Great Gable, named for it's pyrimidal view from Wasdale, is a favourite of many fellwalkers. It's profile is recognisable from thousands of Lakeland photos and its name has been almost sacred amongst walkers and climbers for decades. We wanted a piece of this action and so took advantage of the good weather this weekend to do so.
Wainwright states, "If Great Gable were known only as a Wasdale Fell fewer persons would climb it." So it seems only fitting that as we set off to climb this revered peak, we started in Langdale.
After weeks of rain, cloud and wind in the Lakes, conditions finally improved this weekend and a long walk in the hills was unavoidable. With this in mind we packed our mountain gear (along with bedding and the compulsory coffee making kit) into the van and set off for Langdale on Friday evening. Alan reluctantly in tow as normal.
Langdale is often our starting point of choice for three reasons. The first is that the car park is a National Trust car park (where members can park all day for free), the second is that the forty minute drive is short in comparison to reaching Wasdale, Ennerdale or Borrowdale (the other gateways to the big hills), and the third and arguably most important reason, the pub by the car park does the most fantastic loaded fries. Add in the unofficial bonus that nobody seems to bat an eyelid when we park overnight here, and you can see why it is so inviting.
We therefore headed into the pub, filled up with loaded fries and headed back to the van to get an early night. Telling ourselves as we did so that we would definitely be up and walking by 06:00.
At 07:00 the next morning, post coffee and granola and headed towards the exit of the car park. We were heading for Great Gable and so had to walk the length of the valley towards Esk Hause, the views of the Langdale Pikes, Crinkle Crags and Pike of Blisco being burned by the rising sun lending an extra skip to our step as we went. The magic of the Langdale valley is that you can walk so deep into it before reaching a huge wall of rock, the only way to continue being to climb up and out, with the promise of another valley opening up in front of you once you finally make it over the top.
From the end of the valley, it was time to start climbing. We were taking the left fork, heading up to Angle Tarn and through to Esk Hause, before descending down the other side to Sprinkling and then Styhead tarns. Needless to say, the views kept getting better, and the soft morning light, wispy clouds and rising sun created a dramatic silhouette of the Scafell ridge which had me running through bogs trying to find the right angle, loudly expressing how beautiful I found the whole place. Honestly, if you ever want to be grateful just for being alive, I can’t think of a better place to do it.
Onwards from my overly dramatic love for the fells, we continued on our planned route, which was to skirt the front of Great Gable on the path to Napes Needle, before reaching the pass between Great Gable and Kirk Fell, and heading up to the summit. The path as we skirted the side of the mountain slowed our progress significantly, through a combination of tricky rocky sections, the occasional difficulty in spotting the path (scree slopes can be deceptive) and my need to stop every few seconds to take a photo of the valley. There were a couple of occasions we had to double back and improvise for the dogs sake, but we took our time and moved slowly and safely, soaking in all that this beautiful route was providing. Which was one heck of a lot.
As we reached the pass between Kirk Fell and Great Gable our hearts felt full, but our tummies felt empty, so we stopped for a rest and to cook some dehydrated meals. Pork and beans for Alan and myself, mushroom risotto for Jon (Jon’s was the tastiest by far), and a surprise beer which Jon had sneaked into his pack to accompany a spectacular lunch.
Post eating, we set off again, peeking down into Ennerdale before tackling the short, steep climb up to the summit of Great Gable, which was poking in and out of the cloud. Again, there were a couple of bits which challenged the dog (the rocks were quite slimy and slippery), but by moving slowly and carefully, and lending a helping hand to push his backside up the steepest sections, it wasn't long before we were proudly standing on top. Unfortunately for Alan, his efforts in reaching the summit were not appreciated by the other dog at the top, who spent the whole time growling grumpily at him.
We didn’t hang around long, the shorter daylight hours playing on our mind, and headed down across Windy Gap and up the other side to Green Gable. Though slightly lower than its more famous neighbour, Green Gable still gave us the feeling of being high up above the world, particularly given that cloud had now filled Ennerdale completely, and only the highest peaks were visible above the sea of white. It was a spectacular moment that pretty much tops all the mountain experiences I have had this year.
It was around 15:00 by the time we left the summit of Green Gable and the sun had already dipped behind the fells as we headed down the steep rocky path towards Styhead tarn. The decision to start in Langdale feeling slightly less favourable now, as both Wasdale and Borrowdale would have meant a much shorter return route.
From the tarn we headed back up and over Esk Hause, the moon shining brightly above us and the Langdale Pikes bathed in pink as one last visual treat, before the sun set completely and we were plunged into darkness. We slowly picked our way down to the valley floor and then made our way steadily back to the van feeling like we had more than earned another round of loaded fries in the pub as a reward for all of our hard work.
Walk Stats
Parking: National Trust - Sticklebarn and the Langdales
Distance: 25km (15.5 Miles)
Climbing: 1759m
Rough Time: 10 Hours
