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~Great Gable~

12/09/2010

A Special Day....

Wastwater

Wastwater

Scroll down for photos and a description of the walk

Seatoller

Parking at Seatoller

Many, many years ago, Dad took Peter and I up Great Gable. We parked at Seatoller and walked up to the head of Honister Pass. We walked up over the old sleepers of the redundant tramway and turned left at the foundations of the drum house. We climbed over Brandreth to Green Gable and ascended Great Gable from Windy Gap. That was more than 30 years ago; Peter and I chose today to do exactly the same walk again. Sister, Helen, was invited, but she doesn't have an appetite for altitude! That's Peter's car, it's bigger than mine.

Honister

Honister Pass

I think we walked from Seatoller as oppose to Honister Mines for the simple reason that reward is directly proportional to the effort put in, so let's do it from the foot of the valley, not half-way up.

Yewcrag Quarries

Yewcrag Quarries

We get to Honister Mines in good time and set about reaching the old drum house.

Brandreth

The Path to Brandreth

The weather was not looking good, we chose today as it was forecast to be the better day of the weekend. Waterproofs were donned.

Haystacks

Haystacks

Haystacks and the High Stile ridge.

Rain

Here Comes The Rain!

Luckily the navigation to the summit of Brandreth is easy, turn left at an important junction and then follow the line of cairns to the old fenceposts, turn left again and soon you will be there.

Cairns

The Cairns

Brandreth

Me on top of Brandreth

After the summit celebrations, the cloud descended and had us scratching our heads. It was compass and map time and soon enough we had a bearing for Gillercombe Head.

Gillercombe Head

Tarns at Gillercombe Head

This is where we first saw a break in the cloud and began to think we might be in for some better weather.

Green Gable

To Green Gable

Kirk Fell

Kirk Fell

Great Gable

Great Gable

It's looking much more promising now and our strong desire to enjoy the view to Wastwater from the Westomorland Cairn is again a possibility after not looking too good earlier on.

Kirk Fell Pillar

Kirk Fell and Pillar

Green Gable

Peter on top of Green Gable

Ennerdale

Ennerdale

We descended to Windy Gap and attacked the steep ascent of Great Gable, following everyone else.

Green Gable

Looking Back to Green Gable & Brandreth

Think back, if you can, to two weeks ago. I climbed Blencathra on Friday 27th August. Just as I reached the summit, a fellwalker called Ron (from Durham) also arrived at the same time and he kindly took my photo. Would there be anyone up here willing to grab the camera and point it at Peter and I at the summit of this "Favourite Fell?"

Great Gable

Peter and Richard Ratcliffe on Great Gable

Indeed there was, here is a photo of the man who kindly took the photo. He arrived at the summit at the same time as us:

Great Gable

Fellwalker Ron (from Durham) !

Yewtree Inn

The Yewtree Inn

This is the mid-session interval, the half-way point, the tea break. All those years ago, the great incentive was a "Climbers' Nosh" at the end of the walk. Who remembers the "old" Yewtree Inn from many years ago? I would not have the "Ham & Eggs". No, for me it was always "More Ham & Two Eggs". It was a wonderful place.

We went off to the area just beneath the Westmorland Cairn, slightly to the right. On the edge, you might say. This is our special place, when dad set us a task "post-mortem" (a bit like Wainwright and Haystacks), it involved quite a climb and if we want to revisit the place, it's not just a trip to a local beauty spot, it's a day on the fells.

Wastwater

The View

After a period of reflection, we went off to the Westmorland Cairn and had lunch, before taking the direct descent route to Styhead Tarn.

At this point and as a revision to the original page, I'm showing two photos submitted by friends in the Online Fellwalking Club. Roger Hiley was descending Grains Gill after a stint of marshalling a 3 Peaks event on the route to Scafell Pike and he took this photo of Great Gable, over Seathwaite Fell. On close inspection, I think I can see shapes on the flank of GG where Peter and ate our sandwiches:

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Great Gable

The above photo belongs to Roger Hiley and appears on the Loweswatercam website

Terry Gargrave was on Pillar and he saw Great Gable from a different angle and he was also on top at 12:30, the picture below belongs to him and can be seen within his photoset on Flickr.

Great Gable

Terry Gargrave's photo

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Styhead Tarn

Styhead Tarn

The weather continued to play tricks and we endured another couple of showers.

Great Gable

Great Gable - repaired path

The fell-fixers have repaired much of the path, here seen against the crag, and left a reminder of the eroded mess that we used to have to endure. And when I hear older generations complaining about the pitched paths and how they don't belong on the fells...."You left it like this!" Spot the fellwalker.

We passed the Stretcher Box, turned left and headed down Styhead Gill to Seathwaite.

Seathwaite

Styhead Gill

Seathwaite

Dry skies again and the easy way back to Seathwaite and Seatoller.

Grains Gill

Grains Gill

Stockley Bridge

Stockley Bridge

And then all the way along the track and tarmac back to Seatoller, just like we did all those years ago.

Walkers: Peter Ratcliffe and Me

Time taken: 6hr 15 mins over a distance of approx. 9 miles.

Route: Seatoller, Honister Pass, Brandreth, Green Gable, Great Gable, Styhead Tarn, Seathwaite, Seatoller.

Weather and conditions: Bright, then gloomy, rain, clearing, sunny on top of Great Gable, further showers and bright again at the end.

Greetings Count: Ron! How can that happen? And a good few others making the most of the best day of the weekend.

Richard's Refreshment Review: We chanced Brysons in Keswick. It was 15:30 and a bit like the Cheese Shop sketch in Monty Python, but eventually we found something that was not sold out and it was OK, I suppose. A bit over budget, however.

Michael Ratcliffe

Michael Ratcliffe on Haystacks

11/03/1933 - 12/09/2000

Roger Hiley took a look at this photo and was able to identify dad's location. The fell in the background is Sail / Scar Craggs, with a bit of Robinson closer to the camera - photo date: May 4th 1974. Where were you on this day? Liverpool 3 Newcastle 0 at Wembley, who scored the goals?

Yellow Hat

All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2010 © (unless otherwise stated)

Take me back to the start ....

Take me home....