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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 → Parking & buses →
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 (Fri 11 Sep): 10° to 7°C, gusts to 24 mph, 1.4 mm of rain forecast.

Fri 11 Sep
🌦️
10° / 7°
💨 24 mph
🌧 1.4 mm (100%)
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
12° / 8°
💨 51 mph
🌧 45.1 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
11° / 6°
💨 21 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (74%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
13° / 6°
💨 33 mph
🌧 18.7 mm (96%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌧️
12° / 7°
💨 32 mph
🌧 13.2 mm (100%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
9° / 7°
💨 34 mph
🌧 6.0 mm (96%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
9° / 7°
💨 38 mph
🌧 11.6 mm (98%)

Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 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.

Green Gable at a glance

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.

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Western
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
Nuttall
800 m
Height
2,625 ft
In feet
NY 2146 1071
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Green Gable a Wainwright?

Green Gable is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list, the Nuttall list and the Fellranger list.

Where do you park for Green Gable?

We hold no car park within 2.5 km of the summit, so there is no short walk-in to recommend here. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

Parking & buses for Green Gable

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) — 2.7 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.
🕑 Typically full before 09:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
If it is full: Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) (1.8 km); Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.0 km); Rosthwaite (NT, paid) (3.8 km)
🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~188 m straight line) — Free
Thornythwaite Fell (layby) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 135 m away. Also serves 'Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Thornythwaite Fell, north-west (layby) — 2.9 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Allen Crags, High House Tarn Top (High House - Allen Crags), Red Beck Top (Glaramara South Top) (Lincomb Head - Glaramara) and Looking Steads (Glaramara) — the 'Allan Crags & Glaramara' route starts 255 m away. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the top of the pass — Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts with minimal ascent. This is the slate mine's own car park, the WESTERN one; the National Trust car park 170 m east is a separate one. Fees: Day parking GBP 5 per day for visitors; free for all Honister activity guests (honister.com/your-visit/). Overnight parking GBP 15 a night in the large bottom car park, open to campervans, motorhomes and vans, no tent camping, no facilities, no electric hook-ups; book online or pay by QR code on arrival and display confirmation on the dashboard (honister.com/your-visit/overnight-parking) (operator, checked Aug 2026). You pay by card, inside the building, not at a machine in the car park. The posted opening is 9am but it is often later; the mine is content for you to arrive before it and pay on the way out, and the car park is covered by cameras (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 Aug 2026). Pay and display (LDNPA, checked Aug 2026).
🕑 Typically full before 10:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 2026-08-09.
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?
If it is full: Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.3 km)
🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~136 m straight line) — Free🚺 Public toilets (opens in new tab) (~1825 m straight line) — FreeSky Hi Cafe (opens in new tab)
Honister (NT, paid) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Great Gable, Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts — the 'Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine' route starts 61 m away. Also serves 'Haystacks'. Paid National Trust car park - the prices we used to show here came from an aggregator rather than the Trust, so we no longer publish a figure; check the machine on arrival, and members should bring their card (National Trust car-park list, checked Aug 2026). The machine takes cards, and National Trust members park free on production of their membership card (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 Aug 2026).
Directions (opens in new tab)Something changed here?

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm.

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

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Green Gable by bus

The 77 stops at Honister Youth Hostel (near), 140 m from the start of Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine — a route we rate Hard. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day, and it is not daily before then — a bus on 31 of the 56 days from 7 September. We don’t know when it returns. Confirmed with the operator, 29 August 2026. The last bus is 18:33 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

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 (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Hazards on Green Gable

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 (opens in new tab) · 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 (opens in new tab)

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.

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge), about 2.7 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.

1.6 km SESeathwaite Fell (Great Slack)631 m · Southern

Routes over Green Gable

9.61 km · ~690 m ascent · loop · ~3–4 h · Hard

⬇️ 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. How to use this guide.

14.79 km · ~938 m ascent · loop · ~4.5–6 h

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

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

On the hill: terrain and water on Green Gable

Water & shelter on the way up

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

The view from Green Gable

The 360° skyline 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 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Green Gable

Green Gable sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 May) first light is only 2 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

30°40°50°60°04:33
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 lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:33 BST ±5.0 min04:38-5 min
Equinox06:16 GMT ±5.0 min06:16
Midwinter08:27 GMT ±5.0 min08:33-6 min

A low, open northern horizon — the ground falls away northwards (mean -0.36°).

Last light — when the sun leaves Green Gable

Green Gable loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls on 1 November, when last light is 92 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:06 against 16:38. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (226.4°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 10.57°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer21:57 BST ±5.0 min21:53+4 min
Equinox18:29 GMT ±5.0 min18:27+2 min
Midwinter14:33 GMT ±5.0 min15:50-77 min

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 Green Gable. 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. 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 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)

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.

Places to stay near this fell

Seatoller House (opens in new tab) guest house

about 2.0 km from the start, in a straight line

The nearest serviced bed to the top of Honister with a kitchen behind it. It is the only property inside 3 km whose own page answers evening meal, breakfast time, parking, dogs and a family room together - and two of its ten rooms are downstairs, which matters to a walker who has just come off Haystacks on wrecked knees.

Worth knowing: “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”

The house is 400 years old, has taken guests for more than a century, and is the biggest building in the hamlet of Seatoller.

  • Dogs “Well behaved dogs are allowed, they are not allowed in the dining room at any time,Please clean and dry all dogs on entering Seatoller via the back door.”
  • Family rooms “Rabbit Large Family room, Private bathroom directly opposite, great views of garden & Fells”
  • Evening meal “The dining room has two large traditional oak tables creating a friendly atmosphere where guests are served a set meal at 7 pm (excluding Wednesdays).”
  • Parking “There are 10 bedrooms all with private bathrooms, a large award winning garden surrounding the house and ample private car parking.”

YHA Borrowdale (opens in new tab) hostel

about 3.1 km from the start, in a straight line

The only bed in the cluster whose own page states a cot, a highchair, ground-floor rooms, wheelchair access, a drying room, a self-catering kitchen and a 07:30 breakfast. For a family where one adult walks Great Gable and the rest do not, nothing else in the radius answers as many of their questions - which is why it earns a row despite not being independent.

Worth knowing: “Dogs: Pets are not permitted at YHA Borrowdale, except in our Camping & Cabins accommodation. Assistance dogs are welcome - please notify us at the time of booking.”

There has been a youth hostel in this valley since before the war - the present one opened at Longthwaite at Easter 1939, after an earlier hostel at Grange-in-Borrowdale closed in 1937.

  • Drying room “Self-catering kitchen Shared drying room Shared lounge Sole use available Unlimited breakfast Water refill station Wheelchair accessible WiFi”
  • Family rooms “YHA Borrowdale offers a variety of accommodation options including rooms of varying sizes, camping pods and camping pitches.”
  • Evening meal “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Borrowdale (see sample menu ).”
  • Packed lunch “With tasty breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals, groups are sure to find something delicious to eat at YHA Borrowdale (see sample menu ).”
  • Parking “Parking: This hostel has on-site parking (subject to availability). Charges apply though overnight guests benefit from a discounted rate of £5 per vehicle for 24 hours.”
  • Children “Accessible rooms available Bed linen Central heating Cot available Ground floor rooms available Heating Hot water Lock on doors Smoke alarm”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Green Gable

Is Green Gable hard to climb?

Easier than its famous neighbour, and a fine summit in its own right — but the two are joined by Windy Gap, and that col is the part to think about. It is steep, rocky and, as the name promises, ferociously windy; the gully of Aaron Slack dropping from it to Styhead is rough, loose and eroded.

The usual way up is from Honister: 9.6 km with 690 m of ascent over Grey Knotts and Brandreth, which we rate Hard and grade severe for navigation. From Seathwaite with Base Brown it is 14.8 km and 938 m. The route rounds the top of Gable Crag with steep ground falling away on the Ennerdale side — keep back from that edge in cloud.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Other fells near Green Gable