Bob Graham Round Leg 4: Wasdale Head to Honister Pass

The route

Leg 4 of the Bob Graham Round starts with one of the cruellest climbs on the whole circuit, the direct haul out of Wasdale Head onto Yewbarrow (628m). From there it works the Mosedale horseshoe and the western skyline: Red Pike (826m), Steeple, Pillar (892m), then down to Black Sail Pass and up Kirk Fell before the rocky pull onto Great Gable (899m). Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts follow before the drop to the slate buildings at Honister Pass. It is 17.7km but with 1314m of ascent and nine summits, making it the steepest leg per kilometre of the round.

Bob Graham context

The Bob Graham Round is the Lakeland 24-hour test: 66 miles, around 8,200m of ascent and 42 fells from Keswick Moot Hall, pioneered by Bob Graham in 1932. Leg 4 connects the remote Wasdale changeover with the Honister support point, and it is where many rounds are won or lost, because the relentless steep ascents come when legs are already 40-odd miles deep. Pacing the Yewbarrow climb and the Gable pull is everything.

Why it works

As a stand-alone run this is a magnificent tour of the Western Fells, with Pillar and Great Gable as the headline Wainwrights and some of the most dramatic rock scenery in the Lakes. The ground is rough, rocky and steep throughout, with scree and boulder on the Gable approaches, so it rewards strong descenders and careful foot placement. Carry full kit, know the line over the often-confusing Brandreth and Grey Knotts plateau in cloud, and respect just how much vertical is squeezed into the distance. The traverse from Pillar to Kirk Fell via Black Sail Pass loses and regains big height, and Great Gable's summit boulders are slow going in the dark. Schedules usually allow around three hours here, but the leg punishes anyone who has gone out too hard earlier, so keep it for a clear, dry day with grippy rock and open views over Wastwater.