Great Gable Route Information

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Great Gable

Quick Facts

This is the summed total of all the climbing within a route and is a good indicator of the strenuousness of a route.

Total Ascent

2460 ft

An estimate of the time taken based on a derivation of Naismiths rules. Our calculation is based on the horizontal and ascent components of a climb, we do not make a reduction for descent.

Registered users can customise these walking times by specifying their own walking and ascending speeds. They can also add a fixed time period for stoppages.

Route Time

3 hrs

The horizontal distance of the route.

Route Distance

5.2 ml

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

You can click on the map name to purchase the map for £6.29 including postage which is one of the cheapest prices we have found.

OS Landranger Maps Required

89	West Cumbria, Cockermouth & Wast Water
90	Penrith & Keswick, Ambleside

Only £6.29 (£13.49 Laminated) from

A brief summary of this route.

Our summary will always contain one of easy, moderate or hard to indicate the severity of the route.

Notes

Commencing in Borrowdale, this route provides a wide mix of terrain, with steep ascent and descent beside waterfalls, gentle walking in a hanging valley, some scrambling to reach the summit and some scree descent.

Here we provide the nearest town to the start of the route where you will find basic services.

We then give directions from that location to the route start. Your approach route may differ.

Travel Information

Head to: Keswick

From Keswick take B5289 Borrowdale road for 11km. About 200m before Seatoller turn left on minor road for Seathwaite, where the road ends. In Summer a grass field is used as a car park.

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 2,460 feet. Allow 3 hours to complete this 5.2 mile route.

Usually the shortest way to climb the mountain, making best use of tracks and paths to gain altitude. Route navigation requires map reading skills and an ability to navigate with a compass.

The information given here will enable you to annotate your map and plan your route. We do not give anecdotal descriptions on where to find the paths, worn by the feet of previous mountaineers.

Where the access routes are few or the ridge is narrow, paths are generally obvious. On open ground, following paths without using your compass may get you lost in poor visibility.

Route Information

Waypoint Detail

	Park in grass field (seasonal) at Seathwaite; or on road before hamlet.
		NY23611242	Distance	Altitude 406 ft

1	Walk SSW on minor road into Seathwaite
		NY23531215	Distance 0.2 miles	Altitude 479 ft

2	Head W through archway in farm buildings, and cross bridge.
		NY23311220	Distance 0.1 miles	Altitude 426 ft

3	Ascend W up steep path S of Sour Milk Gill to Gillercomb hanging valley.
		NY22791216	Distance 0.3 miles	Altitude 1236 ft

4	Continue SW on path
		NY22101164	Distance 0.5 miles	Altitude 1640 ft

5	Ascend path S onto ridge
		NY22021110	Distance 0.3 miles	Altitude 2027 ft

6	Follow track SW up valley and ascend ascend SW to summit of Green Gable (801m).
		NY21491073	Distance 0.4 miles	Altitude 2627 ft

7	Follow winding path SSW to Windy Gap
		NY21431053	Distance 0.1 miles	Altitude 2362 ft

8	Now scramble SW to summit of Great Gable (2500ft+)
		NY21111033	Distance 0.3 miles	Altitude 2949 ft

9	Return NE to Windy Gap
		NY21431053	Distance 0.3 miles	Altitude 2362 ft

10	Descend SE down Aaron Slack screes to Styhead Tarn
		NY22140999	Distance 0.6 miles	Altitude 1459 ft

11	Walk NE on path and remain on the W side of stream
		NY22421046	Distance 0.3 miles	Altitude 1391 ft

12	Descend NE beside stream passing Taylorgill Force waterfall.
		NY23101108	Distance 0.6 miles	Altitude 692 ft

13	Follow descent path NNE across slope
		NY23321158	Distance 0.3 miles	Altitude 485 ft

14	Continue N rejoining ascent route at bridge and return to start
		NY23641240	Distance 0.7 miles	Altitude 406 ft

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

Weather

Cumbrian Fells
by MWIS (PDF format)

Lake District
by Met Office

Scafell Pike
by Metcheck

Images of Great Gable

Taylorgill Force waterfall which is passed on one of the routes to or from Great Gable.

Image by David S Brown

Great Gable (left) and Great End (right) appear through a cloud inversion on 21 May 2010, seen from the upper slopes of Scafell Pike.

Image by Michael Hill

Great Gable, with Green Gable to right, seen from the SE. Taken from Allen Crags.

Image by David S Brown

Great Gable from Sprinkling Tarn; May 1970.

Image by Roger Vander Steen

Route Area Map

Legend

Munro

Corbett

Graham

English/Welsh Top

Accommodation

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Where to Stay

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Disclaimer. The details provided above are an aid to planning an expedition, but all distances, altitudes and bearings must be considered approximate. You must navigate with the appropriate map, a compass, your navigation skills and common sense, MunroMagic.com accept no responsibility for your interpretation of our route information.

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