Walk Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Hay Stacks from Honister Hause
Good paths on rough ground
This 8½ mile, Grade 7 (Hard), easy-to-follow, hand-crafted walk, complete with GPS Waypoints, starts at Honister Pass in the Lake District & will take you about 7¼ hrs to complete.
Detailed walk route map PDF | ||
Vital Statistics: | ||
| Walk No.: | c151 | |
| Length: | 8½ miles (13.5km) | |
| Ascent: | 4260 ft (1298m) | |
| Time: | 7¼ hours | |
| Grade: | ![]() | |
| Walk Type: | High Mountains | |
| Gear Needed: | Full mountain gear including boots, warm layers, waterproofs, food & water, and good weather | |
Route outline for this walk:
Honister Pass - Honister Hause - Green Crag (Buttermere) - Black Beck - Blackbeck Tarn - Innominate Tarn - Hay Stacks (Haystacks) - Scarth Gap - Ennerdale - River Liza - Black Sail Hut (Youth Hostel) - Black Sail Path - Kirk Fell - Kirk Fell (East Top) - Beckhead Tarn - Beck Head - Great Gable - Westmorland Cairn - Windy Gap - Green Gable - Gillercomb Head - Brandreth - Grey Knotts - Honister Hause.
Peaks, Summits and Tops reached on this walk:
![]() 5 English Mountains |
![]() 6 Wainwrights |
![]() 6 English Nuttalls |
![]() 2 English Deweys |
![]() 0 Wainwright Outlying Fells |
![]() 2 Marilyns |
![]() 0 Bridgets |
Peak Bagging Statistics for this walk:
The highest point of this walk is Great Gable at 899m (2951ft). Great Gable is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (9th highest in England, 25th highest in England & Wales) and a Wainwright (No. 7).
Great Gable is also known as an English Nuttall (11th highest in England, 28th highest in England & Wales) and an English Marilyn (4th highest in England, 238th highest in the UK).
Completing this walk will also take you to the top of Kirk Fell at 802m (2631ft). Kirk Fell is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (42nd highest in England, 77th highest in England & Wales) and a Wainwright (No. 33).
Kirk Fell is also known as an English Nuttall (49th highest in England, 92nd highest in England & Wales) and an English Marilyn (15th highest in England, 391st highest in the UK).
You will also reach the summit of Green Gable at 801m (2629ft). Green Gable is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (43rd highest in England, 78th highest in England & Wales) and a Wainwright (No. 34).
Green Gable is also known as an English Nuttall (50th highest in England, 93rd highest in England & Wales).
Along the way you will also bag and tick-off:
- Kirk Fell (East Top) at 787m (2583ft). Kirk Fell (East Top) is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (50th England, 89th Eng & Wal) and an English Nuttall (59th highest in England, 108th highest in England & Wales).
- Brandreth at 715m (2346ft). Brandreth is classified as an English Mountain (Hewitt) (89th highest in England, 152nd highest in England & Wales), a Wainwright (No. 81) and an English Nuttall (112th highest in England, 191st highest in England & Wales).
- Grey Knotts at 697m (2287ft). Grey Knotts is classified as a Wainwright (No. 92) and an English Nuttall (138th highest in England, 227th highest in England & Wales)
- Hay Stacks (Haystacks) at 597m (1959ft). Hay Stacks (Haystacks) is classified as a Wainwright (No. 131) and an English Dewey (13th highest in England, 29th highest in England & Wales)
- Green Crag (Buttermere) at 528m (1732ft). Green Crag (Buttermere) is classified as an English Dewey (117th highest in England, 274th highest in England & Wales).
Be Adventure Smart
If walking in the Lake District (and anywhere else) please be adventure smart.
Ask yourself 5 questions before you set off:
- Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
- Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
- Do I have the right GEAR for the day?
- Do I have enough FOOD & DRINK for the day?
- Do I have all the ESSENTIAL ITEMS for the day?
Note that there is no mobile phone or WiFi coverage in many parts of the Lake District
A dedicated GPS Device can be a good navigational aid, but only if you know how to use it properly. See The Myths and Truths about GPS for Walking and Hiking
You can find this walk and other nearby walks on these unique Interactive Walk Planning Maps:
(worth a look if you're new to go4awalk.com & have never seen one of these before.)
1:25,000 scale OS Explorer Map (orange/yellow covers):
1:50,000 scale OS Landranger Maps (pink/magenta covers):
Some Photos and Pictures from Walk Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Hay Stacks from Honister Hause
In no particular order . . .

Our new addition Neela ( 1st time in the Lakes) on Hay Stacks (Haystacks) with Green Gable (left), Windy Gap, Great Gable and Kirk Fell (right) very clear in the background

Looking Stead (Pillar) and Pillar itself towering above the upper reaches of Ennerdale from Hay Stacks (Haystacks)
. . . load all 188 pictures & photos from this walk
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