Date & Time: Saturday 12th January 2008. 2 pm start.

Location of Start : The cattle Grid, Hawes End, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 247 212 )

Places visited : Hawes End, Skelgill Bank, Catbells, Skelgill, back to the car.

Walk details : 2.2 mls, 1175 ft of ascent, 1 hrs 30 mins.

Walked with : Jenna and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Overcast, grey and cool. Cloud down on the snowy higher fells.

Our starting point down at the cattle grid

On wakening this morning . . .

The Great Gable and the High Fells held the remnants of snow but the day was overcast and having our daughter at home, plus Ann suffering from a heavy cold, did not encourage us to rush out to enjoy the mediocre weather.

It was after a leisurely lunch that Jenna and I set out for a walk on Skiddaw's Dodd Fell, but the view of Catbells as we drove out of Braithwaite made us change direction . . . Catbells it was !

We didn't park here . . . we parked over there . . . at the top of the double bends at Hawes End.

Leaving the road below, we climbed the terrace route a short distance before doubling back and starting the climb up Skelgill Bank.

My companion for the walk - my daughter Jenna.

The cloud was down on the high fells

as can be seen in the background of this view of Derwent Isle on Derwent Water.

It was a reasonably calm day down in Otterbield Bay.

Winter bracken provides a colourful foreground to the view of Causey Pike.

The ascent up the Skelgill Bank end of Catbells starts quite steeply

but it meant that the view quickly expanded to give us this panorama from Swinside Hill round to Derwent Water.

First view of snow-dusted Ullscarf and High Raise above the darker Grange Fells.

The Leonard Memorial alongside the path on the way up the climb.

The plaque.

Swinside and Bassenthwaite Lake from a crag on the side of Skelgill Bank

The top of the Bank and the first 'bump' of Catbells climbed.

Jenna, who professes to be unfit and wanted a good walk to prove her fitness before going skiing, still managed to reach the top first . . .

sorry . . . third behind Harry and Bethan.

The second part of the climb is a lot steeper than most children and grandparents realise, still, taken at a steady pace it is readily accessible to all. - - - o o o - - - On the way up we came across this crow searching for food. Normally they fly off very quickly but this Catbells crow was obviously used to people and merely raised his head ! Don't believe me - move your cursor over the photo a few times ! See - he didn't fly away !

Catbells summit reached after careful negatiation of the slippery rocky sections.

We now had a clearer view of the Helvellyn Range behind.

The path continues towards Maiden Moor, but due to the time restraints we decided to retrace our steps.

Name that smaller pointed peak in the distance . . . the shapely Pike O' Stickle is a prominent feature from many places in the Lakes.

Whilst we were on the summit the weather took a turn for the better

with a burst of sunlight falling on the Skelly Crags below High Seat summit.

Zooming in on Helvellyn, with Helvellyn Lower Man to the left and a grayed out view of Catstycam in the middle.

It looks cold up there . . . I wonder what it would be like on the summit today ?

Hey - two intrepid explorers have just completed another summit and were being congratulated by Harry and Bethan.

Well done Jake and Jasper, who have travelled over from the North East with their Mum and Dad to enjoy some fellwalking in the Lake District.

The last of the afternoon sun illuminated Dodd.

Had we walked there we could have started a winter sun tan.

Successfully down the damp and slippery rock on the first part of Catbells descent,

we then took the side path down towards the hamlet of Skelgill . . .

. . . and finished our walk with a short road walk back to the car.

Catbells, as good as ever !

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon G7 Digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . a walk that matches your requirements.

Go to Top

© RmH.2007 # Email me here # Guest book (on the front page)

Previous walk - 3rd/4th January 2008 New Year Snow in the Lakes

Click here for John's OFC report from today and here for his Webshots photos of Helvellyn in the snow