Flash claims to be the highest village in England at 463 metres above sea level. Accessible only by narrow country roads, it creates a good impression of how bleak life in the Staffordshire Moorlands can be. Its remoteness led to an element of lawlessness in past times, with a reputation for cockfighting and manufacturing counterfeit coinage. Before it closed, the village school had as few as 4 pupils. Flash is just within the Peak District National Park and motorists driving on the A53 between Buxton and Leek have little idea of how dramatic and remote this moorland village feels, yet it’s only a kilometre to the West of the main road.