SK128836
The Shivering Mountain
Mam Tor stands guard at the Western end of the Hope Valley, its dramatic landslip showing the 'insides' of what would otherwise be a gently rolling Peak District hill. Its 'cake-like' layers are sedimentary bands of shale and gritstone laid down some 300-350 million years ago within a river delta.
The landslide is a classic example of a rotational landslip; and it continues to be highly active, slowly engulfing the flat fields at its toe. The ground moves after periods of heavy rainfall: water seeps between the rocks layers lubricating the joints and enabling the different layers to slip over one another. Debris falling from the face adds to the weight of material below. The slip probably began in pre-historic times when the drier climate of the bronze age changed to today's Atlantic period, geologists think it will only stop when the face of the hill reaches an angle of 30 degrees - possibly in another 1,500 years.
The road below Mam Tor, which is now closed to traffic, was first built in 1819 by the Sheffield Turnpike Company using spoil from the nearby Odin mine. The route was designed to bypass the steep limestone gorge of Winnats Pass, where the one in five gradient was a severe test of a coachman's skill and the strength of the horse team. Even with an extra two horses provided in Castleton it was always a difficult pull.
As a result of the constant movement of the landslip the road was difficult to keep open, having to be repaired on a regular basis. Finally the County Council admitted to the futility of the task and the road was closed to traffic in 1979. The cracks and steps in the road surface provide a useful illustration of the power of mother nature! The name 'Mam Tor' is said to mean mother hill - either because it is shaped like a breast or because it keeps spawning mini-hill beneath as bits drop off.
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Iron Age Fortress
The summit of Mam Tor is ringed by the remains of a great ditch and rampart. This, and some other less obvious features, are all that is left of a settlement and once great hillfort.
The earliest remaining features on Mam Tor are two bronze age burial mounds (about 3,500 years old), one on a level area just before the summit and the other on the summit itself. These contain the remains of the ancestors and possibly would have demonstrated the 'ownership' rights of the local tribe to lands around through the burial of ancestral remains. At a later stage in the Bronze Age, the hill was inhabited (probably around 1,300 - 1,000 BC); over a hundred small level platforms were scraped into the hill near the summit allowing timber huts and storage areas to be constructed. We have no information on how long people were living on the summit but excavations in the 1960s suggested that it was only for a few generations. These were a Celtic people in pre-Roman days - more than likely aligned with the Brigantes, a tribe whose main territory lay to the north in Yorkshire.
It is not clear whether the rampart defences are of the same date as the village settlement. Nor is it clear if the hillfort on Mam Tor was built to protect local inhabitants inside, or to dominate the surrounding area? No-one knows. The first defences consisted of the rampart and ditch topped by a wooden palisade (fence). These were later reinforced and replaced with a stone wall face. The ditch and rampart may even have been built at a later stage after the village had fallen out of use (during the Iron Age) though this seems hard to understand. Without doubt there is still a huge amount we do not know about Mam Tor and its inhabitants. It is possibly one of the earliest hillforts in Britain - and the second highest at 1,700 feet above sea level.
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Footpath along the ridge
The footpath along the ridge from Mam Tor to Losehill is one of the most popular in the Peak District, providing breathtaking views in every direction, including the Edale Valley , Kinder, the Derwent Moors, Stanage Edge, and the limestone plateau to the south.
Over the years the sheer number of visitors has caused problems of erosion on the hills paths and to some of its archaeological features. The National Trust has invested much thought, time and money in trying to solve these problems. Some routes to the summit have been closed (these were not public rights of way) , and visitors are now encouraged to use the surfaced paths, which have been constructed over the last 10 years. Flagstones have been laid along the route which follows the ridge to protect any archaeology underneath. Techniques have changed over the years, a section of path from the roadside has recently been re-laid, to make it more user friendly. Wooden rail barriers have also been removed improving the view. This work has been carried out by volunteers and the estates own highly skilled footpath team.
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How to get there and access
Car parking is available at: Mam Nick on the old A625 ( for the summit)
Odin Mine roadside at the foot of Mam Tor ( for the road slip)
Or park in Castleton / Edale village car parks for a longer walk.
Railway stations are at Hope and Edale , with a shuttle bus doing a round route at weekends and holidays (Hope Station, Hope, Castleton, Odin Mine, Mam Nick, Edale Station, Hope)
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