Great Gable
899 m
United Kingdom
- Elevation
- 899 m
- Prominence
- 425 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2The approach with the least climbing: from the top of Honister Pass (356 m), up the fence line to Grey Knotts, along the broad ridge over Brandreth and Green Gable, down to Windy Gap and up the short, rocky final slope to the summit and its war memorial. About 11 km and 730 m of ascent for the round trip.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 4.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +663 m
- −119 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 899 m
- Time Up
- 3h 02m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 19m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start from the car park by the youth hostel and slate mine at the top of Honister Pass (356 m). A signed path behind the car park follows the fence line steeply up to Grey Knotts (697 m), the steepest part of the day, gaining about 340 m in a little over 1 km. Walkers who dislike the steep start can follow the old tramway incline to the Drum House and join the ridge from there. The broad ridge then undulates south over Brandreth (715 m), following old fence posts, to Green Gable (801 m), about 2 km with 170 m of further ascent. From Green Gable drop about 50 m to Windy Gap (751 m), the col between the two Gables, which lives up to its name in bad weather. The final 150 m to the summit is a short, steep climb on a rocky, cairned path with some easy use of hands, emerging on a boulder-strewn plateau with the Fell and Rock Climbing Club war memorial plaque on the summit outcrop. The Westmorland Cairn, about 90 m south-west, gives the famous view down into Wasdale. Return the same way, or make a circuit by descending north-west from the summit on a rough cairned path to Beck Head (619 m) and following Moses Trod, an old path contouring around the head of Ennerdale below Brandreth and Grey Knotts, back to the Drum House and Honister. Allow 4½–6 hours for the round trip. In mist the summit plateau is confusing: several cairned paths leave it in different directions, and crags lie on the south side.
Start
Honister Pass355 m
- Stagecoach 77/77A 'Honister Rambler' from Keswick stops at Honister youth hostel (daily from spring to 1 November in 2026)
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honister Pass → Great Gable | 4.7 | 663 | 119 | 3h 02m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Honister Pass355 m
- Shoulder: Grey Knotts697 m
- Shoulder: Brandreth715 m
- Shoulder: Green Gable800 m
- Col: Windy Gap752 m
- Summit: Great Gable899 m
Key Passages
- Steep fence-line climb to Grey Knotts
- Windy Gap
- Rocky final slope above Windy Gap
- Westmorland Cairn viewpoint
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The pyramid at the head of Wasdale (899 m), one of the best-loved fells in the Lake District: a rocky dome reached by good paths from Honister, Borrowdale or Wasdale, with the climbers' war memorial on its summit and the Napes crags, birthplace of English rock climbing, on its south face.
Great Gable stands at the hub of the western fells, between Wasdale, Ennerdale and Borrowdale. Seen from Wasdale it is a steep pyramid, which gives it its name; from most other directions it is a rounded dome of dacite lava, scree and crag. The summit is a boulder-strewn plateau with a cairn on a rock outcrop and the bronze memorial of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club. From the Westmorland Cairn, a short walk south-west, the view drops more than 600 m into Wasdale towards Wast Water.
The walking routes are not technical but all are rough and rocky near the top. The easiest starts high on Honister Pass and follows the ridge over Grey Knotts, Brandreth and Green Gable; the classic approaches climb from Seathwaite in Borrowdale or Wasdale Head to the crossroads of Sty Head. On the south face, the Great Napes and Napes Needle are reached by the Climbers' Traverse, a rough path for experienced scramblers.
The fell is busy at weekends and very busy on Remembrance Sunday, when hundreds gather at the summit memorial. In cloud the plateau is confusing, with several cairned paths leaving in different directions.
Climbing Notes
A good day walk for anyone with hill experience: 700–950 m of ascent and 4–6 hours depending on the start. The final slopes are rocky and loose in places, and the summit plateau requires careful navigation in mist; carry OS Explorer OL4 and a compass. The Honister start is the easiest and has a seasonal bus from Keswick; Seathwaite and Wasdale Head give longer, more varied days and circuits over Green Gable or via Sty Head.
In winter the fell holds snow and ice, and the final slopes need crampons and an ice axe. Avoid the Climbers' Traverse and the Napes unless you are an experienced scrambler. Parking at Seathwaite and Honister fills early on fine weekends.
History
On 30 June 1886 Walter Parry Haskett Smith made the first ascent of Napes Needle, solo, an event often taken as the birth of rock climbing as a sport in England. After the First World War the Fell and Rock Climbing Club bought about 3,000 acres of high fell including Great Gable and gave them to the National Trust as a memorial to members killed in the war. The bronze plaque on the summit was dedicated by Geoffrey Winthrop Young on Whit Sunday 1924 before about 500 people, and a remembrance service is held there every Remembrance Sunday. The plaque was removed in July 2013 and a corrected replacement fitted by the Royal Engineers in October 2013. The Westmorland Cairn was built in 1876 by two brothers named Westmorland to mark what they considered the finest view in the Lake District.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter conditions possible; short days
- Feb
- Snow and ice likely on upper slopes
- Mar
- Variable; late snow
- Apr
- Usually snow-free; Honister Rambler bus resumes
- May
- Long days, often the driest month
- Jun
- Long days
- Jul
- Busy; parking fills early
- Aug
- Busy; parking fills early
- Sep
- Often settled, fewer people
- Oct
- Shortening days; wetter
- Nov
- Remembrance Sunday service at the summit; wet and windy
- Dec
- Winter conditions possible
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Car park charges apply at Honister Pass; roadside parking at Seathwaite is free but limited
- Rules
- Lake District National Park and National Trust land: no wild camping without landowner permission, dogs under close control near sheep
- Getting There
Keswick
Manchester (MAN) or Newcastle (NCL)
- Stagecoach 77/77A 'Honister Rambler' circular from Keswick, stopping at Seatoller and Honister youth hostel, runs daily from spring to 1 November (2026 season)
- Rail to Penrith, then Stagecoach X4/X5 bus to Keswick
- By car: B5289 from Keswick through Borrowdale to Seatoller, Seathwaite and Honister Pass; Wasdale Head is reached from the west via Gosforth
Hazards
- Weather
- Rockfall