When it comes to naming iconic Lake District mountains, Great Gable is never far from the top of the list. Sitting at the head of England’s deepest lake, next door to England’s highest mountain, and with its pyramidal profile taking centre stage on the National Park’s logo, this is a peak with serious credentials.
But what is Great Gable like to climb? The good news is that it’s one of those wonderful mountains you can approach from many angles, and while some of the more rocky ascents will quicken your pulse, most are on good paths that are easy enough to navigate if you know your stuff.
Climbing Great Gable also treats you to something of a highlight reel of the Lake District’s greatest hits. You get unbeatable angles of Scafell Pike (England’s highest mountain), the chance to get up close and personal with the famous rocky monolith of Napes Needle, a viewpoint from Westmorland Cairn that was once voted the best in Britain, plus much more in-between.
The hardest thing for hikers is choosing the best route to climb Great Gable by, which is why we’ve put together this quick guide. For us, there’s no better way to approach the mountain than from Wasdale on the Moses’ Trod path, which is the route described in detail below. This provides knockout views of Gable’s best features as you ascend, then allows you to go up and over the summit before returning via the rocky and thrilling Climbers’ Traverse path.
But before we get started, let's clear up some of the most common questions people have about climbing Great Gable.
How high is Great Gable?
Great Gable stands at 899 metres, which depending on which designations you agree with places it around 10th on the list of England’s highest mountains. It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that the walk from Wasdale starts close to sea level. So even though Gable isn’t an absolute giant, there’s a lot of ascent between where you park and the car and when you reach the summit.
Is Great Gable suitable for beginners?
As with most mountain walks, this very much depends on the weather conditions and time of year. If you climb Gable on a clear summer’s day with warm temperatures and low winds, you should have no problem. But this is still a mountain full of serious rocky terrain with crags and cliffs surrounding the summit, so if the cloud comes down and you aren’t confident with your navigation skills, you’ll need an experienced companion with you.
What’s the best place to start the walk?
The two main starting points for Great Gable are either Wasdale Head or Seathwaite Farm in Borrowdale. Both approaches are wonderful in their own right, and Borrowdale is far more convenient to reach by car than the long drive around to Wasdale. But we’d still always lean towards Wasdale. It puts you right in the heart of England’s highest mountains from the start of the walk, and the views of Gable are spectacular from the second you leave the car park.
What’s the nearest town to Great Gable?
This depends where you start the walk from. If you’re climbing Great Gable from Borrowdale then Keswick is your best bet to stop for supplies, but if you approach from Wasdale then you’re out in the Lake District’s Wild West! In this case, Egremont and Cockermouth (further away to the north) are the most reliable places for shops being open.
If you're looking for places to stay in the area, the YHA offers excellent and affordable accommodation all over the Lake District. You can also find good deals near the start of our recommended walk from Wasdale on websites like Booking.com and Expedia.
Can you climb Great Gable and Scafell Pike together?
You could, but we wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re super-fit and super-experienced, or unless you plan to carry a tent and climb both peaks as part of a multi-day trip. As the crow flies there’s around 3km between the two mountain summits, but on the ground that becomes 4.5km with the smaller matter of almost 600m of re-ascent after you’ve dropped to the mountain pass of Sty Head that separates the two peaks. In short, it would be a monstrous effort to climb both mountains in the same walk.
Is Great Gable suitable for kids?
As with almost all Lake District peaks, the answer to this question is probably yes, but with plenty of caveats. You’ll know what your children are capable of in terms of energy and enjoyment levels, so the key thing is not to be overly ambitious. Kids are certainly capable of climbing a mountain like Great Gable, but it’s probably not the best choice for their first peak. Far better to start them on something lower like Cat Bells, then build up to a higher mountain like this. And of course, avoid bad weather and make sure children have appropriate clothing and kit.
Can I take my dog with me?
Your dog will probably find climbing a mountain of this size easier than you will, but there are still things to consider. Are you carrying enough water and food for them? Can you keep them under control around livestock? Are they used to walking on steep and potentially dangerous terrain? Like with the advice for walking with children above, start your dog on something smaller and build up to the bigger mountains.
Can you climb Great Gable in winter?
Of course. But the challenge will be completely different to the one you experience in summer. The Lake District mountains can be very serious places to walk in the winter months, with subzero temperatures, snow, ice, and high winds very common. Make sure you have all the relevant kit for a winter ascent, and the skills to use it.
How to climb Great Gable: LFTO’s recommended route
Route: Great Gable and the Climbers’ Traverse
Start: Wasdale Head
Distance: 10.5km
Ascent: 1130m
Our recommended walk starts in the big area of free parking on the green at Wasdale Head. This is the closest place you can park to Great Gable and also avoids the £9 parking charge (at the time of writing) at the National Trust car park that you’ll pass on the way. Get there early though, because the car parking area fills up fast in peak season.
If the visibility is good, most of the route will now be visible ahead, with Great Gable dominating the head of the valley. Follow the lane past the farm buildings at Burnthwaite, then join the Moses’ Trod Path until you reach a wooden bridge at a fork in Lingmell Beck. Cross the bridge, then take the uphill path to your left that climbs steeply past Gavel Neese and alongside Gable Beck to the saddle at Beck Head.
Beck Head is a great place to stop for a break, with some big boulders to take shelter behind and a couple of small tarns to explore before the push to the summit. After you’ve finished your sandwiches, pick up the path that heads south-east towards Gable’s summit. It zigzags back and forth to start with, then turns a bit scrambly as you get closer to the top. The views behind you from here, down Ennerdale and into the emptiness of Mosedale, are absolutely wonderful.
Once at the summit, make sure you check out the war memorial and the epic view from Westmorland Cairn that stretches down Wasdale and out towards the Cumbrian coast. Then it’s time to descend the opposite side of the mountain, down to the famous mountain crossroads of Sty Head.
Even in poor visibility, you’ll know you’ve landed at Sty Head if you locate the distinctive Mountain Rescue stretcher box. And this is where the route gets really interesting, as you pick up the faint path that leads below Kern Knotts and heads towards Great Napes. This is known as the Climbers’ Traverse, and is one of the best walking trails in all of Lakeland.
The Climbers’ Traverse contours around the southern and western faces of Great Gable, which is where most of the mountain's real action is. The trail is loose in places as you cross scree chutes and boulders, but although the path isn’t always immediately obvious on the ground you should be able to follow it without too much trouble.
Eventually, you’ll pass beneath the iconic spire of Napes Needle and the wonderfully shaped Sphinx Rock. Above you all the way are cliffs, crags, and ridges that were scaled by some of Britain’s earliest rock-climbing pioneers, and you can feel the sense of history as you tiptoe beneath them.
You’ll then pass White Napes before picking up your original ascent path, which you’ll now use to descend back to Moses’ Trod with superb views down the Wasdale Valley all the way.
4 more routes up Great Gable
Great Gable Girdle, from Wasdale
A grand circuit of the mountain which shows off all of its best features, without ever touching the summit: VIEW IN OS MAPS
Great Gable and Kirk Fell, from Wasdale
Bag two mountains in one great and very rocky route via the Climbers’ Traverse and Black Sail Pass: VIEW IN OS MAPS
Great Gable and Fleetwith Pike, from Honister Pass
Start at the car park for Honister Slate Mine, then head over Grey Knotts and Green Gable before returning via Fleetwith Pike: VIEW IN OS MAPS
Great Gable and Green Gable, from Seathwaite
Lovely loop from Borrowdale via Sourmilk Gill, Green Gable, and Windy Gap to Great Gable’s summit, then back via Sty Head: VIEW IN OS Maps
About the author
Oli Reed is the editor of LFTO and Trail magazine, and has been walking in the Lake District since he was a toddler. Oli's walked all of the routes mentioned above and picked the recommended one from Wasdale after walking it in late December 2023. Apart from a bit of cloud on the summit, the views were magical all day and he'd describe this as one of the finest single-day mountain routes in England.
