Near the summit of the A537, at about 515 metres, stands the Cat and Fiddle, a long stone building that was for years the second-highest pub in England and gave its name to one of the most famous and notorious motorcycle roads in Britain. The pub closed in 2015, then reopened as a distillery and shop, and it remains a landmark and a meeting place for riders, who gather in the car park on sunny weekends. Around it the moors stretch away in every direction, brown and purple with heather, with the Cheshire plain to the west and the hills of the Peak District to the east.
The Cat and Fiddle road runs from Macclesfield to Buxton, across the high moorland, and it is a superb ride, with long climbs, sweeping bends, tight corners and wide views. It has also been one of the most dangerous roads in Britain, with many serious accidents involving motorcycles, and in recent years average speed cameras have been installed along the whole route and the speed limit lowered. Ride with care, respect the limits and watch for the sharp corners near the top.
The weather on the moors can be harsh, with strong winds, rain, fog and snow in winter, and the road is sometimes closed by snow. Even in summer, the temperature at the top can be several degrees lower than in the towns below. The moorland here is part of the Peak District National Park, and it is home to red grouse, curlews and other birds, and in late summer the heather turns the hills purple.
Buxton, about six kilometres east, is a handsome spa town at over 300 metres, one of the highest market towns in England, known for its mineral water, which rises from a spring in the centre of the town and has been bottled and sold for centuries. The Romans used the springs, and in the eighteenth century the Dukes of Devonshire built the elegant Crescent and other buildings to turn Buxton into a fashionable resort. Today it has an opera house, a famous festival and attractive gardens.
Buxton has fuel stations, supermarkets and places to eat and sleep. Macclesfield, at the other end of the road, has all services too. The summit has the old building and its car park, which is where the bikes line up in rows on a sunny Sunday.