Cat Bells - a conical drystone column on the rocky summit, the green Newlands Valley and its farms spread below

Cat Bells (Catbells)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited May 2026

Home › Fells › Cat Bells (Catbells)

451 mWainwright — North Western Fells+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km

Cat Bells overlooks Derwent Water. The north-ridge approach includes short rocky steps; compare the routes below for distance, difficulty and starting point.

Summit conditions on Cat Bells (Catbells)

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 6°C, gusts to 67 mph, 10.7 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

72 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 56 mph times our exposure factor of 1.28. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 67 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS (opens in new tab) describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

10.7 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 2 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 33 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Routes up Cat Bells (Catbells)

Both start from Skelgill Bank, north car park; the last two rows give its parking and bus. Full maps further down.

Compared	Catbells: the short way up	Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy
Starts from	Hawes End	Hawes End
Distance and climb	5.67 km, 407 m of climb	12.59 km, 726 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~1¾–2½ h	~3½–5 h
Scrambling	Hands for a few steps: two rocky steps, the second just below the top (km 1.0–1.7). Short does not mean gentle: the ridge is steep, and there are two rocky steps where you will want your hands.	Hands for a few steps: two rocky steps on Cat Bells (km 1.0–1.7). A few easy scrambly steps on Catbells — take care, especially when wet.
Exposure	Easy	Moderate
Navigation	Easy	Moderate
Steepest stretch	Descent of about 31% at 2.7 km (Hard)	Descent of about 29% at 9.8 km (Hard)
After the summit	No further tops	Over Maiden Moor and High Spy
Walked or planned	Walked by Lee, May 2026	Walked by Lee, May 2026
Car park at the start	Skelgill Bank, north car park	Skelgill Bank, north car park
Bus to the start	77 at the start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day.	77 at the start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day.

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

How hard is Cat Bells (Catbells), really?

Short version: Cat Bells is a small fell, but not an easy one — a friendly big view with two short rocky steps where you will want your hands. For a confident walker or child on a fine day it is about the best first proper fell in the Lakes; it is not a stroll, and most of the trouble here is slips on the way down.

Is it OK for beginners? Yes — on a clear day it is roughly as good as a first fell gets: a short climb, a single obvious ridge that is easy to follow in clear weather, and a reward out of all proportion to the effort. The catch is underfoot — two brief rock steps, worn slippery by sheer numbers, and a steep, eroded descent. Wear grippy boots or shoes, use your hands on the steps, and come down the gentler terrace path above the lake rather than straight down the ridge, which is where people slip.

Is Latrigg easier than Cat Bells?

By our five-axis reading of the two walks, yes — underfoot. Latrigg is the gentler hill: a graded path the whole way with no hands-on rock, where Cat Bells has two rocky steps and a climb we grade Hard for steepness against Latrigg’s easy pull. We grade navigation Easy on both. So for a clear-day family walk, Latrigg is the easier of the two, and both are short.

Is Cat Bells a Grade 1 scramble? No — it is not a graded scramble. What you will meet, in our own words from the route: “Good path, but two short rocky steps where you will want your hands, on rock worn slippery.” Two brief moves, hands out of pockets, no rope and no real exposure — well short of a scramble, but enough to catch out anyone treating it as a walk in trainers.

Can you take a dog up Cat Bells? Yes. Our Stile & Gate Census found gates and kissing gates only on the ridge route — no stiles to lift a dog over, though a small dog may need a hand on the two rock steps. Keep it on a short lead across the lower fields, where there is livestock.

How we know: these are our own difficulty gradings from the route we have mapped over Cat Bells — length and steepness from the terrain model, and terrain, navigation and exposure assessed editorially. Our grading of that route is walked by Lee May 2026.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 451 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

12° / 6°

67 mph

10.7 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

10° / 7°

49 mph

8.3 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

10° / 8°

25 mph

0.7 mm (26%)

Fri 30 Oct

10° / 7°

25 mph

0.0 mm (31%)

Sat 31 Oct

11° / 2°

8 mph

0.0 mm (25%)

Sun 1 Nov

9° / 2°

5 mph

0.0 mm (12%)

Mon 2 Nov

9° / 3°

15 mph

0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Cat Bells (Catbells)

Getting to Cat Bells (Catbells)

The little parking at the foot of the fell fills fast on any decent day, and this is one fell you do not need a car for. Three ways to the foot of it:

Walk from Keswick

1 h 6 min · 4.18 km · ~160 m ascent

The flat way in — out of Keswick through Portinscale and along the western shore of Derwentwater to Hawes End, at the foot of the north ridge.

The Chalet Tearooms & Restaurant (Portinscale) is on the walking line — a genuine reason to walk rather than drive. We don’t publish its opening hours; check them before you count on it.

Lee has walked it: “not difficult and actually quite enjoyable.”

Keswick Launch to Hawes End

The Keswick Launch crosses Derwentwater and stops at Hawes End, a few minutes’ walk from the foot of the ridge — no car, no parking, and the lake as your approach. Dogs travel too: well-behaved dogs are welcome on the boats (Keswick Launch — FAQs). Check the current timetable and the last boat back before you set off.

Driving is a gamble

The roadside parking at Hawes End / Gutherscale is tiny and the verges fill early — on a fine day it is a gamble. If you must drive, come very early or very late, or park at Little Town in Newlands and climb from the quieter side. Better still, take the 77 bus from Keswick, or the launch.

Some mapping apps still list a handful of spaces at the car park that have not reflected reality for years.

Parking

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Skelgill Bank, north car park — at the start of Catbells: the short way up and Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy

Walking base for Skelgill Bank, Cat Bells (Catbells), Maiden Moor and High Spy — the 'Catbells: the short way up' route starts 9 m away. Also serves 'Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy'. Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.

Directions Something changed here?

Cat Bells (layby) — 0.5 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Cat Bells (Catbells) (0.5 km), Skelgill Bank (0.9 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Cat Bells (verge) — 0.5 km from summit (straight line)

0.5 km from Cat Bells (Catbells).

Directions Something changed here?

3 more places to park near Cat Bells (Catbells)

Cat Bells car park — 0.5 km from summit (straight line)

On the lane south from Hawes End, below Catbells. The Hawes End route starts, 'Catbells: the short way up' among them, are 1.3 km on foot. Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.

Directions Something changed here?

Skelgill Bank car park — 0.6 km from summit (straight line)

On the lane south from Hawes End, below Catbells. The Hawes End route starts, 'Catbells: the short way up' among them, are 1.1 km on foot. Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.

Directions Something changed here?

Cat Bells, south-east (layby) — 0.8 km from summit (straight line)

Nearest fells: Cat Bells (Catbells) (0.8 km), Skelgill Bank (1.4 km), Maiden Moor (1.6 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Ground surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.

If Catbells is full

When the crowd arrives: nobody sells a ticket for the Hawes End and Skelgill Bank verges, so there is no arrival data; on a fair weekend morning the verges fill from early on and the road is the overflow.

The usual walk: Catbells: the short way up.

5.7 km and 407 m of ascent, about 1¾–2½ hours; terrain Moderate, navigation Easy, exposure Easy; starts at Hawes End; walked by Lee, May 2026

A similar outing: none of the walks we publish from this base is a quieter walk of about the same size.

A longer mountain day: Walla Crag, Bleaberry Fell, High Seat, High Tove and Armboth Fell, over Walla Crag, Bleaberry Fell and High Seat, each with under a tenth of Catbells’ search interest. Quieter, and a bigger day than the usual walk.

17.0 km and 812 m of ascent, about 4¾–6½ hours; terrain Moderate, navigation Moderate, exposure Easy; starts at Ashness Gate Car Park; walked by Lee, August 2025

The later start: Catbells: the short way up, about 1¾–2½ hours with an exposure band of Easy.

Computed from the site’s own stores; how, and the other three fells.

Buses

The 77 stops at Hawes End, outside Cattle Grid, an 80 m walk from the start of Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy — a route we rate Hard overall (hardest: steepness). Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. It returns on 22 March 2027. Confirmed with the operator: its last day on 29 August 2026, its return on 16 October 2026. The last bus is 19:00 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”

Keswick – Portinscale – Hawes End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)

Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)

Seasonal (Summer 2026 timetable: 23 March to 1 November 2026). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Cat Bells (Catbells)

Hazard & Incident Information for Cat Bells (Catbells)

Checked by Lee McCoy, 13 June 2026. Draws on published material from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. Editorial background, not a live callout feed.

Hazard: Moderate

A short, hugely popular fell that lulls walkers into a false sense of ease. The recurring incidents are slips and trips on the polished rock steps near the summit and on the steep, eroded descent — often involving people in unsuitable footwear, families, or those caught out by how rocky this 'easy' little hill actually is.

Summit rock steps: Smooth, polished rock that is slippery when wet, with short scrambly moves where a slip can mean a real fall. Use your hands and take care.
Steep descent toward Hause Gate: Loose and eroded — a common spot for slips. Proper footwear strongly advised.

Who should attempt this fell: Suitable for most walkers and families in good conditions, but it is a proper little fell, not a stroll. Wear boots or grippy shoes, take care on the rocky steps in the wet, and don't underestimate it.

What to watch for: Slips on wet polished rock · Trips on the eroded descent · Unsuitable footwear

Local Mountain Rescue: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab)

Safety: Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information (opens in new tab)

Navigating in cloud

Not graded by the model

Our terrain model finds nothing to grade on this summit, so it gives no cloud grade here — that is not a sign of easy navigation. Read this fell’s hazard notes and the route pages before a day in cloud. Carry map and compass, and know how to use them.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Cat Bells (Catbells) compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).

If you need Mountain Rescue

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.

Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.

If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Cat Bells (Catbells)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

0.7 km NSkelgill Bank338 m · North Western

1.7 km WNWRowling End433 m · North Western

2.5 km SWScope End412 m · North Western

3.0 km SWRed Knott452 m · North Western

Routes over Cat Bells (Catbells)

Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy

Summits: Skelgill BankCat Bells (Catbells)Maiden Moor High Spy

Download GPX Walked by Lee, May 2026

Best season: A good year-round walk; the steep little steps on Cat Bells are slippery when wet, and the ridge is exposed to wind.

Warnings: A few easy scrambly steps on Catbells — take care, especially when wet. The ridge is narrow in places with steep ground either side; fine for most, but keep children close. High Spy is defended by steep crags on both sides: Eel Crags above Newlands to the west, and Blea Crag above Borrowdale to the east. Keep to the crest and well back from both edges, especially in wind or cloud — the gentle grass gives little warning before the drop.

Route guide: Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy →

Catbells: the short way up

Summits: Skelgill BankCat Bells (Catbells)

No car needed: the Keswick launch to Hawes End, or the bus, puts you at the foot of it.

Download GPX Walked by Lee, May 2026

Best season: All year, in reasonable weather. It is the definition of a fell for a fine day, and it is often busy — early or late is quieter and the light is better.

Picked for its light in: October

Warnings: It is a small fell, not an easy one. Short does not mean gentle: the ridge is steep, and there are two rocky steps where you will want your hands. Confident children love it; it is not a pushchair walk. The path is badly eroded and the rock is worn slippery by sheer numbers. Most incidents here are slips on the descent. Do not read ‘low’ as ‘safe in a storm’. Catbells is a bare, open ridge with nothing above you — on it, you are the highest point. Height is not what protects you from lightning. If you hear thunder, get off it. (Lee watched people walking up it into an incoming storm on 11 July 2026.) Livestock on the lower fields — dogs on a short lead.

Route guide: Catbells: the short way up →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Cat Bells (Catbells)

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy route:

Hawes (Cattlegrid) (36 m from the start, straight line) YHA Hawse End Cottage (364 m from the start, straight line)

On the Catbells: the short way up route:

Hawes (Cattlegrid) (34 m from the start, straight line) YHA Hawse End Cottage (358 m from the start, straight line)

About Cat Bells (Catbells)

Cat Bells is one of Alfred Wainwright's great favourites, and his fondness for it shines through in The North-Western Fells — he saw it as a family fell, approachable enough for grandparents and young children to climb together, yet rewarding with shapely, sun-warmed slopes and a genuinely striking position above Derwent Water. At 451m (1,480ft) it's modest in height but punches well above its weight for views, taking in Derwent Water, Skiddaw, Blencathra and Bassenthwaite Lake from the summit. It remains one of the most-climbed fells in the Lake District, with the classic route starting from Hawes End and a popular extension continuing along the ridge to Maiden Moor, High Spy, Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson — the Newlands Horseshoe.

Field notes

This isn't as easy as I expect some people think. If you've parked near Hawse End Outdoor Centre, just head up in a southerly direction and think you've done it as you reach Skelgill Bank. Actually you need to keep going up and over a very short scramble. I kept to the left, others went to the right. There's plenty of space at the summit to mill around, and many do. You can either come back the way you came, or keep going down into Hause Gate and follow the route down to the left, it's relatively clear and obvious. As you go through the ironically called High Ground you'll make it to lower ground. There you should make a sharp left turn towards the road and Derwent Water. Follow the road back to your start.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on 2 of our routes

My Strava hikes over Cat Bells (Catbells)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Was supposed to be grim so did a tourist route. It wasn't. (opens in new tab) — 21.4 km · 866 m ascent · 4h 53m moving · 9 May 2026

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Cat Bells (Catbells) a Wainwright?

Cat Bells (Catbells) is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Selected lists

451 m

Height

1,480 ft

In feet

NY 2440 1986

Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is also a Birkett.

Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →

The view from Cat Bells (Catbells)

The 360° skyline from Cat Bells (Catbells)

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys

The skyline as a list, by direction

North: Skiddaw Lesser Man (8 km), Skiddaw Little Man (8 km), Jenkin Hill (8 km), Carl Side (8 km), Skiddaw South Top (9 km)
North-east: Knowe Crags (10 km), Gategill Fell Top (10 km), Blencathra (11 km), Doddick Fell (12 km)
East: Watson's Dodd (9 km), Great Dodd (10 km), White Side (10 km), Stybarrow Dodd (10 km), Raise (10 km), Catstye Cam (11 km)
South-east: Helvellyn Lower Man (10 km), Helvellyn (11 km), Nethermost Pike (11 km), High Crag (12 km), Dollywaggon Pike (12 km), Seat Sandal (13 km), Fairfield (14 km), Great Rigg (15 km)
South: Combe Head (9 km), Glaramara (9 km), High Raise (11 km), Great End (12 km), Esk Pike (12 km), Harrison Stickle (13 km), Bowfell (13 km), Black Sails (20 km)
South-west: High Crag (9 km), Red Pike (9 km), Steeple (12 km)
West: Crag Hill (5 km), Eel Crag (5 km), Wandope (6 km), Sand Hill (6 km)
North-west: Grisedale Pike (5 km), Hobcarton Crag (6 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Green Lowther (98 km, Scotland), White Coomb (96 km, Scotland), Queensberry (84 km, Scotland), Culter Fell (111 km, Scotland), Gathersnow Hill (107 km, Scotland), Ballencleuch Law (90 km, Scotland), Hart Fell (95 km, Scotland), Croft Head (86 km, Scotland).

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Cat Bells (Catbells)

Cat Bells (Catbells) sits close to the flat-horizon case. Even on its longest wait of the modelled year (on 1 November) first light is only 19 minutes after almanac sunrise, so the published sunrise time is a fair guide here.

Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.

Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
	First light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	04:48 BST ±5.0 min	04:37	+11 min
Equinox	06:31 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	+15 min
Midwinter	08:40 GMT ±5.0 min	08:34	+6 min

The northern horizon stands at about 0.94° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Cat Bells (Catbells)

Cat Bells (Catbells) loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when last light is 38 minutes before almanac sunset — 15:11 against 15:49. The sun goes down to the south-west from here (220.6°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.53°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
	Last light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	21:45 BST ±5.0 min	21:53	-8 min
Equinox	18:06 GMT ±5.0 min	18:27	-21 min
Midwinter	15:11 GMT ±5.0 min	15:49	-38 min

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

Cat Bells (Catbells) is one of our picked Lake District viewpoints — what you can see from it, when the light is best, and where to park.

What you can see from Cat Bells (Catbells)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

64Wainwrights in view+5 marginal

—Sea in viewnone from here

All 64 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Maiden Moor, Barrow, Causey Pike, Scar Crags, Walla Crag, Ard Crags, Outerside, Castle Crag, Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Bleaberry Fell, Hindscarth, Sail, High Seat, Knott Rigg, Crag Hill (Eel Crag), Grisedale Pike, Wandope, High Tove, Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Latrigg, Whiteless Pike, High Rigg (Naddle Fell), Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Dodd (Skiddaw), Barf, Lord's Seat, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Lonscale Fell, Eagle Crag, Long Side, High Crag (Buttermere), Ullock Pike, Ullscarf, Sergeant's Crag, Watson's Dodd, Skiddaw, Glaramara, Red Pike (Buttermere), Clough Head, Great Dodd, White Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Helvellyn, High Raise (High White Stones), Starling Dodd, Catstye Cam, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Nethermost Pike, Allen Crags, Mungrisdale Common, Steeple, Dollywaggon Pike, Esk Pike, Thunacar Knott, Pike of Stickle, Seat Sandal, Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag, Bowfell, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Binsey

How the view from Cat Bells (Catbells) compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Cat Bells (Catbells). Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. Corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Places to stay near this fell

From Hawes End: 6 places in Keswick

Frequently asked questions about Cat Bells (Catbells)

How long is the Cat Bells walk, and is it a circular route? Answered above: Routes up Cat Bells (Catbells).

Do you need walking boots, or can you do Cat Bells in trainers?

Walking boots or sturdy trail shoes are best. While Cat Bells is short and many people do walk it in trainers on a dry summer day, the path is rocky and steep in places and the scrambly steps are slippery when wet — boots give you much better grip and ankle support.

Even on this small fell, bring a waterproof, a warm layer, water and a snack. The weather can change quickly and the breezy summit is colder than the lakeside car park.

Sources: Countryfile — guide to Cat Bells (opens in new tab)

Can you get to Cat Bells from Keswick without a car? Answered above: Parking & buses for Cat Bells (Catbells).

Is Cat Bells safe — are there dangerous drops?

Most people manage Cat Bells in good conditions, but its gentle reputation can catch people out. The ridge has steep, craggy ground falling away on either side, and the polished rock steps are slippery when wet — slips and trips here do lead to Mountain Rescue call-outs, sometimes serious ones, despite the modest height.

Stay safe by keeping to the path, supervising children closely near the edges, wearing proper footwear, and avoiding the fell in high wind or icy conditions. As ever, check the forecast and turn back if you are not comfortable.

Sources: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (opens in new tab) · Countryfile — guide to Cat Bells (opens in new tab)

How high is Cat Bells? Answered above: Classifications & hill data.

Is Cat Bells a mountain or a hill?

It is a matter of convention rather than fact. At 451 m (1,480 ft) Cat Bells sits below the rough 2,000 ft (610 m) line that many people treat as the mark of a ‘mountain’ in Britain — so by that convention it is a hill. But it is a Wainwright, with a distinct rocky summit and a proper little ridge, and it climbs and feels like a small mountain. Call it whichever you like; it walks like a fell, which is the word we use for all of them.

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Cat Bells (Catbells)

Summit conditions on Cat Bells (Catbells)

Wind on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Cat Bells (Catbells)

How hard is Cat Bells (Catbells), really?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Cat Bells (Catbells)

Getting to Cat Bells (Catbells)

Walk from Keswick

Keswick Launch to Hawes End

Driving is a gamble

Parking

If Catbells is full

Buses

Hazards on Cat Bells (Catbells)

Hazard & Incident Information for Cat Bells (Catbells)

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Cat Bells (Catbells)

Routes over Cat Bells (Catbells)

On the hill: terrain and water on Cat Bells (Catbells)

Water & shelter on the way up

About Cat Bells (Catbells)

Field notes

My Strava hikes over Cat Bells (Catbells)

Classifications & hill data

Is Cat Bells (Catbells) a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Cat Bells (Catbells)

The 360° skyline from Cat Bells (Catbells)

Sunrise and sunset on Cat Bells (Catbells)

Last light — when the sun leaves Cat Bells (Catbells)

What you can see from Cat Bells (Catbells)

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Cat Bells (Catbells)

Other fells near Cat Bells (Catbells)