Lake District Monday 9th May 2011

Monday 9th May 2011 - Cat Bells
Pathfinder Guide North & West Lakeland Walk#6 Cat Bells (4 Miles)

We woke to a brighter day, and after breakfast and checkout of Burneside B&B, we drove the short distance to Hawse End for the start of the Cat Bells walk. Hawse End is really just a ferry drop point on Derwent Water just outside Keswick (a few miles along the far shore away from Keswick). It is accessed along some very narrow and twisty roads. The free car park is located along a narrow road (where the road you are following continues left up a very steep gradient, do not follow this but go right). The car park has space for maybe 8 cars, so you need to get there reasonably early. The other option could be to take the ferry from Keswick near the theatre on the lake, but this is about a 30-40min journey and costs £9 each return.

Setting off at 09:50, the ascent began via a stepped path and was well signposted. Cat Bells is a very popular fell, no doubt due to its proximity to Keswick, the access via the ferry, and its signposted well defined paths. Make no mistake though, it is not to be undertaken lightly, as parts are steep in both acsent and descent and there are a few mild scrambles over rocks nearer the summit.

I would advise to steer clear on summer weekends as even on a Monday, out of high season it was fairly busy, though not obtrusively so!

The path is a steady climb, and we had frequent "breathers" to look back and enjoy the view over Derwentwater.

The path becomes much rockier as the summit approaches, and there are a few ocassions to use both hands and legs over rocky terrain. Though this is nothing too extreme, just a little care needed in what can be described as a short mild scramble.

  On reaching the summit at 1,502ft we rested and took in the views of Derwentwater, Blencathra to the North East, and Skiddaw to the South. The day was reasonably pleasant and so not too windy at the top with good clear views all around. It took us around an hour from the car park to reach the summit of Cat Bells.

Continuing on from the small summit cairn led us on to an initial steady descent and eventually to a steep and rocky, but very distinct, pathway. I imagine it could be slippery in very wet conditions.

This path descends for about half a mile or so and a lower level path to the left can then be taken which is much more on the level and skirts close to the lake with fine lower level views back to the start point. We arrived back at the car park at 12:20, having taken 2hrs, 30 mins.

Although this walk is only 4 miles and can be easily completed in a morning or afternoon, there are both fairly steep ascents and descents. An enjoyable half day walk with fine views, but would advise to go mid-week to avoid most of the crowds. Plenty of time then for a look around Keswick, either before or after the walk.

Our Walk Score: 7.5/10