Skelgill Bank
Skelgill Bank at 338m (1,109ft) is a Birkett top above the Newlands valley in the North Western Fells, giving views across the beautiful valley towards Causey Pike and the Coledale fells. Part of the fell country between Cat Bells and the Newlands Valley.
Summit conditions on Skelgill Bank
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 14° to 8°C, gusts to 51 mph, 10.0 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.
The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →
Routes up Skelgill Bank
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 | Over Cat Bells (Catbells) | Over Cat Bells (Catbells), 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 Skelgill Bank?
The shortest way up we hold is Catbells: the short way up — 5.67 km, 407 m of ascent, ~1¾–2½ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Hard.
All axes: steepness: Hard · terrain: Moderate · length: Easy · navigation: Easy · exposure: Easy.
These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →
Conditions and 7-day summit forecast
Modelled for the 338 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)
Parking & buses for Skelgill Bank
Parking
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
3 more places to park near Skelgill Bank
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.
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.
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 Skelgill Bank
Notes from the Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy route
- 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.
If you need to get off (the leg from Hawes End): Before reaching Skelgill Bank, turn back down the established ascent path, retracing the route through the lower path junction to Hawes End beside the Catbells road; no separate descent from this stage is confirmed. The descent follows the same steep path, which can be slippery when wet.
Quoted from the route page: its warnings and the note for the leg that reaches Skelgill Bank.
We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.
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
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.
Birketts within 3 km of Skelgill Bank
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.
Routes over Skelgill Bank
Download GPX Walked by Lee, May 2026
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
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 Skelgill Bank
Water & shelter on the way up
On the Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy route:
On the Catbells: the short way up route:
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.
About Skelgill Bank
My Strava hikes over Skelgill Bank
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 Skelgill Bank a Wainwright?
Skelgill Bank is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list and the Synge list.
Selected lists
This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.
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 →
Places to stay near this fell
From Hawes End: 6 places in Keswick