Great End via The Band - Thursday 17 July 2025

Route 

Burnthwaite - Moses Trod - Gable Beck - Spouthead Gill - Sty Head - The Band - Great End - Round How - Lambfoot Dub - Corridor Route - Spout Head - Sty Head - Toad How - Bursting Knott - Gable Beck - Moses Trod - Burnthwaite

Parking

I started the walk from our accommodation at Burnthwaite Farm however there are various parking options at Wasdale Head including the Village Green (free). The Grid Reference is NY 18682 08508 and the nearest postcode is CA20 1EX.

Mileage

7.6 miles

Terrain

Good mountain paths for the most part. The path that heads up The Band is intermittent and not marked on the OS Map therefore the ability to navigate is paramount. Likewise, the routes from below Great End to Round How and also to the Corridor Route via Lambfoot Dub are also pathless and not marked on the OS Map.

Weather

Humid, low cloud at times with drizzly periods

​Time Taken

5hrs 

Total Ascent

3828ft (1167m)

Wainwrights

1

Map​

​​​OL6 - The English Lakes (South Western Area)
​
Walkers

Dave

GPX Files

​From 1 March 2025 GPX files will not be available directly from the walk page as there is difficulty in using a downloadable version from the website. To that end, if you require a GPX File please get in touch via the Contact Form below and we will gladly forward it to you - thank you.

​Route Map

Looking to Sty Head from Burnthwaite Farm with Great Gable to the left and my route for today over to the distant right

I started today's walk from our accommodation at Burnthwaite Farm. Having climbed Great End many times, the ascent today would be a different way up for me. From Burnthwaite I would cross over to the right hand side of Spouthead Gill to reach Sty Head and from there climb Great End via The Band. The weather forecast for today was clearly erring on the side of caution therefore I just went for it - I would see later whether I would luck in or out.

Heading along Moses Trod with the slopes of Kirk Fell to the left and Great Gable centre - running between the two is Gable Beck

Moses Trod (marked on the OS Map as such) is named after Moses Rigg, who was a legendary slate worker.  According to the stories, Moses established the route as the shortest way to carry slate from the Honister mines over to Wasdale and thence down the valley road to the port at Ravenglass. However, his sled carried some extra cargo other than slate as he was known to be a notorious smuggler of Wadd (Graphite). According to Wainwright, there is not a shred of historical evidence that Rigg ever existed, but he is still inclined to believe in him. Not content with just smuggling Wadd, he was supposed to have distilled his own whisky in a hideout, high up on Gable Crag.  Apparently, the bog water from Fleetwith Pike made the best moonshine.

Lingmell from Moses Trod

Crossing Gable Beck

Looking up Gable Beck from the footbridge to Kirk Fell

At Grid Reference NY 20267 09311 a grassy path leaves to the right which runs alongside the main path to Sty Head

At Grid Reference NY 20363 09325 the path splits once more as I keep to the right

Three in a row - at Grid Reference NY 20504 09281 the path splits once more to keep to the right alongside a wall

Looking back to Yewbarrow from the wall

Looking up to the Gable Girdle with Tophet Bastion Centre. The Gable Girdle is a walk that does a complete circuit of Great Gable without actually climbing it although an up & down of the mountain can be done from several points on the walk. I have completed the Girdle twice and those walks can be found at the links here and here

The main Emerald Pool at Lingmell Beck - so called because of the colour of the water on a lovely summer's evening when it takes on a lovely emerald colour - to be honest it is the best time to see it.  The pool is at the confluence of Lingmell Beck & Spouthead Gill and is described by Wainwright in Book Four of his Pictorial Guides as "a beautiful watersmeet" (Lingmell 6).  

​Sadly, as with most popular places in the Lake District, some people cannot leave this area as they found it.

The Emerald Pool (Click Play to view)

The crossing point over Spouthead Gill where some kind soul has drawn an arrow. The gill is crossed at Grid Reference NY 21245 09179. 

The lower section of Piers Gill with Lingmell over to the right

At Grid Reference NY 21385 09092 the path splits with the right hand fork heading to Piers Gill.  I would be heading to Sty Head via the path to the left.

A moody panorama back to Wasdale 

The route rises gently towards Sty Head which is directly ahead of me now

Looking across to Skew Gill on Great End

With the path now sometimes intermittent, cairns line the route to Sty Head

The huge cleft of Piers Gill below Lingmell's eastern face

Looking across to The Band as I approach Sty Head - I would be up there soon

The Band on Great End with Skew Gill over to the right and the Corridor Route path to Scafell Pike & Lingmell below

I reach Sty Head at Grid Reference NY 22166 09461 - the path to Esk Hause stretches out beyond and this is the one I would take in order to get to the turn off for The Band. The path over to the right is the start of the Corridor Route.

Looking down on Styhead Tarn with Aaron Slack over to the left which comes out in Windy Gap between Green & Great Gable. The fell over to the right is Base Brown.

Sadly this is happening far too often these days - the "wild camping" etiquette is to arrive late, leave early and leave no trace. This was at 1600 - way too early and far too many tents. For gods sake split up or use a campsite!  Education is the more likely answer to this problem but the sad news is that much of society does not like being told what to do anymore and when approached by walkers with friendly advice just gives them a mouthful of abuse and threatens them with violence. Ultimately, decent people see this behaviour and ignore it - thus it becomes the norm. Sadly the ignorance is even more prevalent in the authorities that should be doing something about it, particularly at valley level where it is a massive problem.

(Climbs down off soapbox and gets on with his walk)

The path reaches a crossing point over a small beck at Grid Reference NY 22437 09352 - this is where I would leave the main path to Esk Hause and start my climb up The Band

I was now on pathless terrain according to the OS Map however one of sorts was there on the ground. I was heading for the ridge line ahead and the gradient looked pretty easy from here.

Looking across to Seathwaite Fell with the path to Esk Hause continuing on below

Great Gable, Kirk Fell & Green Gable's tops are shrouded in cloud as I look back towards Sty Head

Sprinkling Tarn now in view as I continue my climb up The Band

Continuing up The Band - my it looks a bit bleak up there. Will it clear??

Sprinkling Tarn and Seathwaite Fell from a little further up The Band

The route passes between crags as I continue upwards - I had a feeling at this point that the cloud was passing through and would soon leave the tops clear

Looking down my ascent of The Band to Sty Head

Styhead Tarn to the left and Sprinkling Tarn to the right as the cloud begins to thin slightly

Approaching Great End's summit the going becomes tricky over a large boulder field

Looking down one of Great End's many gullies

Great End's summit plateau ahead as I continue over the boulders

The north cairn on the summit of Great End - the summit itself lies approximately 180 yards to the south east

There are many gullies on the craggy north eastern face of Great End - this is Central Gully which is a mere few yards from the summit

The summit of Great End looking to the north cairn

Leaving Great End's summit I headed to the south down towards the path coming up from Esk Hause bound for Scafell Pike which can be seen here over to the left. I would be heading to the right shortly from roughly centre of shot. The mountain in the far distance is Ill Crag.

At Grid Reference NY 22515 08072 I began my descent from Great End which would take me to Round How which is below in the distance

Continuing my descent with Round How sitting just below the cloud layer. This part of the route is steep and over rough ground but is easy enough to transit over - I just took my time.

Looking back up at my route of descent

Over to my left was a sloping piece of rock that reminded me of Great Slab on Bowfell in miniature

Round How now shrouded in cloud as I cross a depression to begin the short ascent to the summit

The summit of Round How

Heading north over pathless ground from Round How I could just about make out my next destination of Lambfoot Dub

A very atmospheric Lambfoot Dub

From Lambfoot Dub I headed over to the west on pathless ground to reach the Corridor Route which can just about be seen below

I joined the Corridor Route at Grid Reference NY 21916 08419 as it crossed a ford

The Corridor Route descends gradually towards Sty Head which is shrouded in low cloud

Crossing Skew Gill

Looking into Skew Gill - not much to see in there today

Approaching Sty Head as the cloud starts to lift

Now back on the path from Sty Head to Esk Hause - heading left here would take me to the Mountain Rescue Stretcher Box

Sty Head with the path back to Borrowdale over to the left

The Mountain Rescue Stretcher Box at Sty Head

Wasdale Head in the distance as I start to make my way back to Burnthwaite

An atmospheric shot over to Lingmell from near Bursting Knotts

Crossing Gable Beck via the footbridge once more

Approaching Burnthwaite I was greeted by a few of the locals........................

............ as well as this little chap

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