UK Mountains Expedition Report

Mam Tor is Castletons local 'big mountain'. It stands at 517m and looks over the village at the one end of a long ridge. There are numerous ascent routes, but the one chosen starts through some fields accessed from the road leading to Winnatts pass. The path soon begins to ascend and crosses the now closed road from Castleton to Chapel en le Frith - there was a major collapse in 1979 and it has never been rebuilt. Crossing this and continuing the ascent leads to the Odin cave which is a small cave, so named because of the Odin mine adjacent to it; the oldest documented mine in Derbyshire and is thought to be one of the oldest lead mines in England - quite a history! It is big enough to walk in and shelter from the rain if required. In recent times, this ascent was closed due to previous years of erosion but is now open again - testament to the decision made at the time to give the mountain time to recover which it seems to have done.

Soon enough the inclination eases off and the trig point comes into view. It is a few easy steps to the summit stone which of course has to be both touched and photographed as proof of ascent. Turning almost North and following the ridge along leads the walker down to Hollins Cross where the footpath to Edale disappeares to the left (North West) and the descent to Castleton to the right.

The descent is easy along a good path and one soon comes to the tarmac road which runs right into the centre of Castleton itself. There is an excellent Youth Hostel now located at Lose Hall a mile or so out of the village. The Youth Hostel is in huge grounds and once through the gate is still several minutes walk to the main reception. It provides good accommodation at very reasonable prices.

The start of the walk is through Castleton and picking up the path towards Hollins Cross, the reverse of the previous descent. It is quite a pull up to the cross but the views are rewarding. Kinder Scout can be seen to the North West on a good day. Walking into Edale past the car park it is not unusual to see dozens of cars already parked with their occupants either milling around or having set off for the mountains. The village boasts an Information Centre, several pubs that welcome muddy boots, children and walkers; well they couldn't refuse really unless they want to go out of business. Approaching the famous Nags Head; the start or finish of the Pennine Way depending on your direction, follow the sign and turn left, skirting the base of the Kinder Plateau to ascend via Jacobs Ladder, the new preferred main Pennine Way route. In the old days the ascentd was directly up Grindsbrook Clough, onto the plateau and taken a bearing straight across! That is the return route and it remains to be seen which would be preferable.

There is a short section between buildings before the path breaks out onto open ground to Upper Booth which makes a pleasant walk with little in the way of ascent. There is a section of road to walk along before going into the Peak Estate and onto a rockier path. Now it was steadily upwards but not too steep until after a mile or so, the bottom of Jacobs Ladder comes into view in the shape of an old stone bridge and makes an excellent break in the walk for a drink and to take on some food. Finally it is time to begin the toughest climb of the day up Jacobs Ladder.

The path is quite an easy one underfoot - it is mostly flat stones made into a series of steps finally gaining an altitude of just over 500m. At the top of the rise, the path splits in two, the Pennine Way turns North over Swines Back, Kinder Low and the summit trig point at 633m. Staying on the left along this section is sensible as the going is much easier than to the right of the trig point which is peat bogs underfoot. Kinder Downfall is the next destination; a waterfall taking the River Kinder eventually down to the Kinder Reservoir to the West.

This makes an excellent lunch stop here as the next part of the journey goes directly across the tops and it is peat bogs all the way. It is worth locating some shelter here as there is often a strong wind blowing. The path goes North East for a short while then turns South East across the open land. It follows the line of the river which is a better route than straight across the peat groughs. The river meanders around the groughs which at points are more than 3m high. There are no views of the surrounding countryside and it can be quite spooky in places, but there are often footprints in the sand coming in the opposite direction so maintains confidence of the route being a good one.

Eventually the stream peters out and one has no choice but to climb out and onto the peat. It is never easy doing this as the peat gives way at every step but the secret is to 'go for it' and not stop otherwise you simply slide back down again. On the top, there are views across the plateau and to the edge of the plateau not too far distant. Jumping from knoll to knoll trying to avoid dips is the way forward until firmer ground is reached. Thinking back to the route choice at the Nags Head, this route would have been a baptism of fire for anyone walking the Pennine Way. Imagine that on Day one of a three week walking holiday!

Following the edge of the plateau on an easy going path, good progress can be made and one soon arrives at the top of Grindsbrook Clough. Descending this section is hard on the knees as there is no real path and the route follows the stream down over loose rocks dropping steeply for the first 100m of descent then easing off for the next 200m of descent crossing and recrossing the stream until breaking out onto a good path before a bridge and stile which marks the edge of the Peak Estate. From here it is an easy flagstone path to the final bridge and into Edale.

Setting off from the Youth Hostel, it is possible to pick up the path which runs around the back of the grounds and soon starts a good stiff climb. Lose Hill stands at 476m and provides excellent views all around. The entire ridge is a path of flagstones which is both good and bad; yes it is good that further erosion is vastly reduced but that feeling of walking on grass or mud is taken away which can slightly spoils the experience of being out. Following the path down one comes once again to Hollins Cross which signals the ascent of Mam Tor again, retracing the descent path from two days ago. Descending from Mam Tor summit one is presented with views across to Winnats pass and the rolling farm land beyond.

There is an excellent long route back to Castleton via the Limestone Way. The Limestone Way starts in Castleton and runs for some fifty miles into Staffordshire. The route takes the walker into Cave Dale which one might expect to be littered with interesting caves that could be explored. One or two look like they might come to something but sadly no. One nice aspect of the Dale is the rear view of Peveril Castle. As one comes to the gate at the end, there is an information board which explains how the Dale got its' name; it is on top of the huge 'Peak Cavern'; the largest natural cave system in the Peak District. Amusingly, it is now named 'The Devils Arse'.