Great Gable
899m (2951ft)
The Western Fells, The Lake District, Cumbria, England
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See Great Gable and the surrounding tops on our free-to-access 'Google Style' Peak Bagging Maps:
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 5.75ml (9km) |
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| Ascent: | 2,340ft (731m) |
| Time: | 4½ hrs |
| Grade: |  (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Honister Pass - Honister Hause - Grey Knotts - Brandreth - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Beck Head - Beckhead Tarn - Moses' Trod - Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk - Honister Pass
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 6ml (9.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 2,845ft (867m) |
| Time: | 5 hrs |
| Grade: |  (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Seathwaite (Borrowdale) - Stockley Bridge - Styhead Tarn - Sty Head - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Windy Gap - Green Gable - Mitchell Cove - Blackmoor Pols - Base Brown - Gillercomb - Sour Milk Gill (Borrowdale) - Seathwaite (Borrowdale)
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 7.5ml (12km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,289ft (1,002m) |
| Time: | 6 hrs |
| Grade: | (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Honister Pass - Honister Hause - Grey Knotts - Brandreth - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Beck Head - Beckhead Tarn - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Kirk Fell - Moses' Trod - Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk - Honister Pass
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 8.25ml (13km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,016ft (919m) |
| Time: | 6 hrs |
| Grade: | (Moderate) |
Route Summary:
Seatoller - Seathwaite (Borrowdale) - Sourmilk Gill (Borrowdale) - Gillercomb - Blackmoor Pols - Mitchell Cove - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Beck Head - Beckhead Tarn - Moses' Trod - Honister Pass - Honister Hause - Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk - Seatoller
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 8.5ml (13.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 4,260ft (1,298m) |
| Time: | 7.25hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Honister Pass - Honister Hause - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Black Beck - Blackbeck Tarn - Innominate Tarn - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Scarth Gap - Ennerdale - River Liza - Black Sail Hut (Youth Hostel) - Black Sail Path - Kirk Fell - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Beckhead Tarn - Beck Head - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Windy Gap - Green Gable - Gillercomb Head - Brandreth - Grey Knotts - Honister Hause.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 9ml (14.5km) |
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| Ascent: | 3,965ft (1,208m) |
| Time: | 7½ hrs |
| Grade: | (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Honister Pass - Honister Hause - Grey Knotts - Brandreth - Blackmoor Pols - Base Brown - Mitchell Cove - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Beck Head - Beckhead Tarn - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Kirk Fell - Moses' Trod - Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk - Honister Pass
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 10.5ml (17km) |
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| Ascent: | 4,693ft (1,430m) |
| Time: | 8½ hrs |
| Grade: |  (Hard) |
Route Summary:
Seatoller - Strands Bridge - Borrowdale - The Combe - Thornythwaite Fell - Comb Head - Glaramara - Looking Steads (Glaramara) - Red Beck - Red Beck Top - Allen Gill - High House Tarn - High House Tarn Top - Allen Crags - Esk Hause - Ruddy Gill - Sprinkling Tarn - Sty Head - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Windy Gap - Green Gable - Gillercomb Head - Brandreth - Grey Knotts - Honister Hause - Honister Pass - Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk - Seatoller
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 11.25ml (18km) |
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| Ascent: | 5,819ft (1,773m) |
| Time: | 10 hrs |
| Grade: |  (Very Hard) |
Route Summary:
Wasdale Head - Moses' Trod - Lingmell Beck - Gable Beck Bridge - Sty Head - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Beck Head - Beckhead Tarn - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Kirk Fell - Black Sail Pass - Looking Stead (Pillar) - High Level Route - Robinson's Cairn - Pillar - Wind Gap - Black Crag (Pillar) - Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell) - Steeple - Red Pike (Wasdale) - Dore Head - Mosedale Beck - Wasdale Head - Wast Water.
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Vital Statistics:
| Length: | 18.75ml (30km) |
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| Ascent: | 7,309ft (2,408m) |
| Time: | 14.75hrs |
| Grade: | (Very Hard) |
Route Summary:
Bowness Knott Car Park Ennerdale - Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre - High Gillerthwaite Yourth Hostel - Red Pike (Buttermere) - High Stile - High Crag (Buttermere) - Seat (Buttermere) - Scarth Gap - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Innominate Tarn - Blackbeck Tarn - Black Beck - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Great Round How - Brandreth - Gillercomb Head - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Beck Head - Beckhead Tarn - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Kirk Fell - Black Sail Pass - Looking Stead (Pillar) - High Level Route - Robinson's Cairn - Pillar - Wind Gap - Black Crag (Pillar) - High Beck - Low Beck - Ennerdale.
Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, summited & bagged Great Gable
James Hughes walked up on August 10th, 2025 [from/via/route] c417 Base Brown, Great Gable & Kirk Fell from Honister [weather] Warmish, sometimes overcast, sometimes sunny. - Stomp up to Grey Knotts from Honister - didn't feel too bad as started at decent height. Easy yomp over to Brandreth before hitting the path to descend to Base Brown. Good views then steepish ascent back to Green Gable. Good vista of Great Gable & Moses Trod below. Hard trek up Great Gable on rocky terrain. Topped & then overshot after the memorial to return to path down to Kirk Fell. Took one of the false boulder paths cited by Wainwright which ended in scree Sunday. The error of my ways became more apparent looking back as the scree looks quite severe. Had actually ascended Great Gable before from Kirk Fell col which was easier, although easy to understand how it would be hard in the mist. Another there & back on Kirk Fell - big flat top. Return via Moses Trod back to tramway track. Pint of Wainwright Amber Ale at Borrowdale Hotel. Average.
Andrew Gayne climbed it on May 15th, 2025 [from/via/route] From Honister Pass, Tin Slate Mine [with] Becky Gayne [weather] Really sunny & hot day. - Overnight stay at Ravenstone Manor near Bassenthwaite having walked Howtown to Glenridding the previous day, went up Grey Knotts then Brandreth before going up Green Gable & finally Grey Gable. Steepish scramble up & down Grey Gable. Visited Westmorland Cairn for amazing views
Angeline Grieveson bagged it on October 5th, 2024 [with] Rick & Dotty
Geoff Hand hiked it on September 3rd, 2024 [from/via/route] Walk C417 Great Gable & Kirk Fell from Honister. Set off from Honister & climbed Grey Knotts, from there onto Glamara. We then climbed towards Green Gable but went South to pick up Brown Base. We retraced our steps, climbed green gable & onto Gt Gable. Leaving Gt Gable in cloud we found the path down to Beck Head. When reached there the cloud had lifted off Kirk fell so we went for it. Came back by Moses's trod & the dismantled tramway to Honister. [with] Tess, my Jack Russell [weather] Started off quite sunny, however cloud moved in & covered Gt Gable. A bit drisly towards the end. - A really tough walk, one I would think twice about in the future. Very pleased with my navigation of Gt Gable as it was spot on! According to my garmin I didn't quite hit the top of Grey Knots & Brandreth. I find this incredible as I did a lot of tramping around to make sure I hit the tops today. So I'm claiming them anyway. NB I've also done them both before.
Simon Myerscough summited on November 27th, 2023 [from/via/route] From Seathwaite dry to start then progressively colder & misty - some snoe above 2000ft. [with] Joanne [weather] Light winds & dull all day - Scramble coming down Sourmilk Ghyll was challenging but made it after change of line
Christine Shepherd conquered it on July 19th, 2003 [from/via/route] Walked from Honister via Brandreth. Second & Third times from Seathwaite Fourth & Fifth times from Honister again. [with] Andy, Miriam and Ishmay (aged 7) [weather] Sunny - Got half way up Gable again in July 07 but turned back in heavy rain. Reached the summit again twice in 2010. On 18.6.10 Jenny & I had a glorious walk from Seathwaite taking in Fleetwith Pike before a descent via Honister. I then led a church group to the top just over a week later on 26.6.10, in lovely sunshine. Climbed again 30.11.19. Had to walk back to Honister along Moses Trod in the dark! Climbed for a fifth time on 8.6.23 using walk c417, in gorgeous sunshine with a pleasant breeze.
John Ramsbottom scaled on April 10th, 2023 [from/via/route] walk c442 parked at Honister slate mines [with] Lola [weather] misty/rainy/windy - solo walk with Lola, bad visibilty, glad i had digital mapping
Richard Fulcher walked up on April 3rd, 2023 [from/via/route] Parked in the NT car park at Honister Slate Mine & walked up the steep path to Grey Knotts. We then traversed over the rock strewn ridge to Brandreth & across Gillercomb Head to Green Gable. Just before reaching the top of GG I diverted left down the fell & across to Base Brown. I then returned by the same route & we carried on up to the summit of GG after having some lunch. After a slippery descent from GG to Windy Gap we then started the rocky ascent to Great Gable. We returned to WG by the same route & then descended down another scree strewn path to join the Moses Trod path before branching off towards the dismantled tramway at Honister. The rocky paths continued pretty much all the way back. [with] Jen [weather] Sunny, blue skies, cold at times when in exposed sections, very good visibility. - Be prepared for some climbing over rocks in certain stretches esp. up Great Gable.
Martyn Atherton climbed it on September 20th, 2020 [from/via/route] c338 Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Green Gable, Great Gable, Kirk Fell [with] Martyn and Paul [weather] Cloudy at first then very warm & sunny - Great view of the mines
Neall Garrad bagged it on June 25th, 2022 [from/via/route] Wasdale Head [weather] Sunny, hailstones, windy
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More Photographs & Pictures of views from, on or of Great Gable
Red Pike (Wasdale) and Little Scoat Fell (left), Mosedale, Pillar and Kirk Fell (centre) and Great Gable (right) from the summit of Scafell Pike
Red Pike (centre left), Pillar, Yewbarrow (centre), Kirk Fell & Great Gable (right) beyond Wast Water from Whin Rigg
Britain's Favourite View - Yewbarrow, Great Gable, Lingmell, Great End, Sca Fell and the shoulder of Illgill Head (far right) from Wast Water
Green Gable (left) and Great Gable (centre left) and the shoulder of Kirk Fell from Loft Beck
Looking south from the summit of Dale Head (Newlands) with (left to right) Great End, Broad Crag, Ill Crag and Scafell Pike on the horizon and Great Gable (far right - mid distance)
Wast Water and Wasdale Head from the lower slopes of Great Gable and Kirk Fell
*From Left to right: Caw Fell, Seatallan, Red Pike, Pillar, Yewbarrow, Kirk Fell, Great Gable, Lingmell and Sca Fell and Wast Water (foreground) from Illgill Head (NB. Scafell Pike is largely hidden behind Sca Fell)
Wasdale featuring Lingmell (left), Illgill Head and Whin Rigg (left of centre in the distance), Wast Water (centre) and Yewbarrow (right) from Westmorland Cairn near the summit of Great Gable
Illgill Head (left) Wasdale, Wast Water and Yewbarrow from Westmorland Cairn, Great Gable
Kirk Fell (left), Great Gable (centre) and Lingmell from across Wast Water
Wasdale Head (Yewbarrow, Kirk Fell and Great Gable), Whin Rigg and Eskdale Moor from Irton Pike
Wast Water with Illgill Head (left) and Yewbarrow (right) from Great Gable summit
. . . see all 141 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on or of Great Gable
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