Distance: just under 6.5 miles

Difficulty of the terrain: hard

Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox

Walk from Buxton up into the Peak District hills and across the county boundary to Cheeks Hill the highest hill in Staffordshire at 520 metres above sea level.

The Story

The Walk

Getting Back

North Cheek, Midlands Cheek

If there is one county primarily associated with the Peak District then it is Derbyshire. However, leaving aside the northern slithers of the region in Yorkshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, a fair chunk of its southern and western reaches are in Staffordshire.

Unsurprisingly Staffordshire’s tallest hill, Cheeks Hill, is found in this part of the Peak District National Park. Its location is in the far north of the county, right on the boundary with Derbyshire and Cheshire, only a few miles south of Buxton.

At 520 metres above sea level Cheeks Hill is fairly high for both the Peak District and an English county top. Contrasting with most of Staffordshire which outside of its north eastern Moorlands District has a topography that matches the quintessential Midlands landscape varied between gently hilly and pretty flat.

On the Derbyshire side of the hill the River Dane rises, beginning its progress towards where it merges with the River Weaver on the Cheshire plain, prior to flowing out into the Manchester Ship Canal next to the Mersey.

From Cheeks Hill’s summit heading south into Staffordshire you reach the little village of Flash. Which at 463 metres above sea level is the highest village in England. Sleepy today, its location far from the county authorities who if they ever called by were visible from far off due to its elevated location, in earlier centuries it was a hub of coining, illegal prize fighting and all manner of other lawlessness.

Showing that despite its peripheral location on the edge of the county Cheeks Hill is importantly situated at the base of the Pennines where the Midlands unambiguously became the North.

The Walk

Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox

I create the Walk Midlands routes via Ordnance Survey Maps Explorer enabling me to take them on my phone. Subscribe yourself via the banner above.

Buxton is the end of the line if you are a railway passenger, only limestone trains continue further south these days.

As such, upon reaching Buxton Railway Station where this walk begins, turn left and leave the platform to enter the car park on the station forecourt.

Once on the forecourt cross the carpark heading right.

Upon reaching the main road, use a set of traffic lights to cross over and then keep heading to the right.

Walk down hill into Buxton town centre. Developed as a spa by the Duke of Devonshire, the traditional (and current) owners of large tracts of rural Derbyshire, Buxton today is fairly affluent town at the end of the railway line from Manchester, and retains many of its 18th, 19th and early 20th Century spa buildings.

With a population of around 22,000 Buxton is the largest town in the White Peak by quite some distance, as well as the biggest in Derbyshire’s High Peak District of which it is the administrative centre.

Continue along the road for quite some distance, passing through the town centre and out into the suburbs.

Presently, having followed the road down a gently sloping hill you come to a major road junction.

Cross the road here heading to the right.

Take an exit onto a narrow residential road, between the two main roads which intersect, that runs slightly uphill.

Keep on this road lined by large suburban houses for some distance.

Presently there is a footpath sign pointing off to the left down a tree lined walkway.

Turn left and walk down here a short distance.

Soon there is a gap in the wall to your right leading into thick trees and bushes.

Having made your way through this gap and through the thicket you emerge onto a playing field with a wooded bank to your right.

Cross the playing field making for a rough footpath leading up the bank, which is fairly steep.

Where the woodland starts, head slightly to the right.

Then take a path leading off to the right, then slightly to the left, then right again through the trees.

After a short distance it twists to the left and begins running uphill, where it merges with a larger path.

The woodland ends and there is a wooden gate leading out onto open hillside.

Once through the gate follow a well worn footpath, white with the limestone underneath, uphill.

You cross a number of mounds which are apparently the remains of 17th Century limestone burning.

Ahead of you on the brow of the hill stands a folly known as Grinlow Tower or Solomon’s Temple.

A lot of footpaths, a mixture of official rights of way and desire lines, intersect on the hillside which is part of a country park. This makes finding which way to go tricky.

Just before you reach the folly turn off to the right walking past a small cluster of 17th Century limestone burning mounds.

Cross a drystone wall by means of a stile.

Then still heading right, cross the field in front of you heading back down towards the wall enclosing the woods below. Along the way you pass through several more of the former limestone kilns.

Upon reaching the wall you reach a more substantial footpath – comprising part of the Dane Valley Way – which runs off to your left.

Follow the path a short distance to the left, up some steps and through a gate.

On the other side of the gate take the path running off to the left.

Follow this path through a holloway cut from stone for some distance.

Then out along the top of a former quarry which now provides car parking for the country park.

At the end of an open stretch above the quarry follow the path into a thicket, then through a gate into a field.

Once in the field, turn to the right and walk slightly uphill across the field, heading in the direction of a cluster of wethered, upstanding rocks.

There is no clearly defined footpath for this section.

Beyond the rocks you come upon the access road for the quarry country park car park.

Turn left and begin walking alongside this road.

At the bottom you approach the busy Grin Low Road.

There is a footpath which runs alongside it to the right when you reach the mouth of the driveway you have been walking along.

Turn right and head down this footpath.

Follow it for some distance, passing through a gate along the way.

Presently the path reaches a junction, with a spur off to the left through a thicket.

Take this left hand turn and walk through the thicket which leads to the side of the Grin Low Road near where it joins A53.

Cross over the road to walk on the left hand side, then turn right and begin walking along the side of the road.

After a short distance on your right, just before you come level with a small waterworks of some type, there is a footpath signpost, minus the footpath on the other side of the road.

Cross over the road and head through the rusted metal gate next to the footpath sign.

Then turn to the left and begin walking uphill.

At the top by some of the waterworks kit there is a stile which you cross.

On the far side continue walking straight up the hill keeping to the left.

At the top by a large metal sheep feeder, there is a farm track running off to the right.

Join this farm track heading right.

Presently the A53 which connects Buxton with Congelton in south east Cheshire appears over the brow of the hill. Keep on walking until you pass through a gate leading out onto the side of the road.

Continue walking left, heading steadily uphill along the side of the road.

Generally there is quite a wide verge beside the road, and traffic tends to come in heavy clusters rather than being constant, so whilst it is important to take care, it is not the trickiest road to walk along.

After several minutes walking along the edge of the road, there is a sturdy wooden stile, with a very clear track beyond it, off to the left.

Cross the stile and begin walking uphill.

This is Axe Edge Moor, home to some of the highest peaks in the southern half of the Peak District. The highest elevation for this section of the walk is an impressive – for the English Midlands – 520 metres above sea level. Though most of the rest of the way to Flash is over 450 metres above sea level.

Keep on walking uphill following the track as it runs uphill. It is possible to make pretty good time on this section of the walk, despite the elevation, because the path is very good.

After some distance you reach a road running across a high point on the moorland.

This is a popular area for walkers, both for the scenery and the views, and the fact that this patch of ground, comprising the border between the East Midlands, the West Midlands and North West England, is the source of many significant rivers like the Goyt and the Dane, the Manifold and the Dove, which wend their way in time, to the Mersey and the Trent.

Upon reaching the road, pass through a gate, skirting a small car park.

Then head right, walking down the road a short way.

Take care, because due to the views and its popularity as a starting place for walkers, the road is quite busy despite the remoteness of its location.

After a short distance there is a track running off to your left.

Turn off the road here and begin walking along the track as it weaves up and down across the grassy moorland.

Along the way you cross a deep cut channel, at the bottom of which flows the nascent River Dane, which you cross.

Continuing on the other side the path climbs slightly.

Here you come to a dry stone wall. An incongruous structure, and common up on the moorland pastures, but this one is significant, because it marks the boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire, and the point where the East becomes the West Midlands. It is also the summit of Cheeks Hill a sign that you have reached your destination.

There is a path running to the right through the dry stone wall.

Follow it, and continue following it on the other side of the wall, as it runs steadily downhill.

Presently you come to a junction with another path.

Here take the more substantial track, a proper farm track, and head off to the right.

Follow this track for quite some distance, as its winds downhill.

After some distance you reach a cattle grid, with a foot gate on the right hand side.

A little further on the farm track turns into a paved road.

Follow this road for some distance, presently it takes a sharp leftwards turn running uphill.

Having crossed the brow of the ridge, you approach a small cluster of buildings, just before which there is a gate across the road.

Having passed through the gate, keep on following the road around.

Not much further on you reach a junction.

Here take the right hand turn, continuing to head slightly downhill along the valley floor.

After a short distance on this road, having passed a house on your right, and approach a few further clusters of buildings (this area is surprisingly populous) there is a path off to your left.

This is reached by crossing a deep stream channel by means of a stone footbridge.

On the far side of the stream follow the path as it winds up hill across scrubby moorland.

The way uphill is quite steep, but the views to the sides and behind you are impressive.

Along the way you cross a stile, then take a slight left turn, before climbing more or less straight again.

Partway up the path veers slightly to the right.

As you near the top a cluster of stones becomes visible. Make for these.

Upon reaching the stones, scramble down a short bank, then cross the field beyond.

On reaching the line of a dry stone wall turn right.

Follow the path as it winds through a series of dry stone wall sheep enclosures. A sure sign if ever there was one that you were reaching an upland settlement.

Having passed the sheep enclosures you cross open ground making for a farm in the distance.

Upon reaching the farmhouse there is a homemade sign pointing to the left and “Flash village”.

Following the short track down past the farmhouse you find yourself on the outskirts of Flash village.

Upon reaching the village’s main road, turn left.

You pass several houses, then the village’s pub on your left.

Soon you come out amidst a cluster of old stone houses opposite the village’s church.

This is where the walk ends. However, if you want to see the famous sign announcing that you are entering Flash, the country’s highest village, keep on walking left for a few minutes along the road through the village.

Getting Back

From the church in the centre of Flash keep walking left along the village’s main road. After no time you have left most of the houses behind and passed the famous sign announcing that you are entering Britain’s highest village. Shortly after this you reach the A53. Upon reaching the A53 – which handily has a pavement in this section – turn left. A few minutes walking brings you to the layby where the Flash Bar Stores cafe stands next to a B&B-cum-pub. It is well worth stopping at the cafe for refreshments if you require them. It is also handy having the cafe, because public transport, whilst existent high up on the moors is not frequent. The bus stop is about one minute from the cafe, on the other side of the road. Buses run 3 or 4 times a day between Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent (calling at Leek on the way) and Buxton (at the time of writing in June 2022), so this is your best bet for getting back. There is also a service running from Ashbourne to Buxton, but this is less frequent. From Buxton there are frequent trains towards Manchester, as well as a decent bus service locally to other parts of Derbyshire, and the surrounding counties. If you opt to go to Leek, Stoke or Ashbourne, there are also decent onward connections by bus (or train from Stoke) to other parts of the midlands.