Home / Routes / Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine

Written by Lee McCoy · Route guide updated 18 October 2026: ways off changed on stage 3 · 171 of 214 Wainwrights with a Strava-matched summit

Severe steepnessLoopPlanned

Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine

9.61 km

Distance

~3–4¼ h

Estimated time

~721 m

Ascent

Summits

The kindest way to England’s most-loved mountain. Honister starts you at 350 m. The route goes out along Moses Trod, under Gable Crag to Beck Head, climbs the steep, stony north-west ridge onto Great Gable, and comes back over Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts.

Start Honister Slate Mine

Getting here Parking: Honister (NT, paid), 0.1 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 77 stops at Honister Youth Hostel (near), a 140 m walk from this start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓

Hardest part Severe steepness: Steepest sustained climb about 45% around the 5.0 km mark. Severe navigation: Great Gable’s summit is a broad, featureless plateau ringed by crags. In cloud it is one of the classic navigation traps in the Lakes, and the descents to Sty Head and Beck Head are easy to lose. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.) Severe – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet Hands for a few steps: the north-west ridge from Beck Head, up to Great Gable's top (about km 5.3).

Before you choose

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.
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.

Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A route line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

Download GPX →Planned route · not yet walked

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 4 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.

Last bus back18:33, the 77 · until 1 November
Hardest partHands for a few steps

Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →

Daylight & turnaround

By bus: the Honister Rambler (77/77A) (opens in new tab) reaches Honister Slate Mine at 08:59 and the last one back leaves from Honister Youth Hostel (near) at 18:33. At a steady pace this walk finishes about 13:04. Be off Grey Knotts by 15:07, to be down at least an hour before dusk on 1 November; that is earlier than the last bus needs. Seasonal: the 77’s last day is in Buses. The last bus is from the operator’s timetable, checked 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. Check the timetable before you rely on it.

Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.

Route map

OpenTopoMap

Elevation profile, shaded by steepness

1 Great Gable2 Green Gable3 Brandreth4 Grey Knotts

Easy 63%Moderate 16%Hard 18%Severe 4%

905 m

High point

350 m

Start height

Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.

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

The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.

The walk, stage by stage

1
Start → Great Gable (5.3 km, 624 m)
Climb of about 624 m over 5.3 km (around 12% average).
Leave the Honister Slate Mine car park and take the old, steep mining tramway path uphill to the dismantled winding house (Drum House). Instead of climbing straight up Grey Knotts, bear south to join Moses Trod. This historic track contours beautifully around the western flanks of Brandreth and Green Gable, keeping a relatively level gradient. You will pass beneath the towering cliffs of Gable Crag and cross Stone Cove before arriving at Beck Head (the col between Kirk Fell and Great Gable). From Beck Head, you begin a punishing 250m climb straight up the North West Ridge of Great Gable.
Waypoints
Honister Incline, Drum House, Moses Trod, Stone Cove, Beck Head, NW Ridge, Great Gable Summit (Westmorland Cairn).
Decision point
Moses Trod is unwaymarked but well-trodden and easy to follow as a traverse line in good visibility. At Beck Head, the saddle is obvious. On the steep NW Ridge, keep an eye out for small guide cairns perched on rocks to help thread a route through the boulders.
Easy to get wrong
The first 4 km on Moses Trod are languid, but the final push up the NW Ridge from Beck Head is a lung-buster. It requires navigating steep, loose scree and mild scrambling through broken crags and boulder fields. In cloud, Great Gable's summit is a featureless boulder dome, and walkers regularly set off down the wrong side into steep ground.
If you need to get off
Before Beck Head: Simply turn 180 degrees and walk back along the flat Moses Trod to Honister. On the NW Ridge: If the scramble becomes too difficult, carefully down-climb back to Beck Head and retreat via Moses Trod. Do not drop down the Wasdale side (south), as getting back to your car at Honister from Wasdale is a massive logistical challenge.
2
Great Gable → Green Gable (0.7 km, 37 m)
Descent of about 108 m over 0.7 km.
Leave the Great Gable summit plateau heading North-East. You will drop steeply down into the deep, rocky depression of Windy Gap. From the bottom of the saddle, it is a very short, sharp pull back up the opposite side to the summit of Green Gable.
Waypoints
Windy Gap col, Green Gable summit.
Decision point
The heavily eroded path down to Windy Gap forms a very obvious visual scar on the landscape.
Easy to get wrong
The descent from Great Gable to Windy Gap is notoriously steep, heavily eroded, and covered in loose red scree. It is very easy to lose your footing here, so poles or very careful foot placement are required.
If you need to get off
Once you descend into Windy Gap, if you have had enough of climbing, you can abort the rest of the summits. Bear left (west) from Windy Gap to drop directly down and seamlessly rejoin Moses Trod. This flat path will wrap back around the mountains and take you straight to Drum House and down to Honister.
3
Green Gable → Brandreth (1.4 km, 55 m)
Descent of about 130 m, then a climb of about 55 m, over 1.4 km.
Descend northwards from Green Gable over much gentler terrain. The path drops slightly into the broad, grassy depression of Gillercomb Head. From there, it is an easy, gradual walk up onto the wide summit plateau of Brandreth.
Waypoints
Gillercomb Head, Brandreth summit.
Decision point
You will pick up a line of old, rusted iron fence posts. These act as a brilliant "handrail" leading you directly across the ridge toward Brandreth.
Easy to get wrong
The physical challenge drops off significantly here. The main hazard is navigational; the plateau around Brandreth is very broad and featureless, making it confusing in thick mist.
If you need to get off
If the weather suddenly closes in at Gillercomb Head, you can contour slightly west to rejoin the reliable Moses Trod track, utilizing it as a slightly lower-level return to Drum House.
4
Brandreth → Grey Knotts (0.7 km, 4 m)
Undulating section of about 0.7 km.
This is an easy, undulating stroll along the top of the ridge. Keep heading North-East, following the grassy and occasionally rocky terrain until you reach the rocky outcrops that mark the summit tors of Grey Knotts.
Waypoints
Old fence line, Grey Knotts summit.
Decision point
Continue to use the old fence line as your primary navigational aid between the two fells.
Easy to get wrong
Minimal physical difficulty. The ground can be quite boggy and saturated after heavy rain. Brandreth's broad top has few landmarks beyond the ruined fence posts, and the ground is wet and confusing in mist.
If you need to get off
You are incredibly close to the finish line here. The most efficient option is to press on over Grey Knotts and begin the final descent, as retreating offers no time or energy savings.
Grey Knotts → Finish (1.5 km, 0 m)
Descent of about 344 m over 1.5 km.
From the rocky top of Grey Knotts, head generally north. You will descend steep grassy slopes, pathless in places, straight down the fellside to the Honister Slate Mine.
Waypoints
Grey Knotts summit, Honister Slate Mine car park.
Decision point
The view down to the pass usually opens up here. Aim directly for the slate mine buildings below.
Easy to get wrong
The initial descent off the grass of Grey Knotts is steep, tough on the knees, and extremely slippery in wet conditions.
If you need to get off
None needed; you are on the direct descent to your starting point.

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone. Planned route · not yet walked

Summits bagged (4)

1Great Gable899 mWestern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn, Hewitt
2Green Gable800 mWestern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Hewitt
3Brandreth715 mWestern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Hewitt
4Grey Knotts697 mWestern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall

In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.

Keep to the built line. The notes on this route mention eroded or braided ground. Where it is mud or standing water, walk through the puddle rather than round it, stay on the pitched stone even where it is a staircase you would rather not use, take the zig-zags the long way, leave loose stones and cross-drains where they lie, and build no cairns. Deep or moving water is a different question — turn back or take the safest way past rather than wade for the sake of a path. Fix the Fells’ volunteers keep these paths: what a metre costs, and how to give a day or a few pounds.

More about this walk

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.

Conditions and timing

Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.

Getting there and back

Nearest fuel to the parking at Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale: High Hill, Keswick, 14.2 km by road (07:00-20:00 daily when checked on 8 August 2026; hours change, so check on the day). Nearest shop: Open All Hours, 13.3 km. Both measured along the road from that parking, which is not where this route starts, checked 8 August 2026. Coming in from a particular direction you may pass a closer one — the last petrol before each valley →

Parking

Honister (NT, paid) — 0.1 km from the start (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 August 2026). The machine takes cards, and National Trust members park free on production of their membership card (Lee McCoy, local observation, recorded 12 August 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)

Paid parking 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 August 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 August 2026). Pay and display (LDNPA, 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: Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.4 km, 259 m up)

Public toilets (~136 m straight line) — Free Sky Hi Cafe

Grey Knotts car park — 0.6 km from the start (straight line)

On the Borrowdale side of Honister Pass: the 'Dale Head Hindscarth and Robinson' route starts 529 m away and 'Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine' 571 m, both at the top. Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.

Directions Something changed here?

2 more places to park near the start

Thornythwaite Fell (layby) — 1.6 km from the start (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 Something changed here?

Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale (free verge) — 1.6 km from the start (straight line)

Free verge parking on the Seathwaite lane — the honeypot start for the Scafells, Great Gable and Glaramara. It fills early; the farm’s own field just down the lane takes the pressure off, and the lane needs to stay clear for residents, farm traffic and emergency vehicles.

Typically full before 09:00 on fine weekends, Apr-Oct — Lee McCoy, local observation, 9 August 2026.

Directions 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 (~188 m straight line) — Free

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.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

If the parking is full

There is no real plan B by car here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so expect them to fill on the same mornings. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off. The bus below is the exception: it is not limited by car-park space, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.

Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — at the start
Honister (NT, paid) — at the start
By bus: buses stop at Honister Youth Hostel (near), a 140 m walk from the start. A bus is not affected by a full car park. Its return times are under Buses.

We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.

No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.

Buses

The 77 stops at Honister Youth Hostel (near), a 140 m walk from this start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. It returns on 22 March 2027. Confirmed with the operator: its last day on 29 August 2026, its return on 16 October 2026. The last bus is 18:33 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

The 77 passes this route at 9.6 km (Honister Youth Hostel (near), 90 m off the line).

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”

Keswick – Portinscale – Hawes 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 (Summer 2026 timetable: 23 March to 1 November 2026). 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 travelling.

Toilets and refreshments

The essentials

Arrival Honister Pass: the National Trust car park about 60 m from the start (£7 up to 2 hours, £8 up to 4 hours, £9.50 all day; free for members), and the slate mine’s car park about 115 m away (£5 a day for visitors on its own page). 61 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (National Trust, car parks in the Buttermere valley; Honister, Your visit, checked 28 September 2026)
Toilets Toilets are mapped about 30 m from the start. 28 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
Refreshments The Sky Hi Café at the slate mine is mapped about 50 m from the start. Opening hours are not recorded here. 49 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
Limitation Great Gable’s top is a broad boulder plateau with crags on several sides: in cloud, take a bearing off the summit and hold it, and do not drift south towards the Napes. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 1 October 2026)

Everything mapped near the start

Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):

Public toilets (~28 m straight line) Sky Hi Cafe

Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.

Water, shelter & getting away

Honister Youth Hostel / Slate Quarry (E) (88 m from the start, straight line) bus stop (91 m from the start, straight line) Honister Pass YHA (39 m from the start, straight line)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

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

Planning detail

How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.

Difficulty profile

Severe overall — hardest: Steepness and navigation (our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet)

LengthModerate9.61 km round.

SteepnessSevereSteepest sustained climb about 45% around the 5.0 km mark.

TerrainHardRough, bouldery ground over Brandreth and Green Gable, then a steep, stony pull onto Gable’s summit. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.) Hard – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet

NavigationSevereGreat Gable’s summit is a broad, featureless plateau ringed by crags. In cloud it is one of the classic navigation traps in the Lakes, and the descents to Sty Head and Beck Head are easy to lose. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.) Severe – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet

ExposureModerateSome easy hands-on ground on the north-west ridge above Beck Head; the bigger danger on Gable is navigational. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.) Moderate – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet

HandsHands for a few stepsThe north-west ridge from Beck Head, up to Great Gable's top (about km 5.3). our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet

Five independent axes, not one score. This route has not been walked yet, so none of them was set on the ground: three of the five are our judgement from the map and the route’s record, and the rest are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.

How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.

Pacing

Summit	Cumulative	Ascent	Time (fast–steady)
1Great Gable	5.3 km	624 m	2:06–2:47
2Green Gable	6.0 km	661 m	2:18–3:04
3Brandreth	7.4 km	716 m	2:41–3:34
4Grey Knotts	8.2 km	721 m	2:50–3:46
Finish	9.6 km	721 m	3:07–4:09

A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?

Dog

Stiles on the line

Buggy

Not buggy-able

Knees

Tough descent

Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
Knees: A long, steep ~50% drop over 250 m around the 5.4 km mark — hard on the knees.

With a dog

Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 45% around the 5.0 km mark.

Stiles and gates: A stile of unmapped type at 9.5 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 14 July 2026)
Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: the north-west ridge from Beck Head, up to Great Gable's top (about km 5.3). Ground underfoot: Hard – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. Rough, bouldery ground over Brandreth and Green Gable, then a steep, stony pull onto Gable’s summit. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.)
Drops and exposed ground: Moderate – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. Some easy hands-on ground on the north-west ridge above Beck Head; the bigger danger on Gable is navigational. (Editorially assessed from the documented character of the route, not computed from gradient; not yet personally walked.)
Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.

On the line: 1 gate · 1 stile (type unmapped)

Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 14 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Places to stay near this start

Seatoller House (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 2.0 km

Also nearby, but not independent

YHA Borrowdale (opens in new tab) hostelabout 3.1 km

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Walks from places nearby

Walks from Honister Pass — 0.1 km from this start
Walks from Seatoller — 2.0 km from this start

Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.

All routes →