Catbells: the short way up
Key facts
✎️ 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.
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 1 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.
Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →
☀️ Daylight & turnaround
Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.
Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
1 Skelgill Bank2 Cat Bells (Catbells)
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 5.67 km with around 388 m of ascent, taking in 2 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
- Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
- Buggy: Not a pushchair route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~37% drop around the 2.5 km mark — hard on the knees.
On the line: 1 gate
These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-12. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skelgill Bank | 1.0 km | 208 m | 0:33–0:44 |
| Cat Bells (Catbells) | 1.8 km | 327 m | 0:54–1:12 |
| Finish | 5.7 km | 388 m | 1:47–2:22 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Start → Skelgill Bank (1.0 km, 208 m)
Climb of about 208 m over 1.0 km (around 21% average).
Decision point: From Hawse End take the obvious path onto the north ridge and up over Skelgill Bank.
Easy to get wrong: The first rocky step comes here. It looks worse than it is, but the rock is polished — take your time.
Skelgill Bank → Cat Bells (Catbells) (0.7 km, 119 m)
Climb of about 119 m over 0.7 km (around 17% average).
Decision point: Continue along the ridge to the summit.
Easy to get wrong: A second, shorter scrambly step just below the top. Hands out of pockets.
Cat Bells (Catbells) → Finish (3.9 km, 60 m)
Climb of about 60 m over 3.9 km (around 2% average).
Decision point: Descend south towards Hause Gate, then drop back north on the terrace path above Derwentwater.
Easy to get wrong: The terrace path is the gentle way home and it is the best view of the day. Going straight back down the ridge is steeper and where people slip.
Summits bagged (2)
- Skelgill Bank 338 m · Central · Birkett, Synge
- Cat Bells (Catbells) 451 m · North Western · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
🚌 Buses
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
- 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.
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Make it easier or harder
Why this direction: Up the ridge, down the terrace — the steep, rocky ground is climbed rather than descended, and the walk out along the lake is the loveliest part.
Short version: turn back at about 1.0 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for Catbells: the short way up
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