Great Gable
Walking Guide and Walks

The Great Gable group of mountains is amongst the finest in England with this iconic summit the centrepiece of a range of high-quality fells. Other notable summits include Pillar, Red Pike (Wasdale), the High Stile Ridge above Buttermere, Fleetwith Pike and, despite is relative low height, Yewbarrow.

All the major summits see a steady flow of walkers with Great Gable often quite crowded at peak times of the year. The lower fells further west see relatively few walkers even on a sunny bank holiday and are ideal for those who seek solitude.

Great Gable can be approached from Wasdale, Seathwaite or Honister Pass, and can be combined with other tops for a challenging day in the hills. Approaches to Pillar also include the lonely walk in from Ennerdale. The High Stile ridge is usually walked from Buttermere from where ascents of Fleetwith Pike and Yewbarrow can also be started.

List of walks

★ GPS file available ☩ Route profile

Walk	Description	Grade	Miles
1176★☩	Yewbarrow	moderate	4.50
1826★☩	Green Gable & Gillercomb Horseshoe	moderate	5.50
1289★☩	Fleetwith Pike & Haystacks	moderate	5.50
1306★☩	Base Brown & Great Gable	mod/hard	6.00
1302★	Low Fell and Fellbarrow from Loweswater	easy/mod	6.00
1303★☩	Buckbarrow, Seatallan & Middle Fell from Loweswater	moderate	7.00
1112★☩	Great Gable	hard	7.25
2900★☩	Pillar (by the High Level Path) from Wasdale	mod/hard	8.00
2735★☩	Fleetwith Pike and Buttermere Circular	mod/hard	8.50
1153★☩	The High Stile Ridge	hard	10.00
2341★☩	Circuit of Nether Beck and Over Beck from Wasdale	hard	11.25
1126★☩	Mosedale Horseshoe	hard	11.50
1444★☩	Great Gable (Borrowdale route)	hard	12.00
1690★☩	Netherbeck Horseshoe - Middle Fell, Steeple & Red Pike from Wasdale Head	mod/hard	12.50
2058★☩	Ennerdale Skyline incl. Steeple & other fells	mod/hard	13.75
1082★☩	Ennerdale Horseshoe	severe	18.00

Table of summits in the Great Gable Group

Rank	Mountain	Metres/Feet	Location
22	Great Gable	899 / 2949	Lake District
26	Pillar	892 / 2927	Lake District
45	Little Scoat Fell	841 / 2759	Lake District
52	Red Pike - Wasdale	826 / 2710	Lake District
57	High Stile	807 / 2648	Lake District
62	Kirk Fell	802 / 2631	Lake District
67	Haycock	797 / 2615	Lake District
100	High Crag	744 / 2441	Lake District
119	Brandreth	715 / 2346	Lake District
145	Seatallan	694 / 2277	Lake District
208	Fleetwith Pike	648 / 2126	Lake District
215	Iron Crag	640 / 2100	Lake District
222	Starling Dodd	633 / 2077	Lake District
227	Yewbarrow	628 / 2060	Lake District
247	Great Bourne	616 / 2021	Lake District

What is a mountain?

The accepted standard for a mountain in England & Wales is that its summit is 610 metres (2000 feet) or more above sea level. In addition, rules are in place on the height difference above intervening cols with adjacent summits to determine whether a summit is a separate mountain or a subsidiary 'top'. This is not the place to discuss the technicalities of this issue but the list has been checked against reliable tables. With simplicity in mind separate tops have been excluded from the list as these would normally be discussed in relation to their main summits. The list includes 258 summits and these will all be added in due course starting from the highest and working down.

Stay Safe

Do enjoy yourself when out walking and choose a route that is within your capabilities especially with regard to navigation.

Do turn back if the weather deteriorates especially in winter or when visibility is poor.

Do wear the right clothing for the anticipated weather conditions. If the weather is likely to change for the worse make sure you have enough extra clothing in your pack.

Do tell someone where you are planning to walk especially in areas that see few other walkers.

Do take maps and other navigational aids. Do not rely on mobile devices in areas where reception is poor. Take spare batteries especially in cold weather.

Do check the weather forecast before leaving. The Met Office has a number of forecasts for walkers that identify specific weather risks.

Please Note - These walks have been published for use by site visitors on the understanding that Walking Britain is not held responsible for the safety or well being of those following the routes as described. It is worth reiterating the point that you should embark on a walk with the correct maps preferably at 1:25000 scale. This will enable any difficulties with route finding to be assessed and corrective action taken if necessary.

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Great GableWalking Guide and Walks

List of walks

Table of summits in the Great Gable Group

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Mountain Weather

Great Gable
Walking Guide and Walks