Great Gable & Kirk Fell
Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 11:34 amA stunning autumn day in the high fells.
The amount of development around Honister Hause probably isn’t to everyone’s taste – while there are old mine-workings everywhere that seem part of the scenery now, and you’re often thankful for the paths and tracks that go along with them, the living version (and more especially, its tourist trappings with their ubiquitously garish orange branding) is a little different. But it’s certainly doing a good job of bringing visitors in – the big carpark was full, and the well-made old tramway heading straight up to the Drum House is as busy a hill-path as I’ve seen midweek in a long time. It’s hard to see quite where they all go though (on up to explore the mines perhaps? Although several dozen just seem to halt at the highest point of the track…), as there were very few people around for the rest of the day – no-one at all between there and the summit of Kirk Fell, and barely a handful even on Great Gable.
Moses Trod gets a terrific write-up from Wainwright, and justly so – it’s a lovely easy path contouring quietly around the head of the western valleys, with wonderful views down to Buttermere and Ennerdale and (albeit straight into a glaring sun this day) up to the vertical northern crags of Great Gable. The only downside, if heading to Kirk Fell, is that it drops you off quite well above Beck Head, on the Gable side, with a fair bit of ‘bonus’ up/down left to do. The path up from there is steep and quite loose in places but over pretty quickly, to be replaced by an easy stroll across the broad flat felltop.
Great Gable is a striking sight from this side - its west face looking daunting and quite impossible to climb. So many things do until you get closer though, and this is none too hard beyond its steepness, and actually really enjoyable – a little loose early on but then a good zigzag path through the rocks and a final long easy scrabble over the boulders depositing you right by the summit: a bit slippery in places (and probably quite horrible as a descent route) but never at all exposed or dangerous.
Great Gable is a wonderful place but I’m not quite sure what – if there is one? – the good way down is… The route down to Windy Gap is again kneejarringly steep and rough in places, needing rather too much care to enjoy. That’s the end of anything difficult between there and Honister though – the path over the fine little peak of Green Gable and down (on a short ‘bagging’ detour) to the more nondescript one of Base Brown is easy, if a bit of a splosh towards the end.
There’s probably a quicker way back to the Brandreth ridge than nearly reascending Green Gable first, but it wasn’t obvious on the ground – a thin little path contouring below Gillercomb Head didn’t have an obvious start and looked a very hairy prospect on a slippery day... That peak and Grey Knotts aren’t as striking as the early hills, but it’s still rather a nice rocky ridge with a fine reprise of the earlier view down Buttermere, and only a few downhill yards from a return to the easy tramway back to end the day.
The amount of development around Honister Hause probably isn’t to everyone’s taste – while there are old mine-workings everywhere that seem part of the scenery now, and you’re often thankful for the paths and tracks that go along with them, the living version (and more especially, its tourist trappings with their ubiquitously garish orange branding) is a little different. But it’s certainly doing a good job of bringing visitors in – the big carpark was full, and the well-made old tramway heading straight up to the Drum House is as busy a hill-path as I’ve seen midweek in a long time. It’s hard to see quite where they all go though (on up to explore the mines perhaps? Although several dozen just seem to halt at the highest point of the track…), as there were very few people around for the rest of the day – no-one at all between there and the summit of Kirk Fell, and barely a handful even on Great Gable.
Moses Trod gets a terrific write-up from Wainwright, and justly so – it’s a lovely easy path contouring quietly around the head of the western valleys, with wonderful views down to Buttermere and Ennerdale and (albeit straight into a glaring sun this day) up to the vertical northern crags of Great Gable. The only downside, if heading to Kirk Fell, is that it drops you off quite well above Beck Head, on the Gable side, with a fair bit of ‘bonus’ up/down left to do. The path up from there is steep and quite loose in places but over pretty quickly, to be replaced by an easy stroll across the broad flat felltop.
- Dale Head, over a crowd at the Drum House
- Pillar, Haystacks & High Crag
- Buttermere, Crummock Water & Mellbreak between High Crag & Fleetwith Pike
- Pillar & Ennerdale Water
- Kirk Fell across Beck Head
- Great Gable from Beck Head
- Helvellyn ridge from Kirk Fell
- Scafells over Lingmell into the sun
- Great Gable from Kirk Fell
Great Gable is a striking sight from this side - its west face looking daunting and quite impossible to climb. So many things do until you get closer though, and this is none too hard beyond its steepness, and actually really enjoyable – a little loose early on but then a good zigzag path through the rocks and a final long easy scrabble over the boulders depositing you right by the summit: a bit slippery in places (and probably quite horrible as a descent route) but never at all exposed or dangerous.
- Wasdale
- Looking back down to Beck Head & Ennerdale from the ascent route
- Pillar range over Kirk Fell
- The North-Western Fells from Great Gable
- High Stile, Crummock Water & Grasmoor
- The Langdale Pikes over Glaramara & Allen Crags
Great Gable is a wonderful place but I’m not quite sure what – if there is one? – the good way down is… The route down to Windy Gap is again kneejarringly steep and rough in places, needing rather too much care to enjoy. That’s the end of anything difficult between there and Honister though – the path over the fine little peak of Green Gable and down (on a short ‘bagging’ detour) to the more nondescript one of Base Brown is easy, if a bit of a splosh towards the end.
- Green Gable
- Ennerdale & Buttermere from Green Gable
- Base Brown over Gillercomb
There’s probably a quicker way back to the Brandreth ridge than nearly reascending Green Gable first, but it wasn’t obvious on the ground – a thin little path contouring below Gillercomb Head didn’t have an obvious start and looked a very hairy prospect on a slippery day... That peak and Grey Knotts aren’t as striking as the early hills, but it’s still rather a nice rocky ridge with a fine reprise of the earlier view down Buttermere, and only a few downhill yards from a return to the easy tramway back to end the day.
- Ennerdale & High Stile again
- Brandreth & Grey Knotts
- Green Gable & Great Gable north face
- Grey Knotts summit rocks
- Buttermere across Dubs Bottom
- Descending the Drum House tramway towards Borrowdale
