We spent the weekend with some friends who live in Leek in Staffordshire, which was a lot of fun. On Saturday morning, we went for a great walk up The Roaches — a ridge of gritstone with some fantastic views over the surrounding landscape. Gritstone is remarkably sparkly, and since the surrounding earth is formed by the weathering of the same rock, even the mud wore a fetching disco look. Apparently, the rather odd name 'Roaches' is a corruption of the Norman-French name roches or rocks.

I love walking along ridges. You feel like you're tightrope walking along the spine of the world with everything laid out at your feet. The wind was blowing hard, but the sun was shining brightly and lighting up the weird rock formations, which have been sculpted by the very same bracing wind.

It was wonderful getting out into the fresh air in such a spectacular location, and it blew away a few cobwebs. I took some photos, so I might post some later if they turn out to be good enough for public consumption.