Great Gable from Seathwaite - Photo Gallery

The last time I visited Seathwaite was in January and I was able to park my car at the gates of Seathwaite Farm but today the road is full of cars for at least half a mile.

Again the weather is dry and bright as I walk through the arch in the farm buildings on the right and cross the footbridge over the youthful River Derwent. The fellside looks very green, the bracken has sprung up in the last week and given the hills a very bright covering. The waterfall higher up looks like a lumpy white mass which is probably why it is called Sour Milk Gill. For all of the cars parked below there was nobody else using this particular route.

An unusual ladder stile at the start of the path takes you across a wall more precariously than necessary and onto the steep reconstructed path. It is an excellent path, steep but full of interest as you pass the waterfall which is much bigger than you would expect. Shortly afterwards is an easy scramble over a twenty foot outcrop of rock and at the top of the path, overflowing from the hanging valley of Gillercomb is another spectacular waterfall.

The well worn path would lead up to the head of Gillercomb but when the path levels out after a couple of grassy hummocks there is a way over wet, pathless ground towards what looks like a series of grassy rakes on Base Brown. Find a way directly up the steep grassy slope avoiding the slippery boulders and suddenly you will find a path running from left to right. Follow the path to the left until it seems to obviously rise up to a rocky outcrop, you could scramble up the greasy boulders I suppose but I ignore the rising path followed an indistinct path continuing to traverse the contours of the fell high above Seathwaite.

This path soon passes below the perched boulder shown on the map as Hanging Stone that seemingly defies the laws of gravity. Eventually the path seems to disappear but there is a path, more distinct these days, that slants up the the right. Follow the path, not very obvious at times, until you reach the false summit and see just how much further the real summit is after working hard already. There are excellent views from the false summit down over Seathwaite and its farm.

From the summit of Base Brown there is an easy if wet walk down a col where you join the obvious path directly ahead towards Green Gable. The eroded stony path is a bit of a slog and there a a couple of false summits before you reach its final rocky crown. From the summit of Green Gable is a fantastic view of Great Gable and in fact today there are excellent views towards Buttermere and Ennerdale on one side and the Langdale pikes on the other.

The descent from Green Gable to Windy Gap is eroded and a bit slippery but no real problem, follow the obvious path up towards Great Gable and you soon arrive at a light coloured rock outcrop. You can choose any one of a number of ways to scramble upto fifty feet, plenty of hands on but without any danger. Then the stony top of Great Gable is reached for the final walk up to the summit.

On days like this when the visibility is good it is worth visiting the Westmoreland cairn, make a beeline for Wastwater and you will find the large conical cairn perched on the edge of a cliff. The views down onto Tophet Bastion and the green ridge at the meeting of the rocky ridges gives a good feeling of the ruggedness of Great Gable.

Then back to the summit to find the start of the Breast Route down to Styhead Pass, a better route to descend than to ascend especially with so many other good ways of getting to the top of Great Gable. From the pass is the relatively easy walk back to to Stockley Bridge and then back to Seathwaite.

Andy Wallace 28th June 2003