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Peak District - Mam Tor walk

The Peak District doesn’t feature much on many tourist itineraries, which is a shame as there is splendid scenery and some superb walking (After all the Pennine Way starts from Edale in the heart of the Peak...) I know Mardee loved her time in Castleton.

This recent article from the Independent Newspaper flags up one of the great walks along the Mam Tor Ridge, easily done from Castleton. I’ve not heard of the nickname ‘mother hill’, more frequently it is referred to as ‘the shivering mountain’. (The rock is very unstable and there are frequent landslips in the area.) It’s a wonderful roller coaster walk along the ridge from Mam Tor to Lose Hill.

There’s plenty of other things to do in the area for those who don't want to walk, with four show caves and Peveril castle. Do go and check out the road that slid away too..

Posted by
8065 posts

wasleys, yes, I did! I still don't understand why the The Peak is not as well loved as some of the other areas in England, but it's definitely near the top of my list. And I suppose it's good for people like me who travel there, as you don't have the crowds of the Cotswolds or Cornwall.

Anyway, thanks for posting this! Now I will definitely have to go back and see this place! And that sheep farm sounds like a wonderful place to stay!

Posted by
2305 posts

Mardee, I immediately thought of you when I read the article! There are so many good places to visit in England but as they don't get pushed by the guide books, people don't go there.

Posted by
8065 posts

I know, wasleys! My goal is to come back and visit all those unknown places!

Posted by
1356 posts

As a local ,my friends farm on its slopes. 500,000 vist Mam Tor a year.
The National Park once a decade try to establish vistor numbers and set people counters up .
Edale population about 380 gets over 250,000 vists.
But the bright lights of Castleton just over the hill about 2 and a quarter million.

Posted by
509 posts

Wasleys when you mentioned the rock is very unstable there, should people who want a more sure footed experience look for a different walk and any ideas for walks in the Peak District ( available from Buxton by bus—we will have no car) for those who are mostly avoiding very slippery walks.
Thanks!

Posted by
1356 posts

The paths on Mam Tor are near pavement quality..been stone flagged.
A new bus service linking Buxton and Castleton started this summer too.
A good circular would be Castleton up to Hollins Cross_ Mam Tor_ then down Winnats Pass.
The loose shales that make up Mam Tor eventually won the battle with the main A625 road in about 1979, it kept slip sliding away and was abandoned.

Posted by
1356 posts

There's buses over towards Leek too, that opens up visting 3 Shire Heads and maybe a pint at Flash, englands highest village pub.
If you head to Eyam ( eem) a hike up to the Barrel at Bretton is a leg stretcher

Posted by
7982 posts

This new video is of a walk along the old, abandoned, A625 Mam Tor Road- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI-Mqcp8pZM

Some wonderful drone footage and I love the Archive film.

I've not been on that road since it closed, and this is just such a wonderfully powerful and evocative film to me.

Posted by
2305 posts

Thanks for posting the link isn31c - that is am amazing video. I hadn't realised the road had been built that early.

Husband took some enginnering friends to see the road in the late 1980s who couldn't understand why the council wasn't able to repair it. Apparently their faces were a picture when they saw the problems...