Known as the “Mother Hill” in the Peak District, Mam Tor is one of the UK’s most popular hills… and sunset on a Summer’s day is clearly not the best time to visit if you want to avoid the crowds.
The name comes from the fact that the mountain is prone to landslides which have created “mini hills” on its eastern face; the last major collapse in the 1970s resulted in the closure of the A625 road to Sheffield in 1979. These landslips, caused by unstable lower layers of shale, also give Mam Tor its alternative name of Shivering Mountain.
The very easy-to-reach vantage point attracts a large crowd of people watching the sun slip below the horizon.
There are 360-degree views from the Mam Tor summit over Stanage Edge, the Vale of Edale and the Hope Valley towards Kinder Scout.
In the middle of the summit area is the Mam Tor trig point, a secondary trigonometric point. (The entire summit area – as well as the path to the top – is paved with reclaimed flagstones to combat the severe erosion caused by heavy foot traffic.)
Getting to Mam Tor
There are numerous trailheads and routes you can take to reach the summit and trig point; the easiest, shortest and most popular is the paved path from the large Mam Nick carpark on the south-western side.
The 1.1km return walk gets you to the top in about 15min.
You can also start along Mam Tor Road (1.7km return) or from the village of Castleton (9.6km return). A popular loop walk from Castleton (10.6km) ascends to Mam Tor and traverses the Great Ridge and Elbow Ridge, offering a number of scenic vantage points.
The Mam Nick carpark trailhead is 2.1 miles / 3.3km (6min drive) from Castleton via the impressive Winnats Pass.
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