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Castleton to Mam Tor

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Walk directions

Walk to the back of the car park and veer right on a surfaced path beside the stream. At the far end turn left along Millbridge, which becomes Hollowford Road. Ignore the right turn to an outdoor centre and continue on the lane northwestwards out among fields. When it turns sharply left and becomes an unsurfaced track to Woodseats Farm go straight ahead on to a sunken and stony path.

Follow this steadily uphill, via a gate on the edge of access land, with Mam Tor over to your left. The ground becomes steeper and more rugged and finally you reach the top of the ridge at Hollins Cross.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Good paths and tracks all the way, 2 stiles

Landscape - Grassy ridge and farm pasture

Dog friendliness - Dogs can run free on Hollowford Road, but under control around livestock

Parking - Castleton village pay car park

Toilets en route - At car park

Walks in Derbyshire Dog-friendly walks in Derbyshire

About the walk

Mountain walks are seldom as easy to follow as this one to Mam Tor, since there are lanes and paved paths for most of the way and the views are terrific as well. Ancient and Historic Routes The route from Castleton initially follows Hollowford Road and climbs up to the so-called ‘Great Ridge’ at... Hollins Cross. It’s a former packhorse route and has been used by local people for centuries, including workers making a daily trip between Castleton and Edale Mill. It’s also been used as a ‘coffin road’, since people who died in Edale were once taken over Hollins Cross to the church at Hope until consecrated land was established in Edale. Although the views from Hollins Cross are good, since you are astride two separate valleys, they are ever better from the summit of Mam Tor further up. Edale is spread beneath your feet and the spire of the village church looks minute when compared with the rock-crested heather slopes of Kinder Scout. You may hear the hooting of the Manchester train as it hurries through the valley on its way to Sheffield. Unstable Slopes Mam Tor, which means ‘mother hill’, is ringed by a fort dating back to the Bronze Age. At around 3,500 BC it’s one of the earliest and also the highest hill-forts found in England. Excavations have revealed that the defensive ditch was originally topped with a timber palisade or fence, later replaced by stone, and that it enclosed hut circles as well as burial mounds, suggesting that this was once a proper settlement and not just a defensive position. In recent years the summit was becoming badly eroded so the National Trust decided to completely cover it with cobblestones. The rock beneath your feet is made up of layered shale and gritstone, an unstable surface that has been weathered into flaky cliffs, which give Mam Tor its alternative name of the ‘Shivering Mountain’. Looking back up at the hill later in the walk you’ll see the sedimentary bands running horizontally across the exposed eastern slopes. The descent to Castleton is via the spectacular limestone ravine of the Winnats Pass. It was once a route for packhorse trains and later became an important turnpike. However, the Manchester and Sheffield Turnpike Company eventually decided to replace the tortuous Winnats route with a new road across the lower slopes of Mam Tor. Unfortunately the Shivering Mountain shivered a little too much for this new road. There were five separate landslips, and repairs were often necessary. Finally, in 1979, the road was closed to traffic for good and only the fractured tarmac remains.

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About the area

The natural features of this central English county range from the modest heights of the Peak District National Park, where Kinder Scout stands at 2,088 ft (636 m), to the depths of its remarkable underground caverns, floodlit to reveal exquisite Blue John stone. Walkers and cyclists will enjoy the High Peak Trail which extends from the Derwent Valley to the limestone plateau near Buxton, and for many, the spectacular scenery is what draws them to the area.

Nearby places to stay

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Route details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Moderate

Distance:

5 miles (8kms)

Ascent:

1115ft (340m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

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Castleton to Mam Tor

Recommended by

Walk details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Moderate

Distance:

5 miles (8kms)

Ascent:

1115ft (340m)

Walk directions

1 of 6

2 of 6

Turn left by the view recorder and monument to rambler Tom Hyett and walk the easy paved ridge path all the way up to the summit of Mam Tor. Admire the views from the top, but don’t let young children or dogs stray too close to the steep southeastern face.

3 of 6

Continue beyond the summit on the paved route which drops down to the road at Mam Nick via steps. Turn left for the gated path straight down the hillside. Cross the road at the bottom for the track opposite. After 100yds (91m) fork left on the grassy path via Windy Knoll Cave and down to cross the road once more. Take the field path opposite, aiming just to the left of Winnats Head Farm.

4 of 6

Beyond the farm don’t go through the gate to the road, but turn left and follow the grassy strip just inside the wall down to a gate. Go through this and on down the wide grassy slopes of Winnats Pass, next to the road, to reach Speedwell Cavern at the very bottom. Walk past the car park and buildings.

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Just after the cavern entrance turn right for a signposted footpath through the National Trust’s Longcliff Estate. It skirts the lower slopes and roughly follows a wall on the left, eventually reaching a gate by woodland. Go through this and down a path that becomes a lane (Goosehill) into the centre of Castleton. After crossing over Mill Stream turn left down a tarmac path beside the water to emerge opposite the visitor centre and car park.

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Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Good paths and tracks all the way, 2 stiles

Landscape - Grassy ridge and farm pasture

Dog friendliness - Dogs can run free on Hollowford Road, but under control around livestock

Parking - Castleton village pay car park

Toilets en route - At car park

Walks in Derbyshire Dog-friendly walks in Derbyshire

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Derbyshire

Nearby places to stay

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Castleton to Mam Tor

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Castleton to Mam Tor

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