Mam Tor

Mam Tor is a 517-metre hill near Castleton in Derbyshire’s High Peak. Its eastern slopes slip constantly, creating a cluster of smaller hills and giving it the name Shivering Mountain. The hill overlooks the White Peak limestone region and the dry gorge of Winnats Pass. It sits between Rushup Edge and the Great Ridge, forming a natural barrier between the Hope Valley and Edale. The summit is crowned by a Bronze Age hill fort and two burial mounds. Nearby are four show caves where minerals like Blue John were once mined. Mam Tor was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Peak by Thomas Hobbes in 1636. The hill’s landslides have shaped its history, forcing the closure of the A625 road in 1979 after repeated repairs failed. The landslide began around 4,000 years ago and moves up to 0.25 metres each year. Evidence of its movement is visible in the damaged tarmac of the old road, which was built in the early 19th century. The landslide poses no threat to homes but may eventually overwhelm small farm buildings. Visitors reach the summit by following a clear path that passes the hill fort’s ramparts. The fort’s stone walls enclose a wide plateau with wide views over the Hope Valley and Edale. Bronze Age burial mounds lie near the summit, one now buried under paving stones. The surrounding landscape shows the effects of the landslide, with twisted layers of shale and sandstone. From the top, the contrast between the dark sandstones of the Dark Peak and the pale limestones of the White Peak is striking. The ridgewalk to the Great Ridge offers further exploration of the area’s geology and history.