Mam Tor & Castleton Family Walk: Circular Trail in the Peak District, Derbyshire

Sunday 13th April 2025. We started the new year with every intention of continuing walking as we had done into the end of 2024, but then we bought a van. And then it rained. A lot. We continued walking, but being limited to short periods between rain storms or jobs that needed to be done on the van, we found it easier to keep the walks very local. Which made for very boring blogging, as we’ve shared our local walks already (thank goodness I’d planned to blog about the van build to fill the walk-blogging void 😅)

On many of our local walks, we’ve racked up the miles with our neighbours; also keen walkers. They have often talked highly about their walks on and around Mam Tor (a 517m high hill in the beautiful Peak District, Derbyshire), encouraging us to get there one day. Since starting my blog last summer, I’ve read several blogs about people’s visits to Mam Tor, including (only very recently) this post by Down by the Dougie. However, much in the same way I’ve been putting off visiting Snowden, the sheer number of other visitors reported to regularly visit this spot have somewhat put us off prioritising it. (We just prefer more peaceful walks with fewer – if any – people).

However, a few weeks back our neighbours asked us if we’d like to join them on their next visit and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to tick Mam Tor off our list.

Initially we were meant to walk Mam Tor on the Saturday, but a problem with my husbands car required us to be available to collect a part on the Saturday to fix it, postponing our walk until the Sunday. This now meant our opportunity for walking on that last predicted nice day of what had been a lovely warm week, was now over, and so we packed for the Sunday forecast: wet, windy, cool. However, I think this forecast went in our favour, as even our neighbours commented it was the quietest they had ever seen Mam Tor…!

We left our house at 7am, with a 1.5 hour journey ahead of us. As we headed out of Shropshire the clouds thickened, and by the time we’d gotten out of Leek and up past The Roaches, the rain had begun… However by the time we had arrived at Castleton the clouds had parted and the sun was emerging. Our neighbours, leading the way, did a brief tour of Winnats Pass for us, and the bottom half of ‘The Broken Road’, before heading back up the pass and to the top half of The Broken Road to find a parking space. Bizarelly, I recognised the bottom half of the broken road: My husband and I had parked along it when we’d visited Blue John Mine back in 2013, long before our walking days – and we had no idea that the road just ended slightly further up!

Thankfully we easily found a couple of parking spaces, which by 8.30 on a Sunday I wasn’t expecting (I’d had a minor panic reading a review on Google saying if you weren’t here by 6am, then good luck finding a space 😅). Parking up, we were met by wonderful far reaching views, and we excitedly got our boots and bags on and headed toward Mam Tor. The walk started much like The Wrekin – straight into a steep climb!

Overall, it was actually only a short climb to Mam Tor, which surprised me. There was a short climb up a hill, then we were met by a slabbed and stepped climb up, along with a wooden handrail, right to the summit, helping to make it an easy (if not tiring) walk up, ideal for all ages.

The wind was getting stronger as we got higher, and by the top it genuinely was difficult to keep upright! By far the worst wind we’ve encountered on any of our walks so far. Thankfully though the summit was empty of people, and we were all able to capture some photos by the trig point (without getting blown away) before continuing along the Mam Tor Great Ridge path.

As we descended downward and to the right, Mam Tor began to serve as a wind break, and we continued onward in much milder and more pleasant conditions – it really was turning into a beautiful day!

Along the way we also got a better view of The Broken Road…

… And these random stone structures which look like they have been made using a broken dry stone wall…

…The boys helped make another small one with some of the  spare stones lying around ….

The wind got up again as we climbed Back Tor, but at the top we found a sheltered spot for a well earned break and some lunch.

As we left, we saw this beautiful rainbow forming. A couple of minutes after leaving our lunch site we were hit with a gust of wind that brought some rain, then as quick it came, it stopped, and we enjoyed the rest of the walk rain free.

Our climb continued up Losehill Pike where we were met with another Toposcope, but it was incredibly windy again so we didn’t stay long to investigate, with just enough time to grab a photo or two!

After walking the ridge for several miles we were finally descending, where we landed in the town of Hope. We continued down the main road, Castleton Road, and, upon crossing the road to stay on the path, also happened upon this. I presume this was the spot the plane came down, and a quick bit of research says the poor guys came down in a snowstorm 😔.

As we turned the corner we could see the castle of Castleton in the distance, and before long we were walking through this bustling town. We made a brief stop for an ice-cream, sitting beside a beautiful shallow river with ducks and grey wagtails, and then marched forward toward the Broken Road: the final section of our walk. But not before the children spotted and excitedly showed me the sign for The Devil’s Arse – and because it was on a sign they said I couldn’t tell them off for saying the A-word 😅. Thanks Castleton 🙈. Apparently it’s another of the 4 caverns in the town!

Eventually the road we were walking along came to an abrupt end as a gate marked the boundaries for road going vehicles, and we headed on through to walk The Broken Road. I enjoy discovering decayed/decaying infrastructure, finding photos of urbex and other similar images very interesting, so this of course was no exception.

A sign at the bottom told us more about The Broken Road. Not knowing much about the area, I had assumed the landslide was fairly recent, but actually this all happened back in the 70s! The road was seemingly plagued with movement from the time it was built, with many dates listed where significant work had to be undertaken to keep the road in a usable condition. This all came to a head on the 1970s: after England’s 1976 drought, the following February, 1977, it was hit with significant rainfall, which lead to the catastrophic landslide, destroying much of the road. The sign continues saying that for a short while, parts of the route were reduced to single lane, but eventually just a couple of years later, the decision was made to shut the road entirely to traffic (bar access for a property, from what we could see).

On today’s walk we could see the road was clearly a single carriageway in the past, with the faint line markings still visible, but as we turned the corner, large wooden beams reduced it to a single lane, before opening up again. It’s always a bizarre feeling wandering up the middle of what looks and feels like a road, without having to worry about traffic! The reminder of course that this wasn’t a road were the steep, earthy edges that gently spilled onto the tarmac.

As we turned up the hairpin bend (this road must’ve been fun back in the day!) the worst of the destruction stood before us! The road suddenly came away, leaving a sharp drop below, and passing to our left was the most sensible option – a footpath clearly created by other walkers over the years, looking to avoid the sheer drop!

Further on was just a total disarray of tarmac sections and earth: it was fascinating to witness. The boys found a gaping hole so wide and deep that they could get inside – what a sight!

I can only imagine what this must have sounded and looked liked when it happened! We spotted yellow X marks along the road as we ascended – is movement being continously observed? I’ve no doubt it is still moving, and I’m glad I’ve been able to take the family here and walk it before it inevitably becomes “too unsafe” to allow other adventurers to wander along.

At the top we looked back at the road we’d taken. What a fun walk with so much to see and such differing landscapes. I’m glad we finally got here to walk it, and we couldn’t have asked for a better day, weather or company!

Family Feedback on Mam Tor and Castleton Loop

For me, I don’t think I could have asked for a better walk. The car issue resulted in us having to move the walk to a day with a naff forecast and I think that worked in our favour for a quiet walk – just how I like it! The weather was the right temperature for walking: not too hot, not too cold. The boys didn’t moan once, honestly! I mean, they’re pretty good overall, but sometimes on more technical walks there might be a squabble or an ‘I’m tired’/’I’m hungry’ remark – but nothing! They marched ahead and pretty much lead the walk for the best part of it, leaving me in the wonderful rare position to chat to another grown up – uninterrupted! (That’s a real treat these days, I’m telling you 😂). But what about the boys – they seemed pretty content – but were they? 🤔

S, 11 years old: He recalls the very steep climbs but they were apparently “OK”. He said it was “very windy at the tippity top, and I didn’t like that”. Our sheltered spot was apparently a “nice place to have lunch, and I liked all the fields in the distance”. S also said that he liked getting into the holes in the Broken Road and “one of the best bits was there was barely any cars!”

C, 8 years old: “It was super windy at the top, I didn’t like that, it nearly blew me away!” was the first thing that came to C’s mind when I asked him. But he went on to say that his favourite bit was when we “went up the massive bit with the lonely tree – but it was very steep!” The highlight for C was fitting in the gaps on the Broken Road and finding a big bit of tarmac in a pot hole.

I asked if there was anything they didn’t like. Despite the wind and the steepness, there was nothing they disliked! Brilliant! 😁

TOTAL MILES: 8.39 | TOTAL TIME: 5h15 (2h54 Moving Time)

Good to Know

Car Parking: There is carpark which is the most popular option as I believe it’s nearer – this is chargeable but as we didn’t use it I couldn’t say the price. There is additional parking along the roads nearby but watch some spaces as they are reserved for guests of the various caverns you can visit.

Toilets: We were only aware of public toilets in Castleton.

Accessibility: This is not a walk for people with pushchairs. There are steeps climbs – but if you only wanted to Mam Tor and back I see no reason why you couldn’t (slowly) take a wander with a toddler – it’s only short overall!

Café/Picnic Spots: There are so many lovely places to stop for a picnic along the walk. Alternatively, there are cafes and pubs in Castleton, and I spotted a small food offering along the Broken Road (top end) near the roadside parking as we left. Enjoy an ice-cream in Castleton!

Terrain: The walk is hilly with plenty of ascents and descents. Many main parts of the walk up to Mam Tor and the Ridge are “paved”. There are narrower points along the way and some sharp drops. There was nothing I would consider highly dangerous, however with smaller children especially I would ensure hands are held/reins are used, and I would not recommend walking it on a very windy day. Beware of drops and holes in the Broken Road with smaller children.

Family-Friendly Tips: For a smaller walk I would highly recommend getting up to the summit of Mam Tor, heading back down, then exploring the Broken Road!

Points of Interest: Various Tors along the way, a Trig Point, Toposcope and wonderful views of the railway. Watch out for paragliders (we had non on our visit but they are regularly up there!).

Safety Information: As above, the landscape is varied and at some points could be particularly dangerous for small children – on high points, narrow parts, especially on windy days, keep children close! Use reins or hold hands to prevent those little inquisitive ones from heading somewhere they shouldn’t! Look out for potholes, wide gaps and sudden drops along the Broken Road. It’s really not madly dangerous, but I’m just making you aware of the landscape – let’s be honest, children have the ability to turn the safest things into the most dangerous objects 😉

Have you walked Mam Tor? What were your thoughts?

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