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Rogues and vagabonds, counterfeiters and bare-knuckle fighters meet the righteous in England's highest village.
Distance 6 miles (9.7km)
Minimum time 4hrs
Ascent/gradient 656ft (200m)
Level of difficulty Medium
Paths Some on road but mostly footpaths which can be boggy in wet weather
Landscape Hills, moorland and meadows
Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer OL24 White Peak
Start/finish SK 026672
Dog friendliness Suitable for dogs but keep on lead near livestock
Parking On roadside near school
Public toilets None on route
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© The Automobile Association 2008. © Crown Copyright Licence number 100021153
1 Walk through the village, pass the pub and an old chapel. Turn right at a footpath sign and head towards the last house. Go over a stile, turn right and follow the path over two walls. Veer left towards a gate in the corner of the field to a lane between walls. Cross another stile then turn left at a waymarker.
2 Continue through a gate then follow the waymarker right and uphill to Wolf Edge. Pass the rocks, veer left downhill over a stile and across heather moorland. Cross a stile on the right and continue downhill to a marker post. Cross the wall, then a bridge and turn left on to the road. Follow this road through Knotbury then, after the last house on the left, take the path on the left, crossing several stiles. Turn left at a waymarker and right at the next.
3 Follow this path downhill, across fields, through an open gate and left on to a farm road. Go through another gate, veer right of the road at the next waymarker, cross a stile then keep straight ahead at the next signpost. Follow this track until it crosses a bridge, then heads uphill.
4 Go through the farmyard and turn right on to the road. At the junction, turn right then left through a gap stile. Go downhill, over a bridge, then uphill following the path, left across the field, through a gap stile and turn left on the road.
5 Go left at the next signpost, following the waymarked path to a farm track. At farm buildings go through a gate then fork right. Continue to the road, cross it then continue on the path through Little Hillend. Follow this waymarked path to Adders Green Farm.
6 Turn left, through a gate and along a wall. At the end of the wall turn left, follow the wall, cross a gate then follow the path round the foot of the hill and through a gate to Flash Bottom. Go through a small gate, turn left and over a stile to the road.
7 Cross a stile opposite, follow the path over a field and up steps to the road. Turn right, then right again at the next sign. Cross several fields on a well waymarked path towards farm buildings. Cross a stream then head uphill to the left to rejoin the road. Turn right to Flash.
At an altitude of 1,518ft (463m), the village of Flash proclaims itself as the 'Highest Village in Britain', and at this elevation winter comes early and lingers past the point where spring has visited its neighbours lower down in the valleys. Winters can be cold in this rather windswept location. Once, during wartime, it got so cold that the vicar had icicles on his ears when he ventured from his house to the church. On another occasion a visiting minister arrived by motorcycle, much to the astonishment of the congregation. They were surprised to see him because heavy snow was imminent. They told him to watch for it falling at the window opposite his pulpit and that, should he see any, he should stop the service and depart immediately. Just after the minister left, it started to snow and within 20 minutes the village was cut off.
Despite being a devout community, Flash also has the dubious honour of giving its name to sharp practice. The terms 'flash money' and 'flash company' entered the English language as a consequence of events in Flash. A group of peddlers living near the village, travelled the country hawking ribbons, buttons and goods made in nearby Leek. Known as 'Flash men' they initially paid for their goods with hard cash but after establishing credit, vanished with the goods and moved on to another supplier. Their name became associated with ne'er-do-wells in taverns, who helped people drink their money and were never seen again, as typified in the 18th-century English folk song, Flash Company.
Fiddling and dancing were all my delight
But keeping flash company has ruined me quite
Flash money on the other hand was counterfeit, manufactured in the 18th century by a local gang using button presses. They were captured when a servant girl exposed them. Some of the gang members were hanged at Chester.
Flash was the ideal location for avoiding the law because of its proximity to the borders of three counties and police in one county could not pursue miscreants into another. At a local beauty spot called Three Shire's Head, about a mile (1.6km) north west of the village, by a packhorse bridge, is the meeting place of Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire. Illegal bare-knuckle fights were held here and when the police arrived, the participants simply crossed the bridge and continued their bout on the other side.
While all this lawlessness was going on the more peaceable inhabitants formed the Tea Pot Club. Originally a fund to help members who were sick, the Flash Loyal Union Society still has an annual Tea Pot Parade, each June from the church to Flash Bar. Tea is served in the church hall and the person pulling the most grotesque face in the gurning competition wins a teapot.
Visit Buxton, England's highest market town. Founded by the Romans, after they discovered a hot spring in ad 79, it later became a spa town towards the end of the 18th century. The elegant Crescent is modelled on Bath's Royal Crescent and the street fountain here is still fed from St Ann's Well. There are some other fine buildings and not to be missed are the Pavilion Gardens with an iron and glass pavilion fronted by formal gardens.
Look for evidence of the network of packhorse trails on the moors covered by this walk. These ancient routes were used from medieval times to transport goods between communities. Packhorse trains could have anything up to 50 horses and were led by a man called a 'jagger' (their ponies were Galloway cross breeds called Jaegers). Today you will find their paved routes across the moors, descending into the valleys in distinctive 'hollow ways' or sunken lanes. Jaggers still drove their hard-working beasts across the moors until the early 19th century, when canal transport finally usurped these HGVs of their day.
The Travellers' Rest at nearby Flash Bar is the best place in the area. Walkers can be assured a warm welcome from the friendly landlord and can relax in front of an open fire with a pint of real ale enjoying the ambience of this fine old building with it's flag floors and oak beams. The food is traditional, ranging from soup and sandwiches to steaks and pies.
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