Great End

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910 mWainwright — Southern Fells+11 bonus Birketts within 3 km Serious in Clag

Great End at 910m (2,984ft) is the northern fortress of the Scafell massif, its great crags plunging dramatically into upper Borrowdale and forming one of the most imposing cliff faces in Lakeland.

Summit conditions on Great End

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 9° to 3°C, gusts to 68 mph, 11.1 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

84 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 58 mph times our exposure factor of 1.44. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 68 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS (opens in new tab) describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Cloud on the top

Past the line

9 out of 100, the clear-top reading

Averaged over the daylight hours, from the forecast’s humidity and low cloud.

The line Our line: a clear-top reading under 20 out of 100, where our scorer says “summit likely clagged in”. There is no outside threshold to cite; it is our estimate. What cloud does to finding the way: navigating in cloud.

Not an observation: cloud lifts and drops within the hour.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

11.1 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like −3 °C, no ice or snow forecast. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Routes up Great End

Both start from Old Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid); the last two rows give its parking and bus. Full maps further down.

Compared	Esk Pike and Great End	Rossett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and more
Starts from	Old Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid)	Great Langdale (New/Old Dungeon Ghyll)
Distance and climb	17.69 km, 1,103 m of climb	17.95 km, 1,212 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~5¼–7¼ h	~5½–7½ h
Scrambling	Not mentioned in the route’s notes	Hands for a few steps: the boulders up Great End and the slabs up Bowfell (km 7.6–9.4 and km 11.3–12.8). The path largely breaks up into boulders and shattered scree, and the climb is a rough, high-stepping scramble through the rocks to the broad, surprisingly flat summit plateau.
Exposure	Moderate	Not assessed
Navigation	Moderate	Moderate
Steepest stretch	Descent of about 29% at 13.8 km (Hard)	Descent of about 34% at 16.1 km (Hard)
After the summit	No further tops	Over Esk Pike and Bowfell
Walked or planned	Planned: drawn, not yet walked	Planned: drawn, not yet walked
Car park at the start	Old Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid)	Old Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid)
Bus to the start	516 at the start	516 at the start

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

Is Great End hard to climb?

It looks fearsome — a 600 ft cliff face towering over the Esk Hause path — but the walkers' way to the top, looping round from Esk Hause, is a straightforward (if rough) ascent with no scrambling. At 910 m (2,984 ft) it's the northern bastion of the Scafell massif.

The catch is that it's high, remote and reached across the confusing Esk Hause/Sty Head crossroads, and in winter its snow-holding gullies make it serious mountaineering ground.

Sources: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 910 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

9° / 3°

68 mph

11.1 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

7° / 4°

49 mph

17.6 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

7° / 5°

31 mph

1.4 mm (67%)

Fri 30 Oct

6° / 4°

26 mph

0.3 mm (12%)

Sat 31 Oct

6° / 0°

4 mph

4.5 mm (8%)

Sun 1 Nov

6° / -1°

13 mph

0.0 mm (2%)

Mon 2 Nov

4° / -4°

9 mph

0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Great End

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Old Dungeon Ghyll (NT, paid) — 0.1 km from the start of Esk Pike and Great End and Rossett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and more (straight line)

Head of Great Langdale — Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o' Blisco, the Langdale Pikes. Free for NT members (checked August 2026).

Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 9 August 2026.

Directions Something changed here?

If it is full: Stickle Ghyll (NT, paid) (1.0 km, 24 m up); Great Langdale, valley road verge (free) (0.8 km) a few spaces only; Side Pike (verge) (0.8 km) a few spaces only

Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel Sticklebarn

Wasdale Head village green car park (free) — 4.0 km from summit (straight line)

At Wasdale Head, about 0.3 km south of the Wasdale Head Inn; the National Trust's Pillar trail starts here and calls it the Wasdale Head Village Green car park (grid ref NY 1868 0852, read 17 October 2026). The 'Round Kirk Fell from Wasdale Head' and 'Extended Mosedale Horseshoe' routes start here; the Great Gable and Scafell Pike routes start at Lake Head, 1.3 km on foot. Added from the 5 August 2026 OSM candidate review.

Directions Something changed here?

Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (farm field, paid) — 4.0 km from summit (straight line)

The farm’s own field, signed off the lane — £5 all day, £10 overnight, no booking needed (the farm’s own page, read 21 September 2026; its notice is still headed 2025). A different place from the free verge on the same lane, and the reason not to race for a verge space. The farm opened it to ease the parking problems in the busy period.

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.

Buses

The 516 stops at Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, a 210 m walk from the start of Rossett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and more — a route we rate Hard overall (hardest: distance and steepness). Last bus: Monday to Thursday 21:10 towards Ambleside (516) and 20:10 towards Kendal (516); Friday 22:30 towards Kendal (516); Saturday 22:30 towards Kendal (516); Sunday 21:10 towards Ambleside (516) and 20:10 towards Kendal (516). Checked against the operator’s timetable, 23 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 516 “Langdale Rambler”

Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Elterwater – New Dungeon Ghyll – Old Dungeon Ghyll

Catch it from: Ambleside · Windermere (change at Ambleside)

The Langdale bus — Pikes, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o' Blisco all walkable from the Dungeon Ghyll stops. Seasonal frequency varies; check before relying on the last bus back.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Great End

Hazard & Incident Information for Great End

Checked by Lee McCoy, 13 June 2026. Draws on published material from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team and Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

The rugged northern bastion of the Scafell range. For summer walkers the issue is navigation on the high, confusing ground around Esk Hause and Calf Cove, and the steep, craggy north face — no place to wander in cloud. In winter its gullies (Central Gully, Window Gully and others) are serious climbing venues with avalanche, cornice and rockfall risk; both Wasdale and Keswick MRT are called here.

North face gullies (winter): Classic but serious winter climbs prone to avalanche, cornice collapse and rockfall — full winter skills and judgement required. Not a walkers' descent in any season.
Esk Hause / Calf Cove in cloud or dark: A maze of paths on featureless ground where walkers regularly get lost — including after dark and in snow. Know your bearing for the onward route before you set off.
Summit edge and north-facing crags: Steep ground drops abruptly from the boulder summit; keep back from the edge in poor visibility.

Who should attempt this fell: Usually climbed as part of a bigger Scafell-range day, so fatigue and time are factors. Strong navigation is essential on the surrounding plateau, and the north-face gullies are a winter mountaineering objective, not a shortcut. Carry a head torch — people get caught out here after dark.

What to watch for: Lost walkers around Esk Hause / Calf Cove in cloud or dark · Winter avalanche and rockfall in the gullies · Navigation errors off the rocky summit

Local Mountain Rescue: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

Safety: Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information (opens in new tab)

Navigating in cloud

Serious in cloud

Of the three things our terrain model measures, the highest reading here is the amount of steep ground within half a kilometre of the summit. A serious place to be caught in cloud: carry map and compass (or GPS) and know how to use them, or save it for a clear day.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Great End compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).

If you need Mountain Rescue

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.

Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.

If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Great End

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

1.1 km SSWIll Crag931 m · Southern

1.2 km SWBroad Crag935 m · Southern

1.3 km NSeathwaite Fell (Great Slack)631 m · Southern

1.6 km ENEHigh House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags)683 m · Southern

1.7 km SSWPen762 m · Southern

1.8 km SSEPike de Bield810 m · Southern

2.1 km NERed Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)720 m · Southern

2.6 km NELooking Steads (Glaramara)775 m · Southern

2.6 km SHigh Gait Crags572 m · Southern

2.7 km ESEBuck Pike (Mickleden)606 m · Southern

2.9 km EBlack Crags (Mickleden)588 m · Southern

Routes over Great End

Esk Pike and Great End

Summits: Esk PikeGreat End

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Picked for its light in: February, March A winter pick assumes the tops are clear of snow and ice on the day, or that you carry winter kit and know how to use it.

Warnings: Esk Hause is a major crossroads where paths to Wasdale, Great Langdale, Eskdale and Borrowdale all converge. In cloud it is one of the most frequently misnavigated points in the fells; walkers have descended the wrong valley believing they were coming off Scafell Pike. Always identify the correct path by compass bearing before descending.

Route guide: Esk Pike and Great End →

Rossett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and more

Summits: Rossett Pike Allen CragsGreat EndEsk Pike Bowfell

Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked

Warnings: Bowfell: The rocky top has crags on several sides and the paths are not always obvious in mist; know your bearing for the descent before you set off. Esk Hause (and the ‘false’ Esk Hause close by, which walkers often take for it) is a notorious place to go wrong: several paths meet and in cloud it is easy to set off toward the wrong valley — Langstrath, Grains Gill, Langdale or back to Sty Head. Know exactly which path you want and take a compass bearing before committing. Esk Hause is a major crossroads where paths to Wasdale, Great Langdale, Eskdale and Borrowdale all converge. In cloud it is one of the most frequently misnavigated points in the fells; walkers have descended the wrong valley believing they were coming off Scafell Pike. Always identify the correct path by compass bearing before descending.

From the hazard notes for Bowfell, each with its sources.

Route guide: Rossett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and more →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Great End

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Esk Pike and Great End route:

Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel (135 m from the start, straight line) Great Langdale Campsite (255 m from the start, straight line) Great Langdale Campsite (297 m from the start, straight line)

On the Rossett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End and more route:

Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel (102 m from the start, straight line) Great Langdale Campsite (228 m from the start, straight line) Great Langdale Campsite (251 m from the start, straight line)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

About Great End

Great End, a Lake District fell — Photo: Ann Bowker, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wainwright described it as a fell of great character — from Esk Hause its summit wall looks almost impregnable, though the walker's route up the south-west ridge is straightforward enough. The summit commands outstanding views along the full length of Borrowdale and across to Skiddaw and Blencathra. Reached most naturally from Seathwaite via Styhead or from Great Langdale via Rossett Gill — a worthy objective in its own right, not just a stepping stone to Scafell Pike.

Classifications & hill data

Is Great End a Wainwright?

Great End is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list, the Fellranger list and the Hewitt list.

Selected lists

910 m

Height

2,984 ft

In feet

NY 2267 0838

Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is also a Birkett.

Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →

The view from Great End

The 360° skyline from Great End

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys

The skyline as a list, by direction

North: Crag Hill (12 km), Grisedale Pike (14 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (20 km), Skiddaw Little Man (20 km), Skiddaw South Top (20 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (21 km), Skiddaw (21 km)
North-east: High Crag (13 km), Nethermost Pike (13 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (13 km), Helvellyn (13 km), White Side (14 km), Raise (15 km), Stybarrow Dodd (16 km), Green Side (16 km), Little Dodd (16 km), Great Dodd (17 km), Knowe Crags (20 km), Gategill Fell Top (21 km), Blencathra (22 km)
East: Dollywaggon Pike (13 km), Fairfield (14 km), Cofa Pike (14 km), Hart Crag (14 km), St Sunday Crag (15 km), Thornthwaite Crag (20 km), High Street (22 km), Rampsgill Head (22 km), High Raise (23 km)
South-east: Crinkle Crags (4 km), Swirl How (9 km), Brim Fell (11 km), The Old Man of Coniston (12 km)
West: Red Pike (6 km), Haycock (8 km)
North-west: Pillar (7 km), Black Crag (7 km), Scoat Fell (7 km), Steeple (8 km), Grasmoor (13 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Slieve Donard (180 km, Ireland), Merrick (111 km, Scotland), Aran Fawddwy (190 km, Wales), Snaefell (85 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (110 km, Scotland), The Cheviot (131 km, England), Cairnsmore of Fleet (93 km, Scotland), Corserine (107 km, Scotland).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Great End

Great End catches the sun before the valley does. On not one of the sixteen dates modelled does this summit wait for first light — the eastern horizon falls away rather than standing over you, and at midsummer the light reaches it 4 minutes before almanac sunrise.

Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.

Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
	First light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	04:34 BST ±5.0 min	04:38	-4 min
Equinox	06:12 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	-4 min
Midwinter	08:26 GMT ±5.0 min	08:33	-7 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.55°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Great End

Great End loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when last light is 23 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:27 against 15:50. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (223.9°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.09°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
	Last light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	21:58 BST ±5.0 min	21:53	+5 min
Equinox	18:33 GMT ±5.0 min	18:27	+6 min
Midwinter	15:27 GMT ±5.0 min	15:50	-23 min

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

What you can see from Great End

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

119Wainwrights in view+16 marginal

185 kmFurthest sightlineSlieve Binnian · possible under favourable refraction

2Sea in viewIrish Sea, Solway Firth

On the clearest days the view reaches across to Scotland, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.

Far horizons

Slieve Binnian Northern IrelandW · 185 km clear
Slieve Donard Northern IrelandW · 180 km clear
Merrick ScotlandNW · 112 km clear
Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 86 km clear
Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 62 km clear
Criffel ScotlandNNW · 61 km clear
Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 57 km clear
Solway Firth bay/estuaryN · 56 km in view
Irish Sea open waterWSW · 41 km in view

All 119 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Allen Crags, Esk Pike, Scafell Pike, Lingmell, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Rossett Pike, Great Gable, Bowfell, Green Gable, Glaramara, Base Brown, Brandreth, Kirk Fell, Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle), Grey Knotts, Pike of Stickle, Loft Crag, Thunacar Knott, Yewbarrow, High Raise (High White Stones), Harrison Stickle, Sergeant's Crag, Sergeant Man, Hard Knott, Fleetwith Pike, Eagle Crag, Red Pike (Wasdale), Pillar, Dale Head, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Ullscarf, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Steeple, Middle Fell, High Spy, Castle Crag, Hindscarth, Haycock, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Great Carrs, High Stile, Grey Friar, Seatallan, Harter Fell (Eskdale), Robinson, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Swirl How, Buckbarrow, Wetherlam, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), High Tove, Dow Crag, Starling Dodd, High Seat, The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man), Rannerdale Knotts, Whiteless Pike, Wandope, Stone Arthur, Sail, Seat Sandal, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Scar Crags, Causey Pike, Loughrigg Fell, Bleaberry Fell, Dollywaggon Pike, Heron Pike (Rydal), Raven Crag, Nab Scar, Grasmoor, Great Borne, Great Rigg, Black Fell, Helvellyn, Barrow, Fairfield, Walla Crag, White Side, Hart Crag, Grisedale Pike, Raise, Low Pike, High Pike (Scandale), Dove Crag, St Sunday Crag, Watson's Dodd, Blake Fell, Great Dodd, Low Fell, Red Screes, Latrigg, Clough Head, Baystones (Wansfell), Lord's Seat, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Dodd (Skiddaw), Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Long Side, Thornthwaite Crag, Ullock Pike, Sour Howes, Skiddaw, Ill Bell, Yoke, Sallows, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Rampsgill Head, Kidsty Pike, High Raise (High Street), Great Calva, Kentmere Pike, Souther Fell, Knott, Binsey, High Pike (Caldbeck)

How the view from Great End compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Great End. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. Corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Places to stay near this fell

From Great Langdale: 3 places in Grasmere

Frequently asked questions about Great End

Is Great End hard to climb? Answered above.

What is the best route up Great End?

Most walkers approach via Esk Hause, from Seathwaite in Borrowdale (often by Sty Head or Grains Gill) or from Great Langdale. From Esk Hause a path doubles back up the gentler southern slopes to the twin-topped summit — avoiding the cliffs entirely.

It's commonly combined with Scafell Pike, which lies just beyond. Don't approach the summit from the north-east cliff side as a walker.

How long does it take to climb Great End? Answered above: Routes up Great End.

Is Great End a winter climbing venue?

Yes — its north-east face holds some of the best-known winter gullies in the Lakes (South-East, Central and Cust's Gully), which keep snow and ice well into spring and are a serious draw for winter climbers, not walkers.

For hillwalkers, that same face means real danger in winter: cornices, hard snow and avalanche-prone gullies. Keep well back from the cliff edge near the summit, and only go in snow with an ice axe, crampons and winter experience.

Sources: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

Can you climb Great End and Scafell Pike together?

Yes — they're often combined, as Great End sits on the high ground just north of Scafell Pike, close to the Esk Hause approach. A common big day takes in both (and sometimes Lingmell), but it's a long, rough, high-mountain outing.

Navigation across the Scafell Pike plateau is notoriously hard in cloud, so only link them with good visibility, fitness and full kit.

Is Great End suitable for beginners?

Not really. The walkers' ascent has no scrambling, but Great End is high, remote, rough underfoot and reached across the Esk Hause crossroads — a serious navigation test. It's better once you've some mountain days behind you.

In good summer weather a fit walker can manage it with map, compass and full kit; in winter it's strictly for those with winter skills. Keep well back from the north-east cliffs at all times.

Sources: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

What should I wear and take up Great End?

Wear proper walking boots for the rough, rocky, often boggy ground, and carry full warm and waterproof layers — it's high, exposed and far from shelter. A map and compass (and the skill to use them) are essential for the Esk Hause area, which is a classic place to take the wrong path in cloud.

Take ample food and water, a charged phone, and check the mountain forecast. In winter add ice axe and crampons and the experience to use them.

Sources: MWIS — Lake District forecast (opens in new tab)

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-06-14 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Great End

Summit conditions on Great End

Wind on the top

Cloud on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Great End

Is Great End hard to climb?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Great End

Parking

Buses

Hazards on Great End

Hazard & Incident Information for Great End

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Great End

Routes over Great End

On the hill: terrain and water on Great End

Water & shelter on the way up

About Great End

Classifications & hill data

Is Great End a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Great End

The 360° skyline from Great End

Sunrise and sunset on Great End

Last light — when the sun leaves Great End

What you can see from Great End

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Great End

Other fells near Great End