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My daughter Cathy and her close friend are up in the Lakes for a few days

and requested a suitable fell walk to introduce Mark to another of the Lakeland peaks.

Catbells would fit the bill today in view of the less than brilliant weather forecast.



Mark and Cathy and three of the four dogs.	We start from the Borrowdale side and head for Littletown.

The signpost pointing uphill is slightly confusing but there is a path behind the houses, heading to Grange and separate from the road close by.

We need to take the path for Littletown, the one and that will get us to Hause Gate on the ridge before we turn for the Catbells summit itself.

A wide, two lane motorway starts the ascent but this is the end of the popular terrace route under Catbells.

Looking across to High Lodore, the Borrowdale Hotel and the bare rock of Shepherds Crag.

Climbing above the junction with the terrace route and we now have a more extensive view backward

which includes the village of Grange, Castle Crag and a glimpse of Upper Borrowdale towards Rosthwaite.

Forward however, is the view of Derwent Water and Walla Crag.

In the distance are Blencathra with Skiddaw away to the left.

Below us now are the houses of High Ground and Fellside, above Manesty Park.

A clearer view now of the summit of Skiddaw.

The weather is a little grey and the visibility suffers as a result, but is mild and dry at the moment.



The start of the pitched path up to Hause Gate . . .	. . . and the dogs wait to round one of the bends nearer the top.

The ridge achieved, we look back at Maiden Moor and the summits of Hindscarth and Robinson.

There are more people about now as we are just a short way from the summit.

Well . . . not quite as short as I thought.

I had forgotten the false summit on this side of the ridge.

This is the true summit of Catbells . . . it attracts all the people !

There's an activity group of children up here and Dylan and Dougal are immediately popular.

The (new-ish) summit viewing pillar of the summit of Catbells.

"The descent via the Nose to Border End" and the "Descent via Hause Gate to the Lake" are the words written around the rim.

The inside circular writing is pure Wainwright. . . . from the Catbells chapter in the pictorial guide to the North West Fells . . .

"Scenes of great beauty unfold on all sides, and they are scenes in depth to a degree not usual."

So here's the view in 'depth unusual' . . . yes, I can see the Pennines !

Below us is the village of Little Town.

It would have been a really busy place when the local Catbells and Goldscope Mines were working.

Now it is just a busy farm with a few extra houses.

You've seen the close view, now expand your horizons.

Click here or on the photo above for a 360 degree annotated panorama.

Time to head down now, careful not to falter in the stronger summit breeze.



Descent from Catbells is not as easy as one would think . . .	especially for the 'grandmothers and infants' Wainwright encourages up here.



On the lower ridge of Skelgill Bank . . .	. . . are the remains of the old Brandley Mine

Another rocky descent past the Thomas Leonard Memorial Plaque.

There's rain in the air now as we descend the last of the path off Hawes End.

In preference to the modern tarmac road,

we take the old green road, what we know nowadays as the Catbells Traverse path.

This climbs slightly above the road and gives beautiful views on a good day . . . actually it's not too bad this day either.

The rain shower heads away to the north, fortunately before we really needed to dress for rain.

The bracken here would look a little more attractive if the sun would actually come out.

The fine looking house on the promontory of Old Brandlehow.

Looking across the Lake to Shepherds Crag and the Hotel at Lodore.

Our footpath drops temporarily to meet up with the road

where the buses for the young group we saw on the summit were starting to fill with red trousered children.

Another climb separates us from the road once again.

The bronze of the bracken covered fell is complimented by the rich red berries of the Rowan.

That sunshine finally arrives as we end our walk.

Not only is it brighter here, but the brighter conditions spread to brighten the slopes of Blencathra.

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A picture of the Swinside Inn . . . after all we've got time for a re-hydration stop on the way home.

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