Haystacks, Kirk Fell, Great Gable and Green Gable

(Guest contribution by John Deasey)

Neal had wanted to do a walk that went down to the Black Sail YHA hut after we had spotted it on a previous walk on Pillar. We saw an article in a magazine and noticed a couple of routes on the Walking Englishman website that we could join up to make a decent circular route taking in the peaks of Haystacks, Kirk Fell, Great Gable, and Green Gable—all mountains we hadn't been on before—plus a visit to the Ennerdale valley.

Setting off from Honister Slate Mine at 8:00 AM, the day was set fair. The clarity in the air was stunning, and this was the first walk for a while where there was a proper nip in the air—perfect! As we were already at more than 1,000ft at the start, the first hour or two was an easy meander through slate mines, old quarry huts, and clear tracks heading toward Haystacks, capped by a stunning background of Pillar highlighted in the morning sun.

I must admit to being a bit bemused as to why Wainwright thought Haystacks was so interesting, but as we found, it is full of surprises and delights. The path twists and turns amongst heather, rocks, tarns, and deep gullies. Every now and then you get a stunning view down into Crummockdale—it is an absolute delight, and you could easily spend another couple of hours investigating this lovely mountain. The atmosphere around Innominate Tarn was amazing: absolutely silent, with a view of Pillar to die for.

Rather than finding a clear path off Haystacks, we sort of plummeted straight down into Ennerdale via a sheep path and then clambered over a fence to meet the path coming down from Scarth Gap Pass. The Ennerdale valley was totally deserted and deathly quiet, and it was fascinating to see our main target—Great Gable—standing like a sentry at the head of the valley with the sun rising around and above it.

A short stroll soon brought us to the Black Sail Youth Hostel, where we reflected on possibly the easiest and most enjoyable start to a walk we had undertaken. However, sitting there on the valley floor, looking up at Pillar, Kirk Fell, and Great Gable reminded us there was some serious work to come!

Soon enough, we hit the vertical button. Crossing the bridge after leaving the Black Sail Hut, we aimed for Black Sail Pass. Make no mistake, this is a steep, steep section—very easy underfoot, but very hard on the quads and lungs! Neal and I are pretty fit, but we were soon in oxygen debt.

After what seemed like an eternity, we hit the pass and took a quick breather before taking a left turn straight up Kirk Fell. Along the way, we met the strangest fellow walking with his wife who asked if we knew where the "Gavel Neese" screes were. When asked if he had a map, he replied: "Oh, I haven't got one, we're doing this freehand!" No rucksack, no map, no compass—nothing at all! He decided to follow us toward Baysoar Slack, a tricky scramble reminiscent of Lord's Rake on Scafell with boulders, scree, and red-tinged rocks, but he couldn't keep up and dropped well behind.

After the hidden scrambling delight, an easy walk to the summit of Kirk Fell followed, offering stunning views down into Ennerdale and Wasdale. The sight of Great Gable from Kirk Fell—a huge, towering, forbidding monolith—was unforgettable.

With the wind getting up and the air turning colder, we cracked on toward Beck Head. Facing us next was a 700ft climb up Great Gable—steep indeed! Every 100ft or so, hikers sat catching their breath. It was the busiest section of the walk, but with plenty of room for everyone.

Reaching the summit of Great Gable was a relief. Settling down for lunch with stunning 360-degree views (Scafells, Wasdale, Ennerdale, Pillar, Kirk Fell, Haystacks), our reverie was briefly disturbed by noisy student tourists asking if they had reached the top yet. Neal quipped: "Well, if you can find another few metres to go up mate, you're welcome!"

The hardest part of the walk was over, but crossing Windy Gap provided an amusing finale. Descending Great Gable toward Green Gable, we watched other hikers get blown off balance in the wind tunnel of the gap. Leaning into the wind was great fun before a quick, wind-blown ascent of Green Gable.

Though we could have bagged Brandreth and Grey Knotts, we opted for a delightful route above Moses Trod back to the miners' track and down to Honister. A brilliant day out linking three of the most stunning valleys in the Lakes!