Yorkshire Walks

Approaching the start of the path up Cat Bells

The walk up Cat Bells is so popular that parking near the start of the walk is a real problem at week ends and in the school holidays. There are signs all over asking walkers to park their cars with consideration for other people. If you go at a busy time it's probably a good idea to park in one of the large car parks at Keswick and take the ferry along the lake to Derwent Bay and start the walk from there. The ferry is a very pleasant way to start and finish the walk anyway. (little tip from my brother-in-law).

We have spent the weekend in a holiday cottage in Dufton near Appleby with two of my wife's sisters and their husbands. Today, after an early lunch they left to drive back home to County Durham. My wife and I decided to drive to Keswick and do a circular walk over Cat Bells and back along the lake side. We drove to a road junction at map ref. NY246214 where there is room to park a few cars without obstructing the road.

The start of the path up Cat Bells

Climbing up to the Cat Bells ridge

We began the climb up the steep hill side onto the ridge with the views all round getting better and better.

From our parking spot we walked along the road to the start of the path at map ref. NY246211.

Looking up the valley to the Derwent Fells

A plaque fixed into the rock near the top of Cat Bells

No longer is there the broad gently sloping path along the ridge. The path begins the last steep ascent up to the summit of Cat Bells.

We followed the broad path along the ridge for about a kilometer to map ref. NY244201. Here the character of the path changes.

Looking along the valley of Newlands Beck from the Cat Bells ridge

Looking back along the Cat Bells ridge

Don't believe it! From the road to the top of Cat Bells is only about 1.5km but in that distance the route climbs about 350m. That's an average gradient of over 1 in 5 (20% in modern terms) with some much steeper sections and rocky scrambles.

In places the route becomes a scramble up the rocks to the flat rocky summit with an amazing 360 degree panorama of hills and lakes. Well worth the climb. There is a rumour around that this is an easy family stroll.

Pleased to be at the top of Cat Bells

The col between Cat Bells and Bull Crag

Here we turned left to follow a well paved but steep path down the hill side towards Derwent Water.

After just gazing at the views for a long time we continued over Cat Bells to the col beyond at map ref. NY244192.

Path down from the col to the lakeside

Permissive path through National Trust woodland

It leads down to the road at map ref. NY251187. We walked down this path through the woods and at the road we turned left to walk along the road for about 200m to map ref. NY251189.

Near the bottom we followed a path to the left to cut down to the edge of some woodland owned by the National Trust. At map ref. NY248188 there is a permissive path through this woodland.

The lakeside at Brandelhow Bay