A625 road

The A625 is a rural road which runs through north Derbyshire and the Peak District. First named Ecclesall Road, it begins at the Moore Street roundabout in Sheffield and runs southwesterly towards Hathersage after a change in name to Hathersage Road. Its course was, until a recent renumbering in 2000, westerly towards Hope and Castleton and Chapel-en-le-Frith where it joined the A6.

Plan of A625 before 2000.

The A625 is famous for scaling the flanks of Mam Tor "The Shivering Mountain" which is prone to landslip especially after periods of heavy rain. The road previously wound its way up the south face of the hill but was in constant need of repair due to landslide damage. Below is a brief chronology of events.

A section of the abandoned road

• In 1847 the Manchester & Sheffield Turnpike Company decided to bypass the existing route up Winnats Pass by constructing a new road at an easier gradient across the Mam Tor landslip.
• Since the construction of the new road, major road works had to be undertaken in 1912, 1933, 1946, 1952 and 1966. On the latter occasion, the road had to be closed for 6 weeks.
• In 1974 large parts of the A625 were removed during a massive landslide.
• Major road works were carried out regularly when wet years led to further landslips.
• A large landslide in 1977 occurred following the long dry summer of 1976 and the wet winter of 1976/1977. The road developed large "steps" in the carriageway.
• The road was patched one last time and limited to a single carriageway over the affected area.
• The road was finally abandoned in 1979.
• The road's course was altered in 2000 to meet the A6 further east, the old route becoming the A6187.