Mam Tor is 517m (1696 ft) in height. Its name literally translates as Heights of the Mother and it is also known as the Shivering Mountain on account of the instability of its lower shale layers. In 1979 the continual battle to maintain the A625 road (Sheffield to Chapel en le Frith) on the crumbling southern side of the hill was lost when the road officially closed as a through-route. 

At the base of the Tor and nearby are three show caves: Speedwell Cavern, Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern where lead, Blue John and other minerals were once mined. The Tor sits at the top of Winnats Pass (a steep narrow gorge which was once a limestone cave) and forms the eastern end of Rushup Edge, and dominates the western end of the "Great Ridge". making it one end of the most famous, beautiful, and easy-to-reach ridge walks in the Peak District.

Factoids

• Manchester City Centre, Stockport and the mountains of Snowdonia can be seen

• The summit  is encircled by a 1200 BC Bronze Age and early Iron Age hill fort

• The A625 road (Sheffield to Chapel en le Frith) collapses and has to be closed

These pictures are courtesy and copyright of Ricky Clark, unless stated otherwise, top left the mighty Mam Tor viewed from the Blue John Cavern, and above right a closer view. Opposite left is the  path up Mam Tor or down which ever way you want to look at it!

Below left is the ridge viewed from the Blue John, and the path to the summit below right

Opposite on the right, Mam Tor casts it's shadow over Grindslow Knoll, and below right is a view over the Winnats pass. Below left dramatic light over the Hope Valley

Opposite and below are views of the landslide which 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

Derbyshire County Council Plaque
MAM TOR
THE PROBLEM

• The landslide originated at least 3000 years ago determined from radio carbon dating on material recovered from slide.
• The slide is recognised as one of the major land movements in the British Isles.
• In 1802 the Manchester and Sheffield Turnpike Company decided to by-pass the then existing road through Winnats Pass by constructing a new road at an easier gradient across the Mam Tor landslip.
• Since the construction of the road, major works have been carried out in 1912, 1933, 1946, 1952 and 1966. On the latter occasion the road was closed for six weeks. The movements relate closely to periods of heavy rain determined from rainfall records.
• The combination of a hot dry summer in 1976 followed by heavy winter weather rains resulted in a major movement occurring in February 1977.
• The 1977 movement resulted in 600mm (2ft) steps appearing in the carriageway and on the downhill side of the upper road cracks appeared leaving a 2.5m (8ft) unsupported face adjacent to the uphill lane.
• The road was patched and limited to a single lane over the affected area and kept open until 1979.
• In 1979 the road was closed to through traffic.
  
  ERIC HOOK C.ENG., M.I.C.E., M.I.H.T.
  County Surveyor

This road was first built in 1819 by the Sheffield Turnpike Company using spoil from the nearby Odin mine, shown on the left. The road 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.

The footpath along the ridge from Mam Tor to Losehill Pike 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. Various views are shown below

Views along the great ridge, on the left Hollins Cross, Back Tor and Lose Hill, with close up views of Back Tor  below

Above left looking back from Back Tor, above right the whole Ridge from Lose Hill, below left the trek back along the very long Mam Tor and another view of the ridge below right

Above left is a plaque on Lose Hill, dedicated to George Herbert Bridges Ward, (G.H.B Ward) the Sheffield Rambler who pioneered rambling and pushed to open up the land so everyone could enjoy it's splendour. above right is the topograph on Losehill, below are the 517m Mam Tor trig points with Brown Knoll and Kinder in the background

On the left the road down to Edale from Mam Nick and opposite on the right clouds gathering on kinder scout, and views of the edge below left and the face below right