The Cobbler has three distinctive summits: the middle one is the highest. The top is crowned by a rocky outcrop that marks the true summit.
A very good head for heights is required to attain the true summit, which can best be reached by crawling through a hole (known as the needle) in the summit rock formation from the north side to the south.

This leads to a ledge around 1 m (3 ft 3 in) wide, with a sheer drop of well over 100 ft (30 m) on one side. The ledge is steeply inclined, and some scrambling ability is necessary to negotiate it and eventually gain the summit. Using this route is known as “threading the needle”.

The easiest descent is by the same route – however, this is more difficult and extreme care must be taken, especially when descending the final part of the ledge. The mica schist rock is very slippery in the wet and falls can be deadly.