\u201cIt is one of the great favourites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved,\u201d wrote great lover of the Lakes Alfred Wainwright. \u201cIts popularity is well deserved; its shapely topknott attracts the eye offering a steep but obviously simple scramble.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our moderate 3.6-mile walking route up Cat Bells is one of the best walks in the Lake District<\/a>. It should take around two hours to complete.<\/p>\n Its popularity means that Cat Bells isn\u2019t as isolated as some of the other fells (although, if you do want the summit all to yourself, try setting off at dawn). It\u2019s worth sharing the trail, though \u2013 I\u2019ve never climbed a hill that rewards the hiker more richly in views than Cat Bells. On your left, the clear blue lake of Derwent Water is dotted\u00a0with sailing boats that look more and more like toys as\u00a0you ascend. On your right, magnificent fells roll away into the distance. And, with the exception of a short, steep path at the start and a brief scramble to the summit, Cat Bells is easy to climb and simple to navigate \u2013 perfect for old legs, little legs and the four-legged alike.<\/p>\n More related content:<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> Before climbing it, I like to make a pilgrimage to Friar\u2019s Crag, a vista on the opposite side of Derwent Water, just outside Keswick. The view of Cat Bells\u2019 undulating humps opposite, strikingly reflected in the lake\u2019s surface, is the perfect appetiser to an ascent of the fell.<\/p>\n Our route begins in Hawse End. There\u2019s a (busy) car park here, but for a more relaxing start, head to Keswick Landings<\/a> and catch a boat anti-clockwise around the lake \u2013 you\u2019ll be at your starting point in 10 minutes. There\u2019s also a direct launch every morning\u00a0at 9.45 that runs specifically\u00a0for walkers.<\/p>\n 3.6-mile\/5.8km | 2\u20132.5 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n 1. Sailing start<\/strong><\/p>\n From Hawse End, you\u2019ll see the sheer mass of the fells right in front of you, and a sign reading \u2018Cat Bells, 1 Mile\u2019 pointing up\u00a0the trail. Follow the narrow stone path as it begins to climb. The route is clear, leading on to a wide ridge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n With each step, the views become increasingly striking, and it\u2019s not long before Derwent Water opens up in the valley below, dotted with sailing\u00a0crafts and ringed on all sides\u00a0by lush fells.<\/p>\n 2. Holiday on a hill<\/strong><\/p>\n Keep climbing and you\u2019ll\u00a0pass a memorial to Thomas Arthur Leonard, a pioneer in developing organised outdoor holidays for working people.<\/p>\n 3. Panoramic picnic<\/strong><\/p>\n The path is straightforward, right until you reach the rocky summit, where there\u2019s a bit of\u00a0a scramble to reach the hilltop proper. It\u2019s worth the extra effort to stand on the very\u00a0top of Cat Bells. Despite\u00a0being a modest 451m high,\u00a0it offers panoramic views of water, mountains and valleys \u2013 a pocket Lake District.<\/p>\n To the north, Skiddaw and the wide saddleback\u00a0of Blencathra dominate the skyline. Nestled below them is Keswick, tiny and gleaming white from this distance. While\u00a0 behind the summit lie the fells of Maiden Moor and High Spy. These tall, green peaks may be dream Wainwright country, but the gentle valleys that slope down from the mountains are the land of Beatrix Potter.\u00a0The author rambled here in the early 1900s, and based Squirrel Nutkin on the red squirrels<\/a> that still live in the woods, while imagined Mrs Tiggy Winkle lived behind a small wooden door built into the side of the mountain itself.<\/p>\n You\u2019re pretty unlikely to have the summit to yourself, but I\u2019ve always found it full of friendly hikers, all stupefied by that tremendous view. Once I watched a paraglider hike\u00a0to the crest and then launch himself off\u00a0the mountain, adding a splash of bright colour to the landscape as he\u00a0rode\u00a0the winds into the valley below.<\/p>\n 4. Stepping south<\/strong><\/p>\n Onwards from the summit,\u00a0the path continues south,\u00a0now heading downhill.\u00a0A number of tracks lead off\u00a0to your right to Little Town\u00a0and the neighbouring valley \u2013 ignore these and stay on the path until you come to a set\u00a0of steep stone steps. Follow these down until you reach a path forking to the left \u2013 this is the Cat Bells bridleway.<\/p>\n 5. Along the lake<\/strong><\/p>\n 6. Cooling off<\/strong><\/p>\n If the water is too enticing, branch off at the point where the trail meets the road and\u00a0go for a paddle. Here, cross\u00a0the road and follow a path\u00a0to the small beach at High Brandelhow. Otherwise, simply continue on the bridleway and you\u2019ll soon find yourself back at Hawse End, tired-legged with a proper\u00a0little mountain conquered.<\/p>\n Walking route to the summit of Cat Bells in the Lake District<\/a><\/p>\n![\""Green\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/02\/Cat-Bells-0e85821.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Cat\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Visiting Cat Bells<\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Cat Bells map<\/h2>\n
![\""Cat\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2019\/01\/Screenshot-2019-12-11-at-08.18.03-05d1964.png?quality=90&resize=607%2C413"\" "\\"\"Cat\\"\/")
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