The Cat and Fiddle Inn is the second-highest

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

in England, the Tan Hill Inn being the highest. In 2020, the outlet was sold to a distiller, who intend to open Britain's highest-altitude whisky distillery. It is in the Peak District National Park, on the A537 road just west of the Derbyshire/Cheshire county boundary, on the western side of Axe Edge Moor, 1,689 feet (515 m) above sea level. The inn is the last on the

Four Inns Walk The Four Inns is a fell race/hiking event held annually over the high moorlands of the Northern Peak District. It takes place mainly in Derbyshire (though it starts in Yorkshire and, near the end, makes a short detour into Cheshire), in northern E ...

, held annually in spring, mainly over the high moorland to the north.

History and closure

The pub was built in 1813. It closed in 2015, and its future as a public house was uncertain.

Re-opening in 2020

In 2019, a long-term lease was taken out on the building by Forest Distillery, who intended to re-open the site in summer 2020 as a destination attraction featuring a distillery, shop and pub. Crowd funding provided over £50,000 of a estimated £250,000 for the restoration. In the summer of 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the Distillery opened a take-out bottle shop in a section of the building, selling high-end spirits, wines, beers and coffee. Refurbishment was ongoing, with plans for pre-booked tours later in the month and the charging of the stills to produce single malt English whisky.

Cat and Fiddle Road

The inn gives its name to the

Cat and Fiddle Road The Cat and Fiddle is a road in England between Buxton, Derbyshire and Macclesfield, Cheshire, named after the Cat and Fiddle Inn public house at its summit. Formed by parts of the A537, A54 and A53, it is famous for its scenic views across t ...

: a stretch of the

A537 road The A537 is a road linking Knutsford, in Cheshire, and Buxton, in Derbyshire. Part of the route includes the Cat and Fiddle Road, one of the most dangerous roads in Great Britain. Route The A537 starts in Knutsford at traffic light controlled ...

, linking

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

to the west with

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.

to the east, which features many sharp corners. This road became notorious for the high number of accidents, particularly among motorcyclists for whom the road is often regarded as an exhilarating technical challenge; an AA survey in 2003 named it as the most dangerous stretch of road in the United Kingdom. A 2016 report indicates that between 2007 and 2011, there were 44 serious or fatal crashes on the stretch. Between 2002 and 2006, there were 35. The report states that the safety issue is caused by "severe bends, steep falls from the carriageway and edged by dry-stone walls for almost the entirety of the road". Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership and the Department for Transport arranged for the installation of front- and rear-facing speed cameras in the area. These were confirmed to be in place in December 2019.

Other pubs

There are several pubs of this name in the United Kingdom. For example, there is a Cat and Fiddle pub in Hinton, Hampshire, currently owned by Harvester. Various

etymologies Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words and ...

are claimed: some believe it is a corruption of ''le chat fidèle'' ('the faithful cat'); others (including ''

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', sometimes referred to simply as ''Brewer's'', is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions, and figures, whether historical or mythical. The "New Edit ...

'') that it comes from Caton le Fidèle (a former governor of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

); a third theory is that it derives from Catherine la Fidèle (

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline Pubs in Cheshire Peak District