Walk to Coombes Rocks & Robin Hood Picking Rods

Hope Everyone Enjoyed Their Easter Break !!!

This Bank Holiday weekend firstly I needed a shopping day to get all the last "bits and pieces" for taking on my Charity Challenge trip on Friday (exciting things like an extra pair of thermal Long Johns!!) then the last day's walk before I actually go away.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, very unexpected as I'd not been following the weather forecast. I'd decided to take a walk up to Coombes Rocks, going through Charlesworth up Slack Edge and on to Far Coombes and then Robin Hood's Picking Rods. The walk wasn't exactly taxing which was just as well as I'd whacked my knee on a cupboard at work and there's probably a bit of deep bruising which has been giving me a bit of trouble. So at least it gave me a reasonable walk to keep the exercise up without over straining.

Coombes Rocks - A popular spot for flying model aeroplanes

Robin Hood Picking Rods

Extract on the rods taken from TrekkingBritain.com ...........

Robin Hood's Picking Rods have fascinated archaeologists and historians for centuries and the man made rocks are so old that no one has ever found the truth behind there existence. There are many theories on Robin Hood's Picking Rods but its modern name actually comes from the a local legend that claims that Robin Hood himself shot an arrow at the Picking Rods to win freedom for a fair maid. The mark left by the arrow is said to still be visible on the stones today. This is of course hard to believe. The theory favoured by archaeologists is that the columns were carved in the 9th century AD, by Anglo-Saxons. They believe that the two columns were originally one tall column and that after being broken in two were mounted in a new base to remain due to there importance. Cheshire and Derbyshire contains a few Saxon crosses that are basically huge stone columns made to almost the exact same size as the Picking Rods, this is why archeologists believe this to be the true theory and if you see pictures of those found else where its hard to dismiss. The stones could later have been used as a way marker for an ancient pass or as a boundary marker for the huge forests that once covered most of this region.

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Hope You Enjoyed Your Bank Holiday . Best Wishes, Deborah