Great End

About Great End

Standing as the imposing northern sentinel of the Scafell massif, this rugged Wainwright is best known for the dramatic, craggy precipices of its north face. It offers a stony, boulder-strewn summit plateau that provides an unparalleled vantage point directly down the length of Borrowdale toward Derwent Water and the Skiddaw range.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is purely descriptive, marking the massive northern terminus of the Scafell range. To those looking up from the valley floor, the fell appears as a sheer, impassable wall of rock, literally the 'great end' of the high ground.
• •Alfred Wainwright held the fell in high regard, describing its northern face as the finest scene in the Lake District. He noted that while the summit is a stony desert, the sheer scale of its cliffs makes it a more impressive presence than its higher neighbour, Scafell Pike.
• •The north-facing gullies, such as Central Gully and Cust’s Gully, are legendary among winter climbers. Cust’s Gully is named after Arthur Cust, who made the first recorded ascent in 1880 and is often credited with being the first person to use an ice axe in the Lake District.
• •The summit plateau is a vast field of shattered volcanic rock featuring two distinct cairns. The cairn positioned on the edge of the northern precipice offers the most dramatic view, looking straight down onto Styhead Tarn and across the gap to Great Gable.
• •For many walkers, Great End serves as a large, inconvenient pile of boulders to be navigated on the way to Scafell Pike, providing a rigorous test of both ankle stability and patience before the main event.