Summit views on Great Gable
Great Gable - what a glorious vantage point
A few weeks ago we were tasked with providing a rewarding day out in the mountains for a small group of seasoned hill walkers. Naturally they had their own ideas and with just a little bit of tweaking we hatched the perfect plan.
Great Gable from Seathwaite.
As the photos will make glaringly obvious, the weather was on our side and we met at the Seathwaite campground under glorious blue skies. Once it was established we all had what was needed for the day, we set off towards Gillercombe. Now there is one little downside to starting this way, there is no warm up on flat ground, the terrain is very steep from the off. Oh well, at least we had the cascading waters of Sour Milk Ghyll to provide some distraction.
Upon reaching the edge of the Combe (Gillercombe) we paused for air and to admire the majestic rock formation of Gillercombe Buttress. We could just make out a couple of climbers gearing up at the base, turns out it was our friends Sam & Jo of LDM. I reminisced about the many times I’d climbed the route and all the fun had on rock. We continued our journey, hugging the base of Base Brown before ascending more steeply to reach the col between this and Green Gable.
Arguably the finest view in all of Lakeland is to be enjoyed on a clear day sat atop Green Gable. The ridges surrounding and framing Ennerdale are truly spectacular and the full scale of the valley can be appreciated. Needless to say we whiled away some time on said summit to fully enjoy the situation. Then it was down to Windy Gap, which was not at all windy today, as this would link us nicely onto Great Gable, the main event of the day.
A steep and rocky path ascends fairly directly up onto the summit plateau of Gable. This was to be our luncheon stop and what finer place could there possibly be. We were certainly not alone in our thinking, for numerous others had the picnics out.
Great Gable has a long and illustrious mountaineering history. The most notable being the dramatic Napes Needle - check out this blog post for more on that - which is only a short climb but punches well above its weight. Possibly the most dramatic summit in the District. But that wasn’t for us today, for today we took the simpler life afforded to hill walkers, no ropes needed.
Descending south-east to Styhead, there was plenty of chatter enjoyed between us and fellow walkers. Spirits were high as the sun continued to be kind to us. We enjoyed another stint off our feet at Styhead, chatting about the rescue box and how mountain rescue has changed in recent times. I remembered a dip I’d enjoyed in the tarn some years ago, yes it was freezing and no I didn’t bother on this occasion.
The return route now straightforwardly following Styhead Gill and on to Taylorgill Force before returning to the valley proper at Stockley Bridge. The pools of crystal clear water must be a welcome sight for many a walker with aching muscles and hot feet.
All too soon we were back at Seathwaite, marking the end of a fabulous day in the mountains of the Lake District.
It is such a privilege and pleasure to call these mountains and valleys home.
Thanks for reading this far, I hope it’s been enjoyable and inspiring. If you would like to hire a guide for walking, climbing, or the various other activities we offer here in the Lake District, please do let us know. We will always endeavour to provide you with a memorable day out.
Mark & Kate
Ennerdale from Green Gable - en-route to Great Gable
Descending the rocky summit of Great Gable
Taking in the views from Green Gable