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338 m · Birkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit) · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Skelgill Bank, a Lake District fell
Birkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit)Birkett top

Skelgill Bank

Skelgill Bank at 338m (1,109ft) is a Birkett top above the Newlands valley in the Central Fells, giving views across the beautiful valley towards Causey Pike and the Coledale fells.

338 m
Height
+2
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Skelgill Bank

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

338 mBirkett — Central (not a Wainwright summit)+2 bonus Birketts within 3 km

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 338 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 18° to 15°C, gusts to 36 mph, 3.2 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌦️
18° / 15°
💨 36 mph
🌧 3.2 mm (99%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
18° / 13°
💨 31 mph
🌧 7.3 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 6°
💨 29 mph
🌧 3.0 mm (87%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
16° / 4°
💨 22 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (86%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
16° / 7°
💨 15 mph
🌧 2.7 mm (82%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
17° / 7°
💨 17 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (35%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 7°
💨 16 mph
🌧 0.4 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 338 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Skelgill Bank

Skelgill Bank, a Lake District fell
© Lee McCoy

Skelgill Bank at 338m (1,109ft) is a Birkett top above the Newlands valley in the Central 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. A pleasant short walk above one of Lakeland's most loved valleys.

Routes up Skelgill Bank

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy
13.8 km · ~4.1 hr · Easy
A lovely, accessible ridge walk above the western shore of Derwentwater, and a great introduction to the fells. From Hawes End it climbs the shapely little peak of Catbells, then follows the airy but easy ridge south over Maiden Moor to High Spy, with Derwentwater and the Newlands valley spread out below. There are a few easy scrambly steps on Catbells that some guides don't mention, but nothing most people can't manage. A modest, rewarding day with some of the best views in the northern Lakes for the effort.
Catbells: the short way up
5.7 km · ~1.8 hr · Moderate
The friendliest big view in the Lakes. Under 6 km from Hawse End to the shapely little summit above Derwentwater and back — short enough for an afternoon, steep enough to feel like a proper fell, and reachable without a car by launch across the lake or the bus from Keswick.
Classifications & hill data
Birkett
Synge
338 m
Height
1,109 ft
In feet
NY 2449 2056
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

Nearest parking: Hawse End / Skelgill Bank, Catbells (roadside, limited), about 1.1 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Skelgill Bank (within 3 km)

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

1.6 km WRowling End433 m · North Western
2.8 km WNWStile End447 m · North Western

Routes over Skelgill Bank

Catbells, Maiden Moor & High SpyRevised
13.79 km · ~824 m ascent · loop · ~4–5.5 h · Loop · Easy
Summits: Skelgill BankCat Bells (Catbells)Maiden MoorHigh Spy

⬇️ Download GPX

Best season: A good year-round walk; the steep little steps on Catbells 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.

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Catbells: the short way upPlanned
5.67 km · ~388 m ascent · loop · ~1.5–2.5 h · Moderate
Summits: Skelgill BankCat Bells (Catbells)

✎️ Catbells is the fell that makes people fall in love with the Lakes, and its access is the best story on this site: the Keswick launch to Hawse End, or the bus, and you are at the foot of it without a car. Wainwright called it a family fell — but he also noted, drily, that its rocky steps have caught out plenty of grown-ups.

⬇️ Download GPX

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.

⚠️ 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. (We watched people walking up it into an incoming storm on 11 July 2026.); Livestock on the lower fields — dogs on a short lead.

Full route guide ↗

✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

Best parking to hike Skelgill Bank

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Hawse End / Skelgill Bank, Catbells (roadside, limited) — 1.1 km from summit (straight line)
Very limited roadside parking — better to use the 77 bus or the Keswick launch to Hawse End.
Directions
Little Town, Newlands (paid, small) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)
Newlands valley — Catbells, Maiden Moor, Hindscarth, Robinson.
Directions

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy route:

🚌 Hawes (Cattlegrid) (36 m)⛺ YHA Hawse End Cottage (364 m)

On the Catbells: the short way up route:

🚌 Hawes (Cattlegrid) (34 m)⛺ YHA Hawse End Cottage (358 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

Buses to Skelgill Bank from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse 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 (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

My hikes over Skelgill Bank (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Other fells near Skelgill Bank

Maps & guidebooks for Skelgill Bank

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