Getting Up Gable's Nose - no photos today

Great Gable is my favourite mountain, all of the routes that I have taken up and down have been full of interest, strenuous but not dangerous but there are other routes still to be tried.

I set off from Wasdale Head towards Great Gable in the direction of Styhead, just after crossing the wooden footbridge there is a path half-left that proceeds up Gavel Neese. At first the path is green and the ascent is as easy as it can be given its length and gradient, everything is as Wainwright describes it, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the views all around are excellent.

Then I arrive at the scree, it looks formidable. It is awkward and steep, but not as bad as Kirk Fell last week, Moses’ Finger is unimpressive but at least the going isn’t quite as slippery from now on. Everybody else seems to be taking the path to Beck Head, all the more reason to persevere, I don’t fancy going back down that way anyway.

The path levels out a bit and becomes a rough and interesting path, as long as you don’t look downwards whilst walking, it’s a long way down. The path upwards meets the Climbers Travers path that also goes to Beck Head and shortly afterwards I arrive at Little Hell Gate. Wainwright’s drawings and W.A.Poucher’s photographs don’t do it justice, the width, gradient and height of this scree run are breathtaking. The path across the scree over to the right hand wall of rock is slightly nerve-wracking – the whole slope moves at the slightest provocation.

The view down Wasdale is excellent, it has started to rain and I can see the cloud moving up the valley towards me, the mist overtakes me rushing uphill – shame about the view. The scree looks impossible, it’s just as well that there are good, reassuring handholds to the right all the way up. The Sphinx Rock looks very different close up, more like one of the Easter Island statues, it looks like a face with human features including a cut out for the mouth.

The ascent is strenuous, being tall I have the advantage of long legs but also the disadvantage of a head that can get too close to overhanging rocks. Eventually I climb out on to the ridge, I can’t see anything but I have a tremendous feeling of height and openness, the path to the summit now easy. I only saw one other “walker” on the way up, he was on his way to the Needle for some climbing, but there must be 20 people at the summit when I arrive.

The descent down to Beck Head is interesting as always, especially in the rain, and I almost make the usual mistake taking a good path down to the right which only leads to uncomfortable scree. Another walker happens to be in the right place at that time to point me in the right direction.

From Beck Head, up Rib End to one of Kirk Fell’s summits, I retrieve the towel that I left there by mistake last week, a longer walk than you might expect over to the other summit – the fence is a reliable guide in mist.

Down to Black Sail Pass is a very interesting path, especially when the rocks are wet, from the top of the descent it looks as though you are going over the edge. The path is rough and there are a couple of rock steps which involve the “five points of contact” technique, if my legs were shorter I would have to think of something more elegant.

From Black Sail Pass is an easy descent to Wasdale Head now that the mist and rain have disappeared.

Andy Wallace 14th July 2001