Peak District Summits

Mam Tor

The site of an Iron Age hillfort the summit of Mam Tor is one of the most popular in the Peak District.

Height (m)	517
Height (ft)	1696
Grid Ref:	SK128836
Classification:	Dewey
Trig Point:	Yes
No. of Visits	1, 2

Mam Tor Gallery: Click on the photos below to enlarge.

More about Mam Tor: The distinctive shape of Mam Tor forms the western end of the 'Great Ridge' which separates the valleys of Hope and Edale. It is one of the most compact, as well as one of the most popular, hills in the Peak District.

Mam Tor's most distinctive geological feature is its steep eastern face formed by loose and regularly shifting shale and sandstone. It is this feature which gives Mam Tor its alternative name of 'the Shivering Mountain'. The A625 between Sheffield and Stockport once ran below Mam Tor but the shifting stones of the eastern face caused irreversible damage and eventually led to the road being closed in 1979.

Mam Tor is also of historical importance as a substantial Iron Age fort once graced the summit and some of the fortifications can still be seen today. An even earlier bronze age tumulus once adorned the very summit where the trig point now stands. In efforts to halt erosion caused by the thousands of people who visit the summit each year the area around the trig point was paved over so sadly there is no sign of the tumulus today.

Mam Tor's geological and historical interest allied with its excellence as a viewpoint make it a hugely popular hill a fact helped by the fact that cars can be parked quite high up near Mam Nick. It is this popularity that for me is also one of Mam Tor's downsides. On my first visit the summit area was crowded with paragliders who had come to take advantage of the uplifts the ridge provides. On my second visit the area was equally busy with some people even setting out barbecues by Mam Nick. If a day out quietly contemplating the beauty of the hills is what you seek then Mam Tor is not the place to find it.

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