Nothing much remains of the old settlement of Rothley, it was subsumed by the Wallington Estate at some stage, but in recent years the house and land have been privately owned. Happily it’s all back together now and under the care of the National Trust.

The bits I visit in are the two outcrops of sandstone with castle-like follies on top. The larger southern one is known to climbers as “Rothley Crag” and hosts mostly bouldering, but with a bit of marvellous trad stuff as well. It has the prominent folly Rothley Castle on top, whilst the northern outcrop has “Codgers Fort” on top.

The sandstone is not the Fell Sandstone of the nearby Simonside Hills, but a lenticular deposit of gritty material which was formed in a large slow-moving river. at the time the Gritstone of the Peak District was being laid down. It’s one of three in this area, Shaftoe and Ingoe to the south are geologically similar.

It can be quite photogenic, so here’s a few images taken over the years.