Indy climbs the iconic Great Gable, Green Gable and Hay Stacks

STD

Great Gable [W]

INDY Sep 06, 2024 Honister, Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Green Gable, Windy Gap, Great Gable, Moses Trod, Hay Stacks Peaks, Innominate Tarn, Dubs Quarry

Start Point, Map

Distance 7.95 miles, Time 5.13 h, Total Ascent 3,314 ft Imperial | Metric

INDY SAYS: A great walk, although Great Gable was very rocky. I got to swim in Innominate Tarn again!

Today we attack Great Gable from Honister.
To make up for the high start, we take in Grey Knotts, Brandreth and Green Gable, and add a tour of the Hay Stacks Peaks on the return leg.
It was a beautiful day.

Lots of pics today, so we skip past Grey Knotts and...

... Brandreth, from where we can already see the Gables

Green Gable ahead with Great Gable behind

Close to the mighty Great Gable

This is what climbing Great Gable looks like

Indy on extended lead in case she needs help

The memorial. One of my good friends has a relative here

Yes, this is the Lake District!

Views from Great Gable are fine in all directions

I have chosen just two. That is Wastwater in the centre

Styhead Tarn and Sprinkling Tarn behind. A little further than they look, we hope to visit them on a future Scafell Pike route from Seathwaite

Our next objective - Hay Stacks

The start of Moses Trod - a good route with an interesting history*

Blackbeck Tarn to left of centre

Come on!

We have a long lunch relaxing in the heather here.
We are on the Southern side of Hay Stacks, taking in the extra peaks (Haystacks SE Top, Innominate Peak...)

After visiting the usual Hay Stacks summits, we reverse direction.
A swim for Indy in Innominate Tarn - where else?

A close up of Indy as the weather finally clears. A clear image of the path along Stonycroft Gill in the background, Sep 06, 2024

Indy's favourite - Innominate Tarn. They say if your dog looks happy then your dog is happy. Who could argue with this pic?

And a nice swim to cool down

The old tram route back

At the end of a long day...

*Moses Trod: Before the roads and tramways, it was more convenient to transport slate from Dubs to South Cumberland by packhorse directly across the high fells to Wasdale {...} This high-level route, cleverly planned to avoid steep gradients and rough places, can still be traced... Alfred Wainwright, Great Gable 7

Start: Honister

1) "Honister rambler" bus from Keswick to Honister
2) All day car parking, toilets and café at Honister Slate Mine [NY 22414 13561]

Route

Honister, Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Green Gable, Windy Gap, Great Gable, Moses Trod, Hay Stacks Peaks, Innominate Tarn, Dubs Quarry
Distance 7.95 miles, Time 5.13 h, Total Ascent 3,314 ft
Wainwright Pictorial Guide: The Western Fells

Back to top

Please do your own research to verify current routes and information on car parking, bus services and so on

Route maps from Ordnance Survey are scaled 1:25000 unless otherwise indicated.
Distance, Hike Time and Total Ascent as supplied by OS. Image shows planned route.
Distance 7.95 miles, Time 5.13 h, Total Ascent 3,314 ft

You are viewing in STD mode for standard images. If you wish to see HD full size images, click here