A Packhorse

Prior to the creation of the first turnpike road in the area of Rochdale in 1735, the only way to move goods and merchandise between Lancashire and Halifax was via the ancient packhorse trails. Steep, muddy, and frequently impassable even for the surefooted Galloway ponies, these routes avoided the valley and clung to the contours of the hills.

The River Roch gets its name from “rached”, a Celtic word meaning “river by the forest”

Click on the River Roch Link for more information.