Great End
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Great End is the most northerly
mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
in the
Scafell Scafell ( or ; also spelled Sca Fell, previously Scawfell) is a mountain in the English Lake District, part of the Southern Fells. Its height of makes it the second-highest mountain in England after its neighbour Scafell Pike, from which ...
chain, in the English Lake District. From the south it is simply a lump continuing this chain. From the north, however, it appears as an immense mountain, with an imposing north face rising above
Sprinkling Tarn Sprinkling Tarn is a body of water at the foot of Great End, in the Southern Fells in Lake District, from Seathwaite, Cumbria, England. It is noted for its trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhync ...
(lake). This is a popular location for wild camping, and the north face attracts many
climbers Climber may refer to: *Climber, a participant in the activity of climbing *Climber, general name for a vine *Climber, or climbing specialist, a road bicycle racer who can ride especially well on highly inclined roads * Climber (BEAM), a robot that ...
.
Alfred Wainwright Alfred Wainwright MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume '' Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'', publis ...
wrote of Great End in his
Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells ''A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'' is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells (the local word for hills and mountains) of the Lake District in northwest England. Written over a period of 13 years from 1952, they ...
: "This is the true Lakeland of the fellwalker, the sort of terrain that calls him back time after time, the sort of memory that haunts his long winter exile. It is not the pretty places - the flowery lanes of Grasmere or
Derwentwater Derwentwater, or Derwent Water, is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria. The lake occupies part of Borrowdal ...
's wooded bays - that keep him restless in his bed; it is the magnificent ones. Places like Great End..."


Topography

The imposing north-eastern cliffs, riven by gullies, rise some 600 ft from the Esk Hause path. Their orientation ensures that the sun rarely reaches them, the gullies often retaining snow well into the spring. From the left when viewed from below the principal fissures are South East Gully, Central Gully and Cust's Gully (see below). To the west of the cliffs a ridge descends more gradually in the general direction of Sty Head. This is known as The Band, and it too sports a harsh gash across its features. On the western side of The Band is the deep ravine of Skew Gill, a tributary of Wasdale-bound Lingmell Beck. At the base of The Band the ridge continues as the complex top of
Seathwaite Fell Seathwaite Fell is an area of the Lake District in Cumbria, England. It stands above the hamlet of the same name at the head of Borrowdale. Position of the summit The fell is very rugged with several small tops along the summit of the ri ...
, replete with numerous
tarns A tarn (or corrie loch) is a proglacial mountain lake, pond or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. Etymology The word is derived from the Old Norse word ''tjörn'' ("a small mount ...
. The largest is Sprinkling Tarn with its beautifully indented shoreline providing perfect foreground for views of the cliff. Sty Head is one of the focal points of the District for walkers. The name strictly applies to the col between Great End and
Great Gable Great Gable is a mountain in the Lake District, United Kingdom. It is named after its appearance as a pyramid from Wasdale, though it is dome-shaped from most other directions. It is one of the most popular of the Lakeland fells, and there are ...
at a height of 1,560 ft, but is now more generally given to the path which crosses it. This connects two of the most popular starting points for walks in the high fells, Wasdale Head and Seathwaite. Sty Head is also a walker's crossroads with other paths leading direct up Great Gable and following the outflow of
Sprinkling Tarn Sprinkling Tarn is a body of water at the foot of Great End, in the Southern Fells in Lake District, from Seathwaite, Cumbria, England. It is noted for its trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhync ...
up to Esk Hause. Westward from the summit Great End makes a rocky descent toward the arms of Lingmell Beck. This flank is crossed by the Corridor Route, the popular path to
Scafell Pike Scafell Pike () is the highest and the most prominent mountain in England, at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in the Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, and is part of the Southern Fells and the Scafell massif. Scafell P ...
from Sty Head. Above the path are the subsidiary top of Round How (a Nuttall) and the tiny, beautifully clear tarn of Lambfoot Dub.Blair, Don; ''Exploring Lakeland Tarns''; Lakeland Manor Press (2003); Richards, Mark: ''Mid-Western Fells'': Collins (2004): The southward ridge to the Scafells crosses a shallow saddle and then climbs over Ill Crag and Broad Crag, a well-blazoned path leading across the stony terrain to the summit of Scafell Pike. To the east of the first depression is Calf Cove, its easy slopes leading down to Esk Hause. The summit has two cairns of very similar height, that to the north-west being nearer to the cliff edge and having the better view. Northwards along
Borrowdale Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland. It is sometimes referred to as ''Cumberland Borrowdale'' ...
the vista is unsurpassed, but the whole panorama is excellent. The heads of the gullies can also be approached for startling views down the face.


Geology

The summit is formed by the laminated
volcaniclastic Volcaniclastics are geologic materials composed of broken fragments ( clasts) of volcanic rock. These encompass all clastic volcanic materials, regardless of what process fragmented the rock, how it was subsequently transported, what environment it ...
claystone and siltstone of the Esk Pike Formation overlying the
dacitic Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyol ...
welded lapilli-
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...
of the Lincomb Tarns Formation. The latter is revealed in the great north front. British Geological Survey: 1:50,000 series maps, ''England & Wales Sheet 38'': BGS (1998)


Ascents

Great End may be ascended from Sty Head Tarn via The Band (not to be confused with the more famous Band on Bowfell), from
Wasdale Head Wasdale Head is a scattered agricultural hamlet in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Wasdale Head claims to be home of the highest mountain (Scafell Pike), deepest lake ( Wastwater), smallest church and biggest liar in E ...
along Lingmell Gill and Spouthead Gill, from
Borrowdale Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland. It is sometimes referred to as ''Cumberland Borrowdale'' ...
via Grains Gill, from Great Langdale via Rossett Gill and
Esk Hause Esk Hause is a mountain pass in the English Lake District, England. It is where the paths from Eskdale, Borrowdale, Langdale and Wasdale all meet. Esk Hause is a first step to reaching higher summits, such as Scafell Pike, Great End, Esk Pike an ...
, or from Eskdale. As an intermediate objective Great End may easily be climbed from the main path between
Esk Hause Esk Hause is a mountain pass in the English Lake District, England. It is where the paths from Eskdale, Borrowdale, Langdale and Wasdale all meet. Esk Hause is a first step to reaching higher summits, such as Scafell Pike, Great End, Esk Pike an ...
and
Scafell Pike Scafell Pike () is the highest and the most prominent mountain in England, at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in the Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, and is part of the Southern Fells and the Scafell massif. Scafell P ...
, requiring only a detour of some 400 m.


Cust's Gully

Cust's Gully at the western end of Great End's cliffs is named after 19th-century pioneer climber and sketcher Arthur Cust, a classical scholar from Yorkshire also known for his watercolour sketches of the
Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
and
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and ...
. Cust's Gully is a Grade 1 rock climb, but a difficult obstacle for walkers ascending from
Sprinkling Tarn Sprinkling Tarn is a body of water at the foot of Great End, in the Southern Fells in Lake District, from Seathwaite, Cumbria, England. It is noted for its trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhync ...
. Cust's first winter ascent of the gully was recorded in 1880, although he is thought to have ascended it earlier.


References


External links


Ascents and photographs of Great End at Striding Edge


{{Southern Fells Fells of the Lake District Hewitts of England Nuttalls Allerdale Borough of Copeland