Great Gable
1
NY186085 Head up the road to Wasdale Head Inn, then the track up the valley to right of the stream. Bear right to pass along the base of Kirk Fell on a path with several stream crossings. At Burnthwaite, join the wider path from the Wasdale Head lane toilets, running up-valley to left of Lingmell Beck. Take the left fork slanting up to the major pass at Sty Head.
2
NY218094 At the stretcher box turn up sharp left, on a faint, intermittent path. It runs west up a tiny stream then contours to pass through the boulders below Kern Knotts crag. After a slight drop it contours across broken ground, then rises towards a small spring cave. Scramble easily up to left of the cave onto screes, and take the upper of two paths slanting up left. It contours across more broken ground, then crosses the scree chute Great Hell Gate to the spur beyond. Head up to left of a small vertical crag, to turn left and contour to a small scree with Napes Needle (foreshortened) not far above. (You could turn up here to scramble to the Dress Circle viewpoint beside the Needle.)
3
NY209099 Across the narrow scree the narrow path continues contouring across steep, broken ground. The path divides; the upper one passes about 50m below the conspicuous Sphinx Rock and has a rocky groove to scramble down to the screes of Little Hell Gate. Cross these to the broken spur of White Napes.
4
NY206100 Turn up the spur on grass ledges and compact, scrambly rocks. At the final well-defined tower, the adventurous can scramble straight up (Grade 2) but it’s easier to head left on a grass ledge, to the scree behind the tower, and turn up it to the little neck at the top of the White Napes. Head up the main mountain on a zigzag scree path. As the slope eases, contour right, above Westmorland Buttress, to the large old Westmorland Cairn. Head straight uphill to Gable summit.
5
NY210103 With your back to the memorial plaque, head north-west along some cairns. At the plateau corner head down a steepish spur of rocks, with stones and scree below. At a level shoulder, turn down left to the wide Beck Head col. (From here, a wide
path down left leads back to Wasdale Head.)
6
NY206106 Cross the wide saddle to the foot of a path up Kirk Fell. Instead of the path, you can pass up to the right of a small pool for some gentle, scrambly rocks, then slant left for similar rocks to the left of the path. At the top of these, again cross the path for final rocks to the right of it. At the plateau, head west over a preliminary hump, dip slightly to pass a pool, and rise gently to Kirk Fell’s summit cairn.
7
NY194105 Descend west of north, along a line of old iron fence posts. Where the posts turn down to the right, keep ahead to the top of a rocky spur. A worn path with small rocky steps runs down the spur.
At the foot of the rocky section a grass path runs down to Black Sail Pass, with an old rusty gate at the saddle point.
8
NY191114 At the saddle point, turn left down the wide, clear path to Wasdale Head.