hikes.guideLake District

800 m · Wainwright — Western Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Wainwright — Western FellsAlso a Birkett

Green Gable

Green Gable at 801m (2,628ft) is the satellite summit of Great Gable to the north, connected by the dramatic Windy Gap.

800 m
Height
~4.5–5.5 h
Typical time
+4
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Green Gable

800 mWainwright — Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 800 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 13° to 12°C, gusts to 38 mph, 7.3 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
13° / 12°
💨 38 mph
🌧 7.3 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
13° / 10°
💨 32 mph
🌧 11.0 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
11° / 5°
💨 29 mph
🌧 2.8 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
13° / 1°
💨 23 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
13° / 3°
💨 15 mph
🌧 4.5 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
14° / 5°
💨 19 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
14° / 5°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 800 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Green Gable

Green Gable, a Lake District fell
Photo: James@hopgrove at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Green Gable at 801m (2,628ft) is the satellite summit of Great Gable to the north, connected by the dramatic Windy Gap. Wainwright noted its excellent views of the Great Gable crags from close range — the north face of Gable seen from Windy Gap is one of the most impressive close-up mountain views in Lakeland. The summit gives fine views north across Ennerdale and across to Haystacks. Most naturally combined with Great Gable as part of the Gable circuit from Seathwaite or Honister. The Windy Gap col below is a dramatic and memorable spot on the ridge.

Routes up Green Gable

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine
9.6 km · ~3.1 hr · Hard
The kindest way to England’s most-loved mountain. Honister starts you at 350 m, so the Grey Knotts–Brandreth–Green Gable ridge does most of the climbing for you before the final stony pull onto Great Gable. Four Wainwrights, a summit war memorial and the finest view in Lakeland down into Wasdale — but the top is a broad boulder plateau, and in cloud it is one of the great navigation traps.
Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown
14.8 km · ~4.5 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
800 m
Height
2,625 ft
In feet
NY 2146 1071
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge), about 2.5 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Green Gable (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

1.5 km WKirk Fell East Top (Kirk Fell North Top)787 m · Western
1.6 km SESeathwaite Fell (Great Slack - Seathwaite Fell)631 m · Southern
2.9 km ESEHigh House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags)683 m · Southern
3.0 km ESERed Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara)720 m · Southern

Routes over Green Gable

Great Gable from Honister Slate MinePlanned
9.61 km · ~690 m ascent · loop · ~3–4 h · Hard
Summits: Great GableGreen GableBrandrethGrey Knotts

⬇️ Download GPX

⚠️ Warnings: The summit plateau in cloud. Gable’s top is a broad sea of boulders with crags on several sides and no handrails. Take a bearing off the summit and follow it precisely — this is where the callouts start.; Do not drift towards the Napes. The southern face is a climbers’ playground of crags and gullies, not a walkers’ descent.; The Windy Gap descent is loose and steep. Take it slowly, especially in the wet.

Full route guide ↗

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base BrownLive
14.79 km · ~938 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h
Summits: Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit)Seathwaite Fell (Great Slack - Seathwaite Fell)Green GableBase Brown

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

The View from Green Gable

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
Computed 360-degree skyline from Green Gable36 labelled tops shown (13 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWScafell Pike · 4 kmScafell · 4 kmHelvellyn · 14 kmBroad Crag · 3 kmSkiddaw · 19 kmGreat End · 3 kmBowfell · 5 kmPillar · 5 kmHigh Crag · 13 kmRaise · 14 kmFairfield · 14 kmBlencathra · 20 kmGreat Dodd · 16 kmGrasmoor · 10 kmScoat Fell · 6 kmCrag Hill · 10 kmRed Pike · 5 kmHigh Stile · 6 kmKirk Fell · 2 kmAllen Crags · 3 kmThornthwaite Crag · 22 kmHigh Raise · 7 kmJenkin Hill · 18 kmHarrison Stickle · 8 kmClough Head · 17 kmIll Crag · 4 kmMiton Hill · 26 kmGreat Gable · 0 kmHindscarth · 6 kmRed Beck Top · 3 kmBrandreth · 1 kmGrey Knotts · 2 kmSeatallan · 8 kmIngleborough · 64 km · clear daysStarling Dodd · 9 kmHaystacks · 3 kmSkiddaw Little Man · 18 kmDollywaggon Pike · 13 kmStybarrow Dodd · 15 kmCrinkle Crags · 7 kmHigh Street · 23 kmBlack Crag · 5 kmHigh Raise · 24 kmGrisedale Pike · 12 kmGlaramara · 3 kmWandope · 9 kmIll Bell · 22 kmSergeant Man · 7 kmLong Side · 18 kmLonscale Fell · 18 kmCarrock Fell · 26 kmSouther Fell · 23 kmPillar Rock · 5 kmHigh Crag · 5 kmThirdgill Head Man · 9 kmCriffel · 57 km · clear daysThunacar Knott · 7 kmPike of Stickle · 7 kmColdbarrow Fell · 8 kmScar Crags · 10 kmCalfhow Pike · 16 kmSeathwaite Fell · 2 kmGreat Borne · 11 kmBell Crags · 9 kmSallows · 23 kmLow Fell · 14 kmGrange Fell · 8 kmDarling Fell · 14 kmHatteringill Head · 16 kmBowness Knott · 11 kmWhite Hill · 69 km · clear daysSnaefell · 85 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Carsphairn · 107 km · a rare clear dayCairnsmore of Fleet · 91 km · a rare clear dayCorserine · 105 km · a rare clear dayWhite Coomb · 104 km · a rare clear daySlieve Binnian · 184 km · a handful of days a yearBoulsworth Hill · 104 km · a rare clear dayBeneraird · 127 km · a handful of days a yearPen-y-ghent · 73 km · a rare clear dayGreat Whernside · 87 km · a rare clear dayDun Rig · 121 km · a handful of days a yearBogrie Hill · 86 km · a rare clear dayPeel Fell · 98 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Green Gable, by direction
  • North: Crag Hill (10 km), Grasmoor (10 km), Skiddaw Lesser Man (18 km), Skiddaw Little Man (18 km), Skiddaw South Top (18 km), Skiddaw Middle Top (19 km), Skiddaw (19 km)
  • North-east: White Side (14 km), Raise (14 km), Stybarrow Dodd (15 km), Green Side (16 km), Great Dodd (16 km), Knowe Crags (19 km), Gategill Fell Top (20 km), Blencathra (20 km)
  • East: Helvellyn Lower Man (13 km), High Crag (13 km), Nethermost Pike (13 km), Dollywaggon Pike (13 km), Helvellyn (14 km), Fairfield (14 km), Cofa Pike (14 km), Hart Crag (15 km), Dove Crag (16 km), High Street (23 km), High Raise (24 km)
  • South-east: Great End (3 km), Esk Pike (4 km), Bowfell (5 km), Crinkle Crags (7 km)
  • South: Broad Crag (3 km), Scafell Pike (4 km), Scafell (4 km)
  • West: Kirk Fell (2 km), Pillar (5 km), Red Pike (5 km), Black Crag (5 km), Scoat Fell (6 km)
  • North-west: High Stile (6 km), High Stile (6 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Snaefell (85 km, Isle of Man), Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (107 km, Scotland), Cairnsmore of Fleet (91 km, Scotland), Corserine (105 km, Scotland), South Barrule (102 km, Isle of Man), White Coomb (104 km, Scotland), Ettrick Pen (97 km, Scotland), Slieve Binnian (184 km, Ireland).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

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

What you can see from Green Gable

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
96Wainwrights in view+11 marginal
85 kmFurthest sightlineSnaefell
1Sea in viewIrish Sea

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

Far horizons
  • Snaefell Isle of ManWSW · 85 km clear
  • Ingleborough Yorkshire DalesSE · 64 km clear
  • Whernside Yorkshire DalesESE · 60 km clear
  • Criffel ScotlandNNW · 58 km clear
  • Irish Sea open waterWNW · 33 km in view
All 96 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Great Gable, Brandreth, Base Brown, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Grey Knotts, Kirk Fell, Great End, Allen Crags, Glaramara, Haystacks (Buttermere), Scafell Pike, Fleetwith Pike, Esk Pike, Scafell, Pillar, Dale Head, High Crag (Buttermere), Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Red Pike (Wasdale), Bowfell, Scoat Fell (Little Scoat Fell), Steeple, Hindscarth, High Spy, Sergeant's Crag, High Stile, Eagle Crag, Robinson, Castle Crag, High Raise (High White Stones), Pike of Stickle, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Thunacar Knott, Loft Crag, Sergeant Man, Harrison Stickle, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Ullscarf, Seatallan, Maiden Moor, Starling Dodd, Rannerdale Knotts, Whiteless Pike, Ard Crags, Wandope, High Tove, Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top), Sail, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Scar Crags, High Seat, Mellbreak (Mellbreak South Top), Grasmoor, Great Borne, Lingmoor Fell (Brown How), Bleaberry Fell, Grisedale Pike, Walla Crag, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Helvellyn, White Side, Great Rigg, Low Fell, Fairfield, Raise, Watson's Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd, Hart Crag, Latrigg, Black Fell, Fellbarrow - Mosser Fell, Dove Crag, Great Dodd, High Pike (Scandale), Clough Head, Carl Side, Skiddaw Little Man, Lonscale Fell, Long Side, Red Screes, Ullock Pike, Skiddaw, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Thornthwaite Crag, Great Calva, Rest Dodd, Ill Bell, Sour Howes, High Street, Yoke, Sallows, High Raise (High Street), Knott, Binsey, Carrock Fell

How Green Gable’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), 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.

Best parking to hike Green Gable

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge) — 2.5 km from summit (straight line)
Free verge parking on the Seathwaite lane — the honeypot start for the Scafells, Great Gable and Glaramara. Arrive very early.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (1002m) — Free
Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 3.1 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the top of the pass — Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts with minimal ascent.
Directions
🚺 Public toilets (61m) — Free🚺 Public toilets (1787m) — Free☕ Sky Hi Cafe

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine route:

🚌 Honister Youth Hostel / Slate Quarry (E) (88 m)🚌 map (91 m)⛺ Honister Pass YHA (39 m)

On the Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown route:

🚺 map (39 m)

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

Buses to Green Gable from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”
Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)
Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, 20 min walk up the lane).
Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazard & Incident Information for Green Gable

Hazard: Moderate

Great Gable's quieter twin, separated from it by the steep, rocky col of Windy Gap. Its north side rounds the top of Gable Crag, and the descent toward Styhead by Aaron Slack is a rough, loose, eroded gully. The ground is rocky and scree-strewn, exposed and high, with the crag edge and the steep col the main hazards. Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • Windy Gap & Aaron Slack: The col between Green and Great Gable (Windy Gap) is steep, rocky and — as the name says — ferociously windy, and the gully of Aaron Slack dropping to Styhead is rough, loose and eroded. Take both carefully, especially descending Aaron Slack on its loose scree, and beware being blown about at the gap.
  • Gable Crag edge (north side): The route rounds the top of Gable Crag, with steep ground falling away on the Ennerdale/north side. Keep back from the edge, particularly in cloud or wind.
  • Rocky, scree-strewn high ground & navigation: The summit and ridges are rough and rocky with scree, on high exposed ground where weather changes fast. Navigate carefully by compass in cloud (the cluster of paths around Windy Gap, Aaron Slack and the Gable traverse is easy to confuse).
Who should attempt this fell: Green Gable is a fine high top, but treat Windy Gap and Aaron Slack with respect — the gully is loose and the col is genuinely windy — and keep back from the Gable Crag edge. Navigate carefully among the paths in cloud, carry full kit for fast-changing weather, and treat the rocky ground as full winter terrain when there is snow or ice.

Most common causes: Slips on the loose, eroded scree of Aaron Slack · Being blown off balance at Windy Gap · Walkers straying toward the Gable Crag edge in poor visibility · Navigation errors among the rocky paths in cloud; fast-changing high-fell weather

Local Mountain Rescue: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. 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

Navigating Green Gable in cloud

Straightforward

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

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 Green Gable compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Green Gable

Maps & guidebooks for Green Gable

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work →