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The Broken Road

This is called the ‘broken road’ and since 1802 when the road was first put in this formed the main route for traffic between Sheffield in the east and Manchester in the west.

The new road was constructed over the debris of previous landslips using spoil from Odin Mine, and was a risk because of the instability of the land, but at the time, the volume of traffic was light and repairs were easily made.  However after a number of years the extremes of weather and the gradual increase in the weight of traffic made the appearance of cracks more frequent and subsidence became more widespread.

In the 1970’s, after a period of heavy rainfall, a major landslip brought the whole issue of repairing the road into question and in 1979 the decision was taken to close the road.  This meant that all the traffic between Sheffield and Manchester had to be rerouted to the south of the existing road through the village of Bradwell.  The only direct route remaining past the village was the original thoroughfare over Winnats Pass where the severe 1 in 5 gradient placed considerable restriction on its suitability for traffic.

The area now owned by the National Trust has since been landscaped and has become a feature in its own right.   Much work has been carried out by the Trust in order to provide safe and easy access to and from the summit of Mam Tor for the numerous visitors without causing any further damage to this unique site.

Today – impact of tourism (mpg : 17.4Mb)

As you might expect there were huge consequences of the decision to close the road for the people living in Castleton.  Instead of the heavy traffic winding its way up through the Hope Valley the traffic was reduced to only a trickle but instead of passing through, visitors to the area came and stopped.  They stayed to see the beautiful scenery and admire the views.  They explored the caves and climbed the steep rocky crags.   They brought picnics and browsed around the village.  They took tea in the cafes and took home souvenirs of the precious Blue John mineral that had been cast into jewellery and decorative items that can be found in the local shops.

The whole atmosphere of the village changed.  Castleton already a popular tourist destination became a thriving community to meet the ever increasing demands of the visitors.