Get Lost Mountaineering

Cat Bells from the North

Start/Finish

Parking can be a nightmare for this route especially in the peak season so this walk is probably best done midweek in late September or early October. Many try and park near Skirgill reached via Portinscale from Keswick but this soon fills up. It seems better to approach from Grange in Borrowdale, about 4 miles south of Keswick then drive under Cat Bells for about 2.5 miles until the road junction for Skirgill is reached. On the way look for suitable parking spaces then turn around and go back to the one nearest the Skirgill junction. Don't be tempted to risk parking on double yellow lines, which are on almost the full length of this road, as the Police are regularly ticketing those who park where they shouldn't.

Distance/Time

3 km    About 2 – 3 hours

Peaks

Cat Bells, 451 m, NY 244 199    OL4 North Western Lakes

Introduction

Cat Bells is one of the most popular fells in the Lake District as it commands superb views over Derwentwater as well as to other fells such as Skiddaw and Causey Pike. This is a fairly short walk but many rock bands have to be crossed and there isn't always an obvious path to avoid them. In dry weather, the rock bands shouldn't present a problem to the average walker but they can become very slippery in wet weather.

Route

(1) Find a path near the Skirgill junction which leads onto Cat Bells. Most likely, you will find the one which goes down the side of Cat Bells to Grange. If so, then very soon, a right fork takes you up onto the crest. Follow the obvious path until it levels out for some distance before climbing steeply up to the summit where there is no summit cairn but a viewfinder cairn. The highest point is on some ground level broken rock which is the summit of Cat Bells, 451 m.

(2) Retrace down the north ridge enjoying the views especially to Skiddaw. If you don't fancy descending the rocky sections then go down the easy south ridge to a col then turn left and follow a path down to the path to Grange. Turn left and walk back to where you parked.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 6^th October, 2024.