Mam Tor with kids

Mam Tor with kids

We currently staying in the Peak District where we’ve been exploring lots of the local villages and doing various walks. Yesterday we walked up Mam Tor and I thought I’d share our experience (and tips) of walking Mam Tor with kids.

I never walked up Mam Tor before and the day before we actually walked it, I didn’t actually think we’d be able to do it with the kids.

The night before, I spent time on Google, trying to find out if walking up Mam Tor with kids was actually advisable! During my research I cam across the National Trust’s Mam Tor Circular Walk, which looked pretty achievable.

A few little chats on Instagram (thanks Zesh Life) and I was reassured that we’d be ok.

We parked at the National Trust car park, which is pay and display (£5 for the day) and then followed the path.

The start of the walk is mainly steps and before you know it you’re at the top of Mam Tor, which was great! The good thing about this route is that the car park in half way up, so it’s not actually too difficult to get to the top. It’s also good that it comes early as the kids are still excited and not too moany!

Mam Tor with kids Mam Tor with kids Mam Tor with kids

The views were amazing, but it was quite windy at the top, so I made sure the I kept the kids close. It’s perfectly safe though, I’m just a worrier!

Mam Tor with kids Mam Tor with kids Mam Tor Mam Tor with kids

The first part of the descent is down steps and then you continue along quite a narrow path. On the day we walked, there were lots of other walkers around, but we didn’t have any trouble fitting on the path.

After a while and just before you start another climb up another hill, you take a sharp right at Hollins Cross. It’s quite obvious when you need to turn off as there are about four different footpaths you can take, there’s also a stone monument. The path down is very narrow and quite tricky to walk down you definitely need walking boots/shoes or shoes with a good grip.

As you continue down, it starts to get quite wet. Two of our kids slipped over, so I’d recommend making sure they’re in waterproof trousers and jackets.

Mam Tor with kidsMam Tor

Once you’ve descended down the hill you eventually come to Mam Farm. We almost went over the field, but don’t. You need to take the path on the right and keep going. Further on, you get to what looks like a road, head right. Soon the road becomes broken, which was caused my a landslide. It’s fascinating to look at and the kids said it was like the scene of an earthquake. They were moaning quite a bit at this point, so it was quite a good distraction.

Mam Tor Mam Tor with kidsMam Tor with kids

You continue along the broken road until you get the a gate, near Blue John Cavern. Walk past the Cavern and then take a right across the field. There were a few cows in the field and the kids were a bit wary, but they didn’t bother us. You continue heading up the hill until you come to another gate, where you turn left and back towards the car park.

The route we walked is about three miles and took us three hours, although we stopped for sandwiches and the kids were quite slow at parts, so you could do it quicker.

Mam Tor Mam Tor with kids

It’s a great walk and we had a good day. The views are amazing and it’s challenging enough that you feel like you’ve accomplished something without it being too much for the kids. The kids did moan a little, but we had a bag of Minstrels with us and we used them to keep them going. They helped massively when Henry fell over in the mud and was crying!

What walks would you recommend with kids?

Jemma x

Mam Tor with kids

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5 Comments

  1. 7th November 2018 / 1:52 pm

    We love Mam Tor and probably climb it once a year with our kids. Usually from Edale village though as we don’t have a car and you can get the train to Edale. It’s a longer, steeper climb but still totally do-able. Glad you enjoyed it.

    • jemma
      12th November 2018 / 4:17 pm

      We drove through Edale, it looked lovely. I’d like to explore walks from there next time we go. Jemma x

  2. 21st January 2019 / 11:33 pm

    Great write up. Glad it was a success. We’ll be sure to take some Minstrels with us next time we go, although it’s most likely to be me who falls in the mud!

    • jemma
      26th January 2019 / 10:05 pm

      Minstrels are definitely the way to go 🙂 x

  3. 25th January 2020 / 9:05 am

    Great to come across your blog this morning Jemma. Our children woke up saying they want to climb a hill, and this one came to mind. Decision made, let’s do it. Hopefully we’ll capture a special funny moment along the way to personalise a new elleroo bead in our bracelets (for our family jewellery brand we’ve just launched). So thank you!

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