A walk to Cat Bells from Little Town

Wainwright begins his introduction of Cat Bells by writing: "Catbells is one of the great favourites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved. Its popularity is well deserved; its shapely topknot attracts the eye, offering a steep but obviously simple scramble to the small summit."

The ascent he describes from near Hawse End Outdoor Centre on the mid-western edge of Derwent Water is possibly one of the most congested places in all of the Lake District during tourist season. This walk offers an alternative: a fascinating ascent from the south and west. Rather than approaching from the north like the hordes, you ascend from the south where the magnificent view of Derwent Water with the Skiddaw and Blencathra mountains springs into full view straight ahead. It is awesome and my preferred way to reach the heralded summit of Cat Bells.

The start is from outside a wonderfully painted white chapel just outside the tiny hamlet of Little Town in the Newlands Valley. Parking is easy on the generous verges, so pull up, stop the car, put on your walking gear, and include provisions for rain in your backpack—just in case!

Little Town is the littlest town of all—no shop, no inn, no post office, just some lodging. So said Wainwright many years ago, and nothing has changed, so do not expect anything but silence. Traffic running through the place is a rare event.

Walking from the chapel back through Little Town, we reach the access point to the fells at the bottom of Looking Crag. A path goes left and right; make sure to go left and skirt around Looking Crag heading east to a fork in the track. Going right here begins the climb up Yewthwaite Comb toward Brunt Crag. Nearby are the old workings of Yewthwaite Mine, but don't be tempted to explore, as there is a dangerous, unprotected vertical shaft. Stick strictly to the path! It is the hardest work of the entire walk, gaining about 130 metres in 700 metres of distance. Once done, you arrive at Hause Gate, where easier walking leads onward to Cat Bells via the Mart Bield path.

The Mart Bield path ascent looks benign, but there is a climb nonetheless. The reward at the top is truly awesome: the summit of Cat Bells offers glorious views across Derwent Water to Keswick, framed by the monumental Skiddaw and Blencathra mountain ranges behind. The Lake District is full of fabulous scenes, but this is one of my absolute favourites.

The summit itself is inconspicuous, featuring no cairn but just a humble pile of rock—yet it deserves so much more for its permanent panorama. Unwilling to break off, we continue north down the ridge, merging with the crowds before veering off to the left halfway down Skelgill Bank to follow a track down due west to the bottom of the fell.

From the bottom of the fellside descent, we meet a defined path on the wall edge between fell and pasture, following it south back to Looking Crag. From there, it's a simple matter of retracing our steps through the hamlet to Little Town chapel (alternatively known as Newlands Church), our starting point and finish. Take time to appreciate the chapel before leaving—it is a wonderful building in a wonderful setting!