rob Delaney, Lou Sanders, and Tim Key when they all take to the Castlefield Bowl stage over the five-day festival from Wednesday 3 – Sunday 7 September.
Some of the other names you can expect are Taskmaster treasures Sam Campbell and Bridget Christie, BAFTA nominee Lucy Beaumont, stand-up phenomenon Sarah Keyworth, King Gary star Tom Davis, Viceland’s Jamali Maddix, and viral sensation Jen Brister.
Manchester’s very own comedy heroes Rachel Fairburn and Stephen Bailey are also on the lineup.
Manchester’s mega-hit comedy festival Laughterama is making a 2025 return later this year / Credit: Supplied
It wouldn’t be Laughterama without some newcomers either, and some of the breakthrough stars not-to-be-missed this year include Edinburgh Fringe Award nominee Jin Hao Li, fast-rising talents Sharon Wanjohi and Dane Buckley, the razor-sharp Lara Ricote, and so many more to discover.
And aside from the comedy, as always, you can expect the very-best eats from Manchester’s street food scene will also be on site to tuck into, as well as an exciting selection of bars serving signature beers, cocktails, and more.
Laughterama 2025 is landing at Castlefield Bowl from Wednesday 3 – Sunday 7 September, with the final few tickets still on sale at £27.50 per person.
You can grab yours on the Laughterama website before they sell out here.
Featured Image – Matt Eachus (via Supplied)
Things To Do
Full lineup announced for popular family science festival near Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A popular family science and tech festival is returning this autumn, and the full lineup of events has now been released.
Set to descend on the grounds of Bruntwood SciTech’s Alderley Park – a unique place where world-leading science, innovation, and stylish living all come together in the Cheshire countryside – SciTech Extravaganza will be a day filled full of fun science-themed shows, interactive activities, new skill-building opportunities, and more.
Right at the centre of all the action will be a mobile planetarium from Jodrell Bank, and here, visitors are invited to sit under the stars and enjoy a tour of the night sky as they learn about constellations, myths of the northern sky, and discover the planets and objects visible in the coming weeks.
Some of the other exciting events on the lineup include a series of interactive shows with Royal Institution offering a deep dive into the science behind ‘super cells’, a demonstration called The Science of Balloons, which is, you guessed it, a mixture of science and balloon modelling, and workshops offering a simple introduction to coding.
The festival will also be one of the last chances to see UK artist Luke Jerram’s ‘Museum of the Moon’ – a touring six-metre moon replica displayed at Alderley Park’s Glasshouse in the stunning 400-acre parkland.
Face painting, DJs, food and drink stalls, and more will also be there on the day.
SciTech Extravaganza is back for 2025 next month / Credit: Supplied
Event organisers say SciTech Extravaganza 2025 is promising to be an ‘unforgettable day’ for aspiring little innovators.
“SciTech Extravaganza is back, and it’s even bigger and better,” commented Dr Kath Mackay, who is the Chief Scientific Officer for Bruntwood SciTech.
“We can’t wait to showcase all the excitement that the world of science and technology has to offer.
“It’s a unique opportunity to showcase it at its very best, and nurture curiosity and innovation in STEM related fields. We look forward to welcoming families back for another unforgettable day, and to help inspire a new generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.”
Harry Quick -
13th January 2024 
