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Catbells is 451 metres above sea level — modest by Lake District standards, lower than Helvellyn by nearly five hundred metres, lower than Scafell Pike by more than five hundred. What it offers that the higher fells cannot match is accessibility and perspective in equal measure. A fit walker of moderate experience can reach the summit from the Hawse End landing stage on Derwentwater in approximately 45 minutes. The view from the top stretches from the Solway Firth to the north to the Borrowdale fells to the south, with Derwentwater spread below and the Newlands Valley on the western side.
It is, mile for mile and minute for minute, among the finest walks in the Lake District.
The standard ascent from Hawse End landing stage — reached by the Keswick Launch — climbs directly up the south ridge of the fell, passing through two distinct rocky steps that require hands on rock for a few metres each. Neither is technically demanding; both are exposed enough to feel like proper hill walking. The summit ridge runs north-south, giving continuous views down both sides throughout the ascent.
From the summit, the descent can be made by the same route or continued north along the ridge to the lower summit of Hause Gate and down to Gutherscale, returning to Hawse End by the low path. The full circuit is approximately four miles and takes two and a half to three hours.
Note for families: the rocky steps on the direct ascent require care with young children. An alternative approach from Little Town in the Newlands Valley via the Skelgill Bank path avoids the steepest ground and is more suitable for children under about eight.
Beatrix Potter walked on Catbells during her Lake District summers and mentions it in several letters. The ridge above Newlands Valley was her landscape for The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle — the steep fell sides and the enclosed valley visible from the Catbells ridge are the fell and valley of the story. Walking up Catbells and looking west into the Newlands Valley, the landscape of the book is immediately recognisable.
The farmhouse of Little-Town, where Lucie lives in the story, is a real farm at the foot of the Newlands valley below — visible from the Catbells ridge on a clear day.
From the summit of Catbells, Derwentwater is directly below to the east — the lake's full extent visible from end to end, the four islands clear in their positions, the rooftops of Keswick visible at the northern end. The view is dominated by the lake and the fells surrounding it; on a clear day Skiddaw fills the northern skyline and the Helvellyn ridge closes the eastern horizon.
To the west, the Newlands Valley drops away toward Buttermere — the Back of Catbells, as the locals call it, a landscape almost entirely different in character from the eastern view. The contrast between looking east (Derwentwater, the central fells, the Helvellyn ridge) and looking west (the enclosed agricultural valley, the Newlands Beck, the moorland above) from the same summit is one of the most striking experiences on any Lake District fell.
Alfred Wainwright, whose Pictorial Guides remain the standard reference for Lake District walking, devoted considerable affection to Catbells. He described it as a family fell, accessible to children and grandparents, and noted that the summit ridge gave a panorama out of all proportion to the modest height. He also noted that the views from Catbells were better than those from many fells twice its height — a fair observation, given the lake below.
Wainwright's illustration of the Catbells ridge from the north — Derwentwater in the background, the elegant summit profile against the sky — is one of his most reproduced drawings.
The Catbells ridge and Derwentwater are visible on both 8 Lakes tours. The Newlands Valley below Catbells is discussed in detail on the morning tour.