Walking standard - easy. This is a popular walk for all ages. You will see toddlers doing their first hillwalk and local senior citizens enjoying this classic route every week.
Navigation -
follow the ridge to the summit and descend by a good path to the lake. Follow the lakeshore path to the Hawse End landing stage and then climb uphill to reach the road and the car park.
Max height - 451m
Distance - 4 miles
Minimum Time - 2 hrs
Suggested Map - OS NW 1:25,000
Start/Finish -
NY248212
Parking - on single track road to Skelgill
Public Toilets - None nearby.
Refreshments -
Use your car to reach the nearby Swinside Inn (NY243218) in the Newlands Valley. There is also a cafe at Nichol End Marina and there is a cafe in the village of Portinscale.
Take the main road to Keswick, drive on to Portinscale and follow the road through woods to reach a fork in the road. Bear left towards Grange and on the upper hairpin bend bear right on the Skelgill minor road. The small car park is on the left. (NY248212)
Estimated times:
08:00 Depart Windermere
on A591
08:43 Arrive at Keswick
Continue (west) on Cockermouth Road A66
9.00 Turn left and drive in to Portinscale
9:10 Arrive at the car park - if you arrive any later there will be no parking spaces available.
Please consider parking at the Lakeside car park in Keswick and catching the launch across to Hawse End. This makes the day even more special. Launches run every 15 minutes in the summer. The Hawes End jetty lies below Cat Bells and the path to the right leads uphill to reach the road and car park start.
Buy a map
OS NW Area 1:25,000
From the car park walk back to the main road. The path is on your right and it ascends the steep spur by a series of zig zags. The view therefore continually changes. In one direction there are fine views across Derwentwater to Saddleback, while in the other direction there are fine views across to Skiddaw.
On one of the rocky outcrops there is a memorial tablet to Thomas Arthur Leonard. He was a Minister in Colne in Lancashire and organised holidays to the Lake District. The present day organisation is called the Countrywide Holidays Association (CHA).
The path now reaches a minor summit and this is a good place to take refreshments and admire the views. The path which leads on from Skelwith Bank is almost level, however the final pull to the summit is steep and there are several rocky outcrops. These are less formidable than they appear and are easily traversed to the right or left of the main ridge.
On the summit the views are spectacular. Newlands valley lies to the west and it has several impressive summits. The rocky summit of Causey Pike always draws the eye. Some small scars on the hillside in the Newlands valley indicates mining activity in the past. Lead and copper were extracted here in 1564. The German miners who were brought in to exploit the minerals lived in isolation on Derwent Isle but the church records in Keswick show that they married some local girls.
The views to the east across Derwentwater are less spectacular but the cliffs of Walla Crag and Falcon Crag are impressive. The island in the centre of the lake is called St. Herbert's Island because the monk lived there for some time.
The proximity of Derwentwater gives this small fell extra stature. It was called Cat Bells because 'Catt belde' is Old English for the 'den of the wild cat'
The path now descends to a dip in the ridge. To the left of this 'col' is a path down to the lake. It is rather steep and eroded so care needs to be taken. Cross the Grange to Portinscale road and follow a track down to Brandlehow Bay. There are some spoil heaps here from old lead mines with a motor launch Landing Stage beyond. The woods, Brandlehow Park, were purchased by Beatrix Potter and bequeathed to the National Trust. Beatrix was by this time wealthy from the sales of childrens' books and believed passionately that the countryside needed to be conserved.
The path leaves the woods and lakeshore and passes a fine mansion. Hawse End has been used for many years as an adventure centre for children and I was lucky enough to attend a course here in my youth.
Turn left at a road junction beyond and follow a path upwards to the road with the zig zags. You will recognise the small road to your car park.
The nearby Swinside Inn serves welcome refreshments all year round! There is a small beer garden too, with views across Newlands valley.
Use streetmap.co.uk and click on the GB place button. Type in Cat Bells. Click on SEARCH to view a location map.
To see a 1-25,000 map click in the middle of the 7 icons below it.
Scroll the map to see the walk.
Type in the following names if you prefer
- Portinscale
- Skelgill
- Skelgill Bank
- Cat Bells
- Brandlehow Bay
- Hawse End
When you stand at the summit of Cat Bells the panorama is exceptional. The hills to the north are smooth in outline while those to the south are rugged. The hills to the north are composed of slate which erodes easily, while the hills to the south are volcanic in origin and resist erosion. The U-shaped valley of Borrowdale to the east was formed when a glacier once passed by, grinding away the sides of the fells. The lakes you can see (Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake) were once joined and sediments washed down in the rivers and streams have formed a plain between.
History is all around too. Above Keswick lies the stone circle made by Bronze Age Man. Was it a meeting place, a religious centre or a building to chart the movement of the moon and sun during the year? Just beyond Saddleback are the remains of a Roman fort and local place names such as Braithwaite tell us that the Vikings settled nearby in a clearing (thwaite). The churches and mansions of the area also have a rich history.
Mining in the area led to the first age of prosperity for Keswick. 'Goldscope' mine, for example, opened in 1564 in Newlands and was in production until 1650. It was reopened in 1847 and was briefly very profitable.
Wordsworth lived in Keswick for a while and mixed with other 'Romantic Poets' in the town. Wordsworth moved to Grasmere and was opposed to plans to drive a railway line from Windermere across Lakeland.
A railway line was eventually built to Keswick from Penrith and brought vast numbers of tourists to the area. Today the motorway allows vast numbers of day trippers to visit Keswick at weekends and in the holidays. Keswick now relies mainly on tourism and there has been considerable inward investment especially into the 'Theatre by the Lake'. The future looks bright as tourists now arrive throughout the whole year to walk the fells and enjoy the scenery of this National Park.
Each person walks at a different speed. The rule for a fit healthy person is
'Allow one hour for every 3miles (5km). Add one hour for every 2000 ft (600m) of ascent'.
This is usually an underestimate and each walker should try to form an assessment of his performance over one or two walks. The Rule also makes no allowance for rest or food stops, for the roughness of the ground or the influence of weather conditions.
It is good practice to plan an escape route in the event of bad weather, foot blisters or an accident. This really only involves looking at the map and seeing where a path leads down into a suitable valley.
For this walk, the Grange to Portinscale road (at the half way point on the walk) provides an escape route. Walk along it to reach the houses at the zig zags. They will phone the Keswick Mountain Rescue for you.
OS grid references from your own map can be used to get a 1:25,000 OS map. eg. Cat Bells is NY244198
Enter these into the search box at Streetmap.co.uk and click on the 'OS grid' button. Now click on the SEARCH button. The map that appears is high resolution so click on the central icon in the seven below to get a 1:25,000 OS. map.
Please follow the Country Code - close gates and take your litter home.
Always carry map, compass, waterproof jacket and leggings, plastic bivvy sheet, extra food, basic first aid kit and a plastic whistle.