Transphinxed - Photo Gallery
Today the weather looks good enough for one of the extra special routes. I have done it before and I know I will be safe but reading Wainwright's description of his ascent of Great Gable from Wasdale Head always makes me feel a little bit apprehensive. At Wasdale Head it is bright and sunny with mist sitting on the tops of the highest fells, but according to Guy the forecast says that there is 100% chance of rain later.
From The Barn Door shop take the path through the fields to St. Olaf's church, in itself worth a visit and with its small graveyard full of reminders to take care on the fells. Turn left on reaching a farm track and follow it through the yard of Burnthwaite Farm and follow Lingmell Beck up the valley. This is a splendid valley especially walking in tee shirt and shorts in the warm sunshine, although I was beginning to regret not bringing my sun hat with me.
The route is clear ahead, first a green path and then up some grey coloured stuff all of the way up Gable's nose to the crags of the Napes ridges. After crossing the footbridge over Ill Gill the obvious green path rises steeply up to the left. The relatively erosion free path is good for descent but it certainly gives your calf muscles something to think about on the way up. It's a good job the views up and down the valley are good enough for me to have to stop and take photographs at regular and frequent intervals.
After all of that hard work what do you get? All of of sudden the path turns to scree, the easy option is to carry on to Beck Head but you wouldn't want to do that would you, not with Moses Finger beckoning just a short distance up the fell. But what a short distance, it doesn't seem as bad as I remember it but it is still steep and slippery. It doesn't seem possible that on a fellside crumbling away like this that there is an eight foot tall upright boulder. With very little visible means of support, it is still standing exactly as it was nearly forty years ago when Wainwright wrote about it.
After passing Moses Finger there is more steep scree for a short way until you reach a cairn that marks a more secure looking path, the South Traverse rising up to the right. The cool breeze, at first pleasant but now too cool to be ignored, means that I have to put on my jacket and some gloves.
You need a good head for heights as you climb upwards at an easy angle, walking over scree that sometimes moves, the view downwards is exhilarating. The path seemed to take a sharp left turn up the steep grass and boulders or I missed the path, but in any event I was suddenly overlooking Little Hell Gate, a formidable scree slope. At this point is the first view of the Sphinx Rock with its strangely life like profile.
You can't see the way across Little Hell Gate until you are almost on top of it and it is probably much safer than it feels when the rocks slide slightly under your feet. Safely across the scree the exhilaration of the surroundings is slightly tempered by the apprehension of what might be next. What comes next is more climbing than walking, steeply up flattened grass and boulders I am not the first person to walk this way.
If you don't know where it is you could miss the Sphinx Rock, it is possible to scramble over rocks and to stand beside it, this is really a wonderful, magical place.
The view all around is magnificent, Napes Needle dwarfed by Needle Ridge complete with climbers, downwards is a long way down and the profile of Sphinx Rock from close up is startlingly human looking.
There's more! The steep climb over rocks is about as exhilarating as a walker would want without being fastened to a rope. The way is obvious, the steepness is steep and the exposure is great at times, especially in the strengthening breeze and with hands getting cold enough for big gloves.
All too soon the climb ends, but the small green ridge is completely unexpected, another one of those green welcome mats that the mountains sometimes provide after a strenuous climb. By now I was in the mist and the final rough walk to the summit of Great Gable was without views and the summit was almost without people, only two others on a Bank Holiday Saturday!
The descent to Beck Head from Great Gable is one of my favourites routes and I never tire of doing it but these days I don't wander off on to the scree on either side. The mist cleared soon enough to give good views of Kirk Fell, the High Stile range and Beck Head, I had never noticed that there were two tarns there before.
By the time I got down to Beck Head I couldn't ignore how cold it had become and had to put my long pants on over my shorts. The climb up Kirk Fell gave me the usual excellent view of Great Gable, the best looking mountain in the Lake District.
As I reached the north top of Kirk Fell, a rescue helicopter landed close to the summit and stayed for a short time, a puzzling event given the complete lack of people. As I reached the summit it was becoming apparent that the weather forecast might be right, over to the west there are signs of bad weather coming in. The easy walk across the summit is followed by an entertaining descent to Black Sail pass. As I got to the bottom of the descent I had a quick route planning conference and decided that I didn't have time for Pillar today, it was too early to simply descend to Wasdale so I turned around and made the entertaining climb back up Kirk Fell.
By the time I reached the summit plateau the rain had come in and visibility was not very good. Fortunately the fence over Kirk Fell goes all the way from Black Sail pass to Beck Head, trust it as it changes direction and it will lead you to both summits and down safely to Beck Head.
From Beck Head is an easy descent back down to Wasdale Head.
Andy Wallace 3rd May 2003