Mam Tor and the Great Ridge: Peak District Magic

Not every great walk needs to be a massive, super-struggle-to-the-top mountain. Sometimes, the best adventures are the ones that are just fun and beautiful! Mam Tor is only 517 metres – that’s pretty small compared to Snowdon or Ben Nevis – but the ridge walk from Mam Tor to Lose Hill is one of the best short walks in England, hands down. It’s perfect for a sunny day when you just want to feel the wind in your hair and see amazing views, but not feel like your legs are going to fall off! It’s one of Mum’s favourites because it’s not too scary or long.

We parked at the Mam Nick car park, which is already quite high up, so you don't have to climb much from the start. We were on the summit of Mam Tor within 20 minutes, practically skipping up the easy path! The 'Shivering Mountain' gets its awesome name because the soft shale on its eastern face keeps crumbling away. It literally ‘shivers’ and collapses. You can actually see the old road that collapsed decades ago, now just a zigzag of broken tarmac and rubble stretching down the hillside – it looks like someone left a giant snake toy there! It’s like a mountain that’s slowly eating itself, which is super cool but also a bit sad for the old road. We had our morning snack up there, watching tiny sheep graze far below.

The ridge itself is pure joy. Seriously, it's like walking on a giant, bouncy, green mattress in the sky! It’s not technical at all – no tricky scrambling or scary bits. It’s just a beautiful grassy path that winds along the very top of the ridge, with breathtaking views on both sides. We saw paragliders floating overhead, looking like colourful birds, drifting silently on the wind. They waved to us, and we waved back like crazy! The Hope Valley was spread out below, looking like a giant patchwork quilt of fields and little villages. On a clear day, which we totally had, you can see all the way from Kinder Scout, another massive hill, to the fancy Chatsworth Estate. Dad was pointing out all these different landmarks, saying 'Look, boys, that's where the Duke lives!'

We walked the full ridge all the way to Lose Hill, another lovely little summit at the end. The path along the ridge felt springy under our feet, and the views just kept on coming. We passed so many friendly people with their dogs, everyone looking happy and relaxed. After Lose Hill, we dropped down into the valley, which was a bit steeper but still easy, and went straight to Castleton for ice cream. That was Hugo's priority, always, after any walk – finding the best ice cream! He got a double scoop of chocolate chip, and I had mint choc chip. We sat outside, melting quickly, watching people wander by.

Then, we walked back along the valley floor through fields of sheep, their lambs bleating loudly. It was such a peaceful contrast to the airy ridge, totally flat and easy. We even saw some really old lead mines along the way, grey and mysterious. This is the kind of walk we'd recommend to anyone – families with little hikers, first-timers who aren't sure about mountains, people who think they’re not 'hill people' because they get out of breath. You absolutely are hill people. You just haven’t found your perfect hill yet! Mam Tor is proof that mountains don’t need to be super high to be brilliant. They just need to be fun and full of amazing views. And maybe have an ice cream shop nearby!