| The walk is started from the Mam Nick car park,
situated on the A625 Rushup Edge road. From the car
park take the route out of the back of the car park
up the steep and rather large steps. The path will head
upwards and eventually reach the road that passes over
the col between Rushup Edge and Mam Tor. As the path
meets the road you will see a gate on the right hand
side of the road, walk through the gate and up to the
steep but extremely well laid path that leads up to
the summit of Mam Tor.
Car Park footpath
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National Trust sign
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The summit of Mam Tor is surrounded by a complete and
extensive ditch and rampart of a historic and grand
fort thought to have been of the late bronze or early
iron age. The oldest remaining features on the summit
are two bronze age burial mounds, one is just before
the summit and one is under the actual summit. Not too
much is known of the actual dates of the fort or the
people who either lived in it or protected it, it is
the second highest such fort in Britain and could well
be one of the oldest. The fort was built in a prominent
position looking over the Edale and Hope Valleys however
the isolated position means it would have been a volatile
place in the cold seasons. The hill is also known locally
as the Shivering Mountain, but the reason for this is
not as obvious as it first seems.
Mam Tor
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Collapsed Road
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Mam Tor is a part of The Great Ridge, a long and high
ridge that separates the Dark Peak and White Peak, the
two areas of the Peak District named for geological
reasons. The Dark Peak to the north being made up of
mainly dark gritstone and the White Peak to the south
being made up of mainly light limestone. The ridge itself
is however a mix of layered shale and gritstone.
Mam Tor is most unlike the rest of the Peak District's
gentle rolling hills. From certain angles it can seem
like a gentle rolling hill but from others it shows
its extremely fragile interior. The best analogy of
Mam Tor is a cake with layers of gritstone and shale.
The layers are formed from a river delta that existed
in the area around 300 million years ago. The hill is
named the shivering mountain as it has even recently,
shifted itself in directions that have forced the outer
walls of the hill to crumble away in front of us. The
movement is caused by heavy rainfalls that find ways
between the different layers of rock creating an unstable
situation leading to the landslides. To this day the
mountain still moves at a pace of around a metre every
five years. Its landslides can be serious and in 1977
the main A625 road was closed forever after more or
less disappearing as another major landslide completely
destroyed the road, the wrecked road still exists and
is a real eye opener.
The Great Ridge
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Back Tor trees
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From the summit of Mam Tor take the obvious path that
heads off down its north western flank in the direction
of the ridge. The path from here is very straight forward
as it follows the crest of the ridge. You'll first drop
down to the hill pass of Hollins Cross. If you look
to the right across the Hope Valley from here you will
now see the Peveril Castle above Castleton and the huge
gash of the Peak Cavern. Carry on up the path heading
east as it tops over a small brow before showing you
another impressive hill scarred by a dramatic landslide.
The rough and disturbed cliffs of Back Tor make a cracking
photo from this angle. Keep going along the obvious
ridge path as it now starts to climb firstly over Back
Tor and then to the 476M summit of Lose Hill.
The summit of Lose Hill has an impressive tumulus with
a topographic view finder on the top. From Lose hill
there is a full panorama stretching from the Kinder
Plateau over the beautiful Edale Valley to the west
then round to Win Hill directly to the East. The only
blot on this beautiful landscape is the huge chimney
and buildings of the Blue Circle cement works that lie
just behind the villages Hope and Castleton in the Valley
below. Looking back along the ridge you can see the
greatness of its stature and location that give it its
well deserved title.
Back Tor
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Mam Tor from Back Tor
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Lose Hill and Win Hill across the valley are said to
have been named after an ancient Saxon battle. The battle
took place in 626. Rivals King Edwin of Northumbria
and King Cuicholm of Wessex took there forces to the
hills, Edwin on what is now known as Win Hill and Cuicholm
on what is now known as Lose Hill. When battle commenced
Cuicholm's greater numbers were too over powering for
Edwin and Edwin ordered his troops to retreat. Sensing
victory Cuicholm's men surged forwards, only to be crushed
by boulders sent down the hill by Edwins men. The hill
that Edwins men fought from therefore known as Win Hill
and hill that Cuicholm's men who lost the battle chose
is now known as Lose Hill.
Lose Hill
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Win Hill
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From Lose Hill simply follow your footsteps back over
Back Tor, Hollins Cross and up once again to Mam Tor.
On the journey back over the ridge you will appreciate
seeing Mam Tor from a different angle. Follow the path
once again down off Mam Tor to the road and then follow
the path that leads down to the steps at the back of
the Mam Nick car park. For after walk refreshments you
can't beat the villages of Castleton and Hope.
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