Great Gable Wainwright: Western Fells Profile

Great Gable is one of the defining fells of the western Lake District: steep-sided, rocky and instantly recognisable above Wasdale. Its strong profile, high summit and position between several major valleys give it a presence beyond its height alone. Fell-walkers value it for the rough ground, far-reaching views and deep links with Lakeland climbing and remembrance.

A fell with a commanding position

Great Gable rises to 898.8 metres, or 2,949 feet, at grid reference NY211103. It is the seventh-highest of the 214 Wainwrights and the highest fell in Wainwright’s Western Fells. From Wasdale, its southern face forms the familiar steep, roughly pyramidal profile seen beyond Wasdale Head. Elsewhere, the shape is less regular, with crags, scree and a broad rocky summit giving the fell a more complex character.

Its position helps explain its prominence. Great Gable stands between Wasdale, Ennerdale and Borrowdale, with major passes and cols separating it from the surrounding fells. Windy Gap links it with Green Gable, while Beck Head lies between Great Gable and Kirk Fell. Sty Head, below the south-eastern side, has long been an important crossing between Wasdale and Borrowdale.

Great Gable in the Western Fells

Great Gable appears as number 7 in The Western Fells. Its neighbouring Wainwrights include Green Gable, Brandreth, Grey Knotts and Base Brown, forming a substantial group around the head of Borrowdale and the upper reaches of Ennerdale. The underlying rocks belong to the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, whose hard volcanic formations shape many of the central and western Lakeland fells.

On a clear day, the summit gives extensive views across the Scafell range, including Scafell Pike, as well as towards Pillar, Kirk Fell, Green Gable and the northern fells. The immediate valleys are partly concealed by the summit’s broad form, but the wider arrangement of ridges, passes and high tops is particularly clear.

Climbing history and remembrance

The southern side of Great Gable is closely associated with the development of British rock climbing. Napes Needle, a slender rock pinnacle on the Napes crags, was climbed by Walter Parry Haskett Smith in 1886. That ascent is often cited as a landmark in the emergence of rock climbing as a sport in its own right. The Napes and nearby Kern Knotts remain important names in Lakeland climbing history.

Great Gable also carries one of the Lake District’s most significant war memorials. After the First World War, the Fell and Rock Climbing Club bought Great Gable and surrounding land in memory of club members who had died in the conflict, presenting the land to the National Trust. A bronze memorial plaque was placed on the summit rocks in 1924. A remembrance service continues to be held there each November, drawing fell-walkers and climbers to the summit in all conditions.

Where Great Gable stands

Summit at grid reference NY211103 · open full map

The real Great Gable

Walking Great Gable

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Great Gable (where2walk.co.uk)
• Base Brown, Green Gable, Great Gable and Seathwaite Fell (walklakes.co.uk)
• Great Gable Circular, Cumbria, England - 226 Reviews, Map (alltrails.com)

Weather on Great Gable

Conditions estimated at summit height (899 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

Great Gable on your wall

Great Gable’s bold outline, broken crags and changing western light give it a character that holds its own on a wall. Our AI Art Personas have painted this landscape in a range of styles, from restrained studies of Wasdale to more expressive views of the summit and Napes.

Own “Vibrant Light on Great Gable” — our painting of Great Gable → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Western Fells

• Green Gable 800 m
• Brandreth 715 m
• Grey Knotts 697 m
• Base Brown 646 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.