Stumbled across this site yesterday which has some good photos of the Mam Tor road in 1979:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=ab85c0f0-3c96-481f-85f0-53282aa22cc4&log=y&decrypt=

(scroll down towards the bottom of the page and you'll see the photos listed)

The one of the green traffic light strikes a surreal note....

Steven

Fantastic photos!

The traffic light one is weird, I agree

Yeah, they're amazing picutres. It's strange to see that area so different.
I presume the pics were taken just after it was finally closed?

I'm thinking that myself...

So the closure was originally supposed to be short term?

If I recall correctly, yes. I was only 14 at the time so my recollection may be a bit hazy.

There had been problems with Mam Tor for some years on & off, and the road had been closed, or had been single track, over this section on several occasions. I got the impression that due to the severity of that last slippage, the authorities gave up completely. They did mull over whether to repair it, but I think that they didn't bother due to the geological fault that was the main cause of the erosion of the road.

I remember watching the local news at the time, seeing a windswept & sodden reporter standing out there, with a big mike in his hand, lamenting the fact that the road had closed forever!

A friend of mine was on holiday in Castleton with his wife when the road collapsed. He remembers that it caused a lot of panic initially when the decision was taken to close it. The irony of course being that it's since become an attraction in its own right. Maybe that reporter lamented the closure of the road but I somehow don't think that the sentiment would have been echoed by Derbyshire County Council!

So, it seems that these photos were taken after the final closure, giving a useful insight into the attempts made to keep it open for traffic.

Where and what is exactly Mam Tor?

Good question.

It was one of the 3 passes over the peaks between Sheffield and Manchester. The others being Snake Pass and Woodhead Pass. It lies just west of Castleton, at the head of the Hope VAlley.

Here it is on the map - HERE
Paul, Bryn and Simon have all written pages on it.

It was known at least locally as the 'Shivering Mountain'

It still is!

To answer Luchar's question further, the road (the former A625) had been subject to several landslides over the years, due to the composition of Mam Tor, and constantly needed rebuilding. A major landslide in the late seventies proved to be the final straw for the long-suffering local roads authority, and it was decided to close the road permanently rather than repair it. This resulted in the A625 having a bit missing west of Castleton for some years afterwards (together with the legend "no through road at present" appearing in many atlases until the early nineties) until it was diverted a few years ago.

I must say that I've SABRE to thank for putting the words "Mam" and "Tor" into my vocabulary. When I first came a link to it three years ago, I clicked on it expecting it to be abroad. I was surprised to find out that it was actually in the Peak District!

I really must visit there sometime.

Reading all the accounts of Mam Tor while it was open, it seems scarily similar to what's happened on the A174 at Loftus Bank, [url=http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=471500&y=518500&z=3&sv=Loftus&st=3&tl=Loftus,+Redcar+&+Cleveland+[City/Town/Village&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf]here[/url]. The road there has had to be repaired several times, and just as things seem to have finally been resolved, it needs repairing again.

What's the latest from there, and do you think that it'll go the same way as the A625, and become no more at some point?

I regard Mam Tor the main attraction of Castleton and the immediate area. It's what always springs to mind.
I think Castleton has a unique atmosphere compared to other Peak District villages, I think mainly due to old road.

Castleton - Beyond Hope!

Well the Mam Tor road certainly was...!

For those interested, it's possible to walk along the old road, (well, what's left of it - especially at the top end).

There is parking space at the top end, just past the Blue John Caverns. The walk can be a little hairy, especially if you try it just after a heavy rainfall which has shoved another bit of the erstwhile A625 towards Castleton.

And if you can't be bothered walking back up the hill, (which is quite steep it has to be said), you can walk into Castleton & catch a bus back up to the Blue John cavern.

I'd imagine the buses would have to take the long way round back to the Blue John Caverns. I know that Stagecoach run a shuttle service between Castleton and the Caverns at weekends, but am I right in thinking their minibuses aren't allowed up Winnats Pass - or is there a shuttle run by someone else?

I've passed mini-buses coming down the pass

I'd assume that Stagecoach have special dispensation then. I don't know what would be worse - going up the pass in one or coming back down...!

Wuss.

I've walked up Winnatts before. Not too steep but other parts of Mam Tor are. The A625 has to be seen to be believed though, next time I'm in the area I may have to get some pics of my own.