Great Gable
899m (2951ft)
The Western Fells, The Lake District, Cumbria, England
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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.
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The Western Fells of The Lake District National Park
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*This version is marked with the walk routes you need to follow to Walk all 214 Wainwrights in just 59 walks.
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Fellow go4awalkers who have already walked, climbed, summited & bagged Great Gable
James Hughes walked up Great Gable 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 Great Gable 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
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More Photographs & Pictures of views from, on or of Great Gable
Wast Water and Wasdale Head from the lower slopes of Great Gable and Kirk Fell
Kirk Fell with Red Pike (Wasdale), Little Scoat Fell and Pillar behind from Westmorland Cairn, Great Gable
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)
. . . see all 141 walk photographs & pictures of views from, on or of Great Gable
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