The southern and western slopes – although steep – are smooth and rounded, while the northern and eastern faces fall as crags directly from the summit.

These two streams which girdle the fell both run through wide boulder strewn courses, evidence of flash flooding and the endless fall of rocks from the upper slopes.

Averaging about 9 metres (30 ft), but much deeper in places, it pursues an L-shaped course down the fellside before emerging from its cutting to merge with Greta Gill.

[1] The summit of Lingmell is directly above the crags on the eastern side, a fine cairn having been constructed[2] to replace the thin column described by Wainwright in the 1960s.

Alfred Wainwright wrote in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells of: ‘…the surprising aspect of Great Gable across the deep gulf of Lingmell Beck…the eye being deceived into seeing its half-mile of height as quite perpendicular’.