Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Green Gable, Great Gable & the Gable Girdle - Wednesday 24 July 2024
Route
Honister - Grey Knotts - Brandreth - Gillercomb Head - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Sty Head - South Traverse - Lower Kern Knotts - Great Hell Gate - Great Napes - Napes Needle - Sphinx Rock - Little Hell Gate - White Napes - Beck Head - Windy Gap - Stone Cove - Moses Trod - Drum House - Honister
Parking
Honister Slate Mine (£5 all day, pay in the shop) - Grid Reference NY 22458 13538. Nearest postcode is CA12 5XN which will take you to Seatoller however the Slate Mine is 1.4 miles further on up the B5289 (Honister Pass). There is also a National Trust Car Park right next door to the Slate Mine (free for NT Members).
Mileage
9 miles
Terrain
Mountain paths for the most part with some rough, rugged & rocky terrain which includes scree slopes and boulder fields. There is some mild exposure on several sections of the route.
Weather
A mixed weather day - no rain, sunny spells but mainly overcast.
Time Taken
7hrs 45mins
Total Ascent
4160ft (1268m)
Wainwrights
4
Map
OL4 - The English Lakes (North Western Area)
Walkers
Dave with Nicky Oliver, Trev Bailey, Sara Boyle & Christine Backhouse
Honister - Grey Knotts - Brandreth - Gillercomb Head - Green Gable - Windy Gap - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Sty Head - South Traverse - Lower Kern Knotts - Great Hell Gate - Great Napes - Napes Needle - Sphinx Rock - Little Hell Gate - White Napes - Beck Head - Windy Gap - Stone Cove - Moses Trod - Drum House - Honister
Parking
Honister Slate Mine (£5 all day, pay in the shop) - Grid Reference NY 22458 13538. Nearest postcode is CA12 5XN which will take you to Seatoller however the Slate Mine is 1.4 miles further on up the B5289 (Honister Pass). There is also a National Trust Car Park right next door to the Slate Mine (free for NT Members).
Mileage
9 miles
Terrain
Mountain paths for the most part with some rough, rugged & rocky terrain which includes scree slopes and boulder fields. There is some mild exposure on several sections of the route.
Weather
A mixed weather day - no rain, sunny spells but mainly overcast.
Time Taken
7hrs 45mins
Total Ascent
4160ft (1268m)
Wainwrights
4
Map
OL4 - The English Lakes (North Western Area)
Walkers
Dave with Nicky Oliver, Trev Bailey, Sara Boyle & Christine Backhouse
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GPX File
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Route Map
The National Trust Car Park at Honister - there is plenty of additional parking here, just arrive early at weekends and during the Summer.
Directly from the Car Park it was straight on to the steep stuff as we start the climb to Grey Knotts
The gradient eases as a small rock gateway is approached - there is some mild scrambling here but nothing technical
Dale Head from beyond the rock gateway - there is a path either side of the fence, both lead to the summit plateau
Looking further round to Black Star (Honister Crag) & Fleetwith Pike with Hinsdcarth centre
The Pillar group takes centre stage as we near the summit of Grey Knotts
Great End, Ill Crag, Broad Crag, Scafell Pike, Green & Great Gable from Grey Knotts - our next summit of Brandreth is over to the right
Haystacks, High Crag, High Stile, Buttermere, Crummock Water, Fleetwith Pike & Grasmoor from Grey Knotts
The summit of Grey Knotts looking to Kirk Fell, Red Pike, Looking Stead & Pillar
Despite the day being overcast and the light being a bit ropey, it was still possible to get some nice shots today. Grey Knotts summit is to the rear.
Looking back to Grey Knotts from the route over to Brandreth
Approaching the summit of Brandreth with Green Gable & Great Gable beyond. There are several cairns, lumps and bumps on Brandreth however the summit cairn can be located at Grid Reference NY 21454 11916.
The summit of Brandreth
The route to Green Gable from Brandreth with Great Gable beyond
Looking to Base Brown with the valley of Gillercomb to the left
The glorious view from Green Gable looking down the Ennerdale valley. Kirk Fell & Pillar are to the left, the High Stile ridge centre and the Grasmoor group over to the right.
Windy Gap crossroads ahead with Great Gable beyond. At Windy Gap there are three paths in addition to the one we would be using to descend from Green Gable. The path to the left heads down the scree slope of Aaron Slack from where Sty Head can be reached whilst straight on leads to the summit of Great Gable. The plan today was to descend to Sty Head directly although you can reverse the climb and use the Aaron Slack path which is delightful although the stone is loose for most of the way. At Sty Head it was our intention to complete the south traverse to Beck Head and then join the north traverse path back to Windy Gap (path shown above), thus completing "the Gable Girdle" - a complete traverse of the mountain. We would then descend from Windy Gap down to Moses Trod via the Stone Cove path.
Wainwright said of the Gable Girdle - "This is the finest mountain walk in the district that does not aim to reach a summit"
Book Seven The Western Fells (Great Gable 9)
Wainwright said of the Gable Girdle - "This is the finest mountain walk in the district that does not aim to reach a summit"
Book Seven The Western Fells (Great Gable 9)
Looking down Stone Cove to Kirk Fell & Pillar. Below Kirk Fell is Beck Head and the Moses Trod path can be seen making its way across.
Styhead Tarn & Sprinkling Tarn from Green Gable. Allen Crags sits above Sprinkling Tarn with Bowfell beyond. Over to the right are Great End & Ill Crag.
Descending from Green Gable to Windy Gap
The path from Windy Gap down to Stone Cove & Moses Trod
Looking back to the Windy Gap crossroads and our descent from Green Gable
The path down Aaron Slack to Styhead
Green Gable from the start of the ascent to Great Gable
Up on the summit of Great Gable with the memorial to the members of the Fell & Rock Climbing Club who perished in the two Great Wars. Each year on Remembrance Sunday a service takes place on the summit to commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Wasdale & Wastwater from the Westmorland Cairn. Many visitors to Great Gable's summit simply head down from whence they came and do not bother visiting here - as can be seen, the view is superb.
The cairn sits above a precipice and is approximately 150 yards south of the summit. It was erected in 1876 by two brothers named Westmorland to mark what they considered to be the finest view in the Lake District - it is hard to argue against that.
The cairn sits above a precipice and is approximately 150 yards south of the summit. It was erected in 1876 by two brothers named Westmorland to mark what they considered to be the finest view in the Lake District - it is hard to argue against that.
From the Westmorland Cairn there is a dramatic view down into Great Hell Gate with the crags of Tophet Bastion beyond. Little Hell Gate is the other side of the grassy ridge right of centre.
Looking over Great Hell Gate with the Corridor Route to Scafell Pike beyond
Sprinkling Tarn with Seathwaite Fell & Glaramara beyond
The descent from Great Gable to Sty Head with the Mountain Rescue Stretcher box just about visible below an impressive Great End
The Mountain Rescue Stretcher Box at Sty Head. To the rear is The Band on Great End and the cleft of Skew Gill.
Wispy clouds on the Scafell range with Piers Gill in the centre of shot
From Sty Head it was time to commence the south traverse of the Gable Girdle via a rough path below Kern Knotts. Ahead is Wasdale with Yewbarrow providing the backdrop.
I wandered off ahead of the group to take this pic of them heading along the rough path. The route is there on the ground however it takes a bit of concentration to remain on it.
Great End's turn now for the wispy cloud - despite the overcast skies this was still a day of good visibility
Great Hell Gate ahead. It's at this point I thought we were about to be engulfed by low cloud - thankfully it went elsewhere
Wasdale Head & Wastwater with the slopes of Lingmell to the left, Illgill Head behind and Yewbarrow to the centre right
Making our way towards Great Hell Gate and what a view that is behind us - Piers Gill, the Scafell range and Lingmell
Approaching Great Hell Gate
Crossing Great Hell Gate - thankfully nobody sneezed on the way over
Approaching Cat Rock
Napes Needle from the Dress Circle - so called because it provides the best view to see climbers on the needle. If you look closely you can just about see two intrepid explores about to summit the Needle.
The Napes as a whole are important in the history of English rock climbing. Walter Parry Haskett Smith's ascent of the detached pinnacle of Napes Needle in June 1886 is thought by some to mark the origins in England of rock climbing as a sport in its own right.
The Napes as a whole are important in the history of English rock climbing. Walter Parry Haskett Smith's ascent of the detached pinnacle of Napes Needle in June 1886 is thought by some to mark the origins in England of rock climbing as a sport in its own right.
Sphinx Rock
This classic view takes a small amount of scrambling to get to but is so worth it. Cat Rock, mentioned earlier is the same rock as Sphinx Rock but takes on a completely different profile close up.
This classic view takes a small amount of scrambling to get to but is so worth it. Cat Rock, mentioned earlier is the same rock as Sphinx Rock but takes on a completely different profile close up.
Happy smiling faces from the Dress Circle with Sphinx Rock to the rear
Some fairly easy scrambling leads to a rough descent to cross Little Hell Gate
Looking up Little Hell Gate
It is worth taking your time to descend this section. It is steep and over loose stone therefore you need to keep your wits about you as when you are making the descent it is important to make sure you locate the crossing point over Little Hell Gate.
It is worth taking your time to descend this section. It is steep and over loose stone therefore you need to keep your wits about you as when you are making the descent it is important to make sure you locate the crossing point over Little Hell Gate.
Christine makes her way over the crossing point on Little Hell Gate. There is a rough path through the stone which can be seen heading over the scree to an obvious route on the other side.
The glorious view of Wasdale from near Gavel Neese
Kirk Fell from Gavel Neese
It was a this point I was yearning for us to have started from Wasdale Head as we would be that much nearer to a cold beer.
It was a this point I was yearning for us to have started from Wasdale Head as we would be that much nearer to a cold beer.
Kirk Fell & Beck Head with the High Stile ridge over to the right
Green Gable from Beck Head
At this point to return to Honister we could simply have joined the Moses Trod path which can be seen centre left. However that would have meant that we would not have enjoyed the superb north traverse of Great Gable to Windy Gap which can be seen on the right of shot. The Stone Cove path can be seen coming down from Windy Gap directly beneath Green Gable and would be the path we would be using to reach Moses Trod and then return to Honister.
At this point to return to Honister we could simply have joined the Moses Trod path which can be seen centre left. However that would have meant that we would not have enjoyed the superb north traverse of Great Gable to Windy Gap which can be seen on the right of shot. The Stone Cove path can be seen coming down from Windy Gap directly beneath Green Gable and would be the path we would be using to reach Moses Trod and then return to Honister.
The north traverse path between Beck Head & Windy Gap. From here it doesn't look like there is much of a path but it is there on the ground.
Looking back along the north traverse path towards Beck Head
Back at Windy Gap
The Stone Cove path down from Windy Gap to Moses Trod
Moses Trod is an old track that links Honister to Wasdale Head and was the quickest route to transport slate from one valley to the next. It did however have a dual purpose in that it became a smuggler’s route used by Moses Rigg who used it to move illegal moonshine hidden amongst the slate. It is thought that Moses had an illegal still somewhere "en route" between Honister & Wasdale Head.
Moses Trod is an old track that links Honister to Wasdale Head and was the quickest route to transport slate from one valley to the next. It did however have a dual purpose in that it became a smuggler’s route used by Moses Rigg who used it to move illegal moonshine hidden amongst the slate. It is thought that Moses had an illegal still somewhere "en route" between Honister & Wasdale Head.
Dropping down to the Drum House above Honister with the Hopper Quarry behind. To the rear left is Fleetwith Pike with Honister Crag (Black Star) behind the quarry.
The Drum House
This structure would have housed a wooden drum and cable with the braking system operated manually. The system controlled the ascent and descent of the trucks that were deployed to transport the slate down to the processing sheds below. Wainwright called the path from the quarry buildings at Honister to Dubs Quarry "the straightest mile in Lakeland". The path we are stood on was once the permanent route for trucks conveying stone from the quarry back down to Honister. (Fleetwith Pike 4)
This structure would have housed a wooden drum and cable with the braking system operated manually. The system controlled the ascent and descent of the trucks that were deployed to transport the slate down to the processing sheds below. Wainwright called the path from the quarry buildings at Honister to Dubs Quarry "the straightest mile in Lakeland". The path we are stood on was once the permanent route for trucks conveying stone from the quarry back down to Honister. (Fleetwith Pike 4)
Approaching Honister Slate Mine after a wonderful day out in great company
Looking down the Honister Pass from the slate mine entrance
Once a run down and neglected mine, it is fantastic that this place is flourishing once more