Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy

The walk, stage by stage

1. 1

   Hawes End → Skelgill Bank (1.0 km, 224 m)

   Climb of about 224 m over 1.0 km (around 22% average).

   Decision point

   Start at Hawes End on the signed path for “Catbells, 1 mile”. It rises immediately from near road level on a good fell path and pulls up steadily to the ridge. Where the path forks low down, either branch works — they rejoin — so don’t fret over the left or right line. You gain the ridge at Skelgill Bank, with Derwentwater on your left and the Newlands valley on your right.

   Easy to get wrong

   Skelgill Bank looks like the top but isn’t Cat Bells — keep going along the ridge. It’s a continuous pull, so let fitter walkers pass and go at your own pace.

   If you need to get off

   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.

   

2. 2

   Skelgill Bank → Cat Bells (Catbells) (0.7 km, 125 m)

   Climb of about 125 m over 0.7 km (around 18% average).

   Decision point

   Continue straight along the obvious ridge path — you can’t really go wrong, and the track stays clear even in poor weather. Near the top come the well-known “scrambly” steps, where the path briefly steepens and you’ll want hands.

   Easy to get wrong

   The short scramble isn’t extreme: I went left, and the right-hand line looked fine too. With children, stay behind them and talk them through. Take care on the steps when wet.

   If you need to get off

   No separate way off is confirmed between Skelgill Bank and Cat Bells summit; turn back along the established ridge path to Skelgill Bank and descend to Hawes End, taking particular care when reversing the steep, rocky scrambling sections, especially when wet.

3. 3

   Cat Bells (Catbells) → Maiden Moor (2.1 km, 213 m)

   Descent of about 88 m, then a climb of about 213 m, over 2.1 km.

   Decision point

   From the Cat Bells summit drop to the col at Hause Gate, then climb steadily up to Maiden Moor — a plod rather than a pull, far less steep than the Cat Bells ascent, with only a couple of very minor scrambly bits. It soon plateaus into open moorland; as you near the top, take a deliberate right turn to the summit.

   Easy to get wrong

   Maiden Moor’s top is easily missed — the instinctive left turn bypasses it, so swing right to tag it. Note the Hause Gate descent on the way up: it’s your bail option (below) and your return line. Maiden Moor's plateau ends dramatically above steep crags falling to Newlands — Bull Crag and the slopes above Yewthwaite Comb are too steep for walkers. Cat Bells' summit rock steps are smooth, polished rock that is slippery when wet, with short scrambly moves where a slip can mean a real fall.

   If you need to get off

   At about 2.5 km, leave the ridge at Hause Gate, the col between Cat Bells and Maiden Moor, and descend east on the stepped zigzag path towards Derwentwater and the Catbells Terrace path back to Hawes End, or take the western path towards Little Town in the Newlands Valley.

   

   

4. 4

   Maiden Moor → High Spy (2.0 km, 92 m)

   Climb of about 92 m over 2.0 km (around 5% average).

   Decision point

   Smoother and easier underfoot — gentle undulation rather than a defined climb. Follow the main ridge line; it bends on the ground even when it feels like you’re staying on the central spine. High Spy shows ahead as a more definite rise with a large cairn slightly left of your line.

   Easy to get wrong

   A mix of short stony stretches and grassy trods, never narrow enough to feel exposed but with steep ground dropping away on both sides — stay on the main trod, especially in cloud.

   If you need to get off

   No confirmed way off leaves the ridge directly between Maiden Moor and High Spy; retrace the main path north to Hause Gate and descend east towards Derwentwater or west towards Little Town, avoiding the steep crags on either side of the ridge.

   

5. High Spy → Finish (6.6 km, 73 m)

   Descent of about 533 m, with about 73 m of climbing, over 6.6 km.

   Decision point

   Head north off High Spy, keeping to the right so you don’t re-climb Maiden Moor (it saves a few minutes). Follow your outward line back down towards Hause Gate; it bends right and can be slightly boggy — or carry on to the clear 90-degree right turn and descend the maintained walkway. Near the bottom, at the first significant junction turn left, then about 100 m later left again onto another clear path, and follow it out to the road and back to Hawes End.

   Easy to get wrong

   On the way back, the path forks about 400 m before Maiden Moor’s top: take the right-hand branch, the main ridge path, which heads north-north-east past the top on its eastern side; the left-hand branch climbs to the summit again. The bend towards Hause Gate can be boggy underfoot; if that doesn’t appeal, stay on to the maintained track. The pitched path down from Hause Gate is the steepest descent of the day, about 29% around 9.8 km, and hard on tired knees. 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.