Great End

Great End stands at the northern end of the Scafell chain in Borrowdale, a valley in the English Lake District. From the south it looks like a modest ridge, but from the north it rises as a steep mountain with a dramatic face above Sprinkling Tarn. The cliffs on the north-eastern side are cut by deep gullies that stay cold and snowy into spring. A gentler ridge called The Band leads west toward Sty Head, where paths meet from Wasdale and Seathwaite. Below The Band lies Skew Gill, a steep ravine feeding Lingmell Beck. The summit area is rocky, with two small cairns and wide views across Borrowdale. Alfred Wainwright praised Great End in his Pictorial Guide, calling it the kind of place that draws walkers back again and again. The cliffs attract climbers, while the high paths bring others seeking the fell’s austere beauty. Sprinkling Tarn below the north face is a favourite spot for wild campers. Sty Head, the col between Great End and Great Gable, is a key junction for routes to Scafell Pike and beyond. Esk Hause to the east links the valleys of Eskdale and Borrowdale. The summit’s northern cairn offers the best outlook over the cliffs and gullies. A walker on Great End follows ridges and gullies shaped by ancient volcanic rock. The Corridor Route passes subsidiary tops like Round How and Lambfoot Dub on its way to Scafell Pike. Cust’s Gully, named after climber Arthur Cust, is a classic Grade 1 climb first tackled in winter in 1880. From the summit two cairns mark the highest points, one closer to the cliff edge with the finer view. The whole panorama takes in the heads of the gullies and the deep valleys below. The terrain is rough but rewarding, with tarns and rocky outcrops framing the high fells.