A Trip to Flash, in pictures


Back in 2019, I had some time off work and spontaneously wandered up to Flash, via Shutlingsloe. What ensued was a 10-hour round trip on foot, shambling 'round with only a vague idea of where I was going, seeing lots of sheep, a hare and a herd of deer on the way, but I reached the village in the end. In the interest of keeping this post relatively neat, this one is just focussing on the Staffordshire moorlands, and the other spots on this trip will be covered in other posts.

Flash was reportedly established in the 15th century and has a history of criminal activity, including counterfeiting, or 'flash money'. I couldn't find any concrete information on what's the cart and what's the horse in that equation, i.e. did the term 'flash money' come from the villlage, or did the place gets its name as a result of the abundance of counterfeiting.



Some of the scenery on the way up here felt like something out of one of Susan Hill's books. Particularly thinking of Black Sheep; that is a tense and claustrophobic novella about a close-knit mining community, the pressure of unquestioned tradition and the desire for freedom, and there are some very evocative descriptions of bleak countryside in there. It's not a breezy read by any means, but if you're looking for something particularly atmospheric and thought-provoking, it is absolutely worth checking out.


The sign pointing to Goldsytch Moss (sic) appealed to me, but by this point, I'd already taken a couple wrong turns, spent an unknown length of time getting back on track and I was bloody freezin', so that's for another day. (Much as I love the cold, this was piercing, like I was struggling a bit before I even got to the village, but didn't want to turn back before reaching my destination.)









The notices on this board here promise online security for Staffordshire, the oldest gravestone, an election notice, a quiz night and chocolate bingo. (Try gin bingo, then we'll talk!)







This rather worn sign outside the pub has a bit of Mighty Boosh vibe about it. Having looked at a more recent article (from 2024), it seems that the pub has had a new sign put up, and looks more 'loved' than it did in 2019. I would like to come up here again sometime, but on the bus, rather than on foot, and see what's changed in the past few years.

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Further rambling

Twa Thousand Corbies

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Going to start this post with an illustration, because of this blog layout, posts lacking images tend to look a bit pants. The art here is by G. Howell-Baker. A while back, I was joking about gathering together as many versions of Twa Corbies as possible, and finally, here we are. This is going to be a continually evolving list, so if you know of a version that needs to be included, or if you've recorded one of your own, then by all means, let me know. You can put a comment here or e-mail me at looksinnocuousnenoughchaps [at] gmail [dot] com. Let's begin! 1.  Folly Bridge - My personal favourite, performed completely a capella with some beautiful, eerie harmonies. 2.  Hamish Imlach - A live version, and a very close second favourite. Hamish's distinctive voice works wonders here and we're treated to some elegant sitar as well. 3.  Ayreheart - This one features the lute and a passionate vocal performance, it's quite pleasant. 4.  The Corries - Quite a brisk and e...
'Ave a gander 'ere

Some thoughts regarding Silent Hill Downpour

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Getting up at 3am for work is never a recipe for focussed and cogent thought, but it does seem to result in getting down some rabbit holes. On this occasion, after feeling an overwhelming desire to know what A Lyke Wake Dirge would sound like done in the style of Pookiesnackenburger (for the record, Alisdair Reynolds' version is my personal favourite) and weighing up whether or not to pursue a change of setting in an absurdist comedy script-in-progress because it feels like a repurposed shipwreck might provide more fertile ground than a haunted theatre, I got to thinking about Silent Hill Downpour for a bit. This game gives me some very mixed feelings; overall, I'd come down on the side of being fond of it, there's definitely a lot to love here but there's a near-equal measure of things that are frustrating about it. I guess the one-word summary would be "undercooked". It's got a lot of potential, and the green shoots of some really interesting ideas, but...
'Ave a gander 'ere

Revisiting Crapston Villas (while actually sober)

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So recently, I played the Silent Hill 2 remake (really enjoyed it, a nicely done update of an old favourite) and while scrambling about in the flats, something emerged from the dusty caverns of long-buried memories: namely this stop-motion animated cat, lurking in the sallow light of a knackered hallway with blood dripping from his jaws. Quite the sight. Look upon him!!! To be honest, if it were a toss-up between the cat and Pyramid Head, yeah, I'd rather take me chances with the Traffic Cone Twat, thank you. So as it was, the only other things I could remember about Crapston Villas were an homage to that one King Crimson album, a scene involving a horrific-looking fish, there was a lot of gallows humour and the fact that I was howlingly drunk on questionable ale when I watched it (this was around 2013.) Incidentally, it seems to be a running theme with people that I've talked to over the years, whenever the topic of Newcastle Brown comes up, someone always has a story about...
'Ave a gander 'ere