Catbells
Encyclopedia
Catbells is a fell
in the English
Lake District
in the county of Cumbria
. It has a modest height of 451 metres (1,480 ft) but despite this it is one of the most popular fells in the area. It is situated on the western shore of Derwent Water
within 3 miles (5 km) of the busy tourist town of Keswick
. Its distinctive shape catches the attention of many visitors to the Lakes who feel compelled to climb to the summit after seeing it from the viewpoint of Friars Crag on the opposite side of Derwent Water. Renowned Lake District writer and walker Alfred Wainwright
acknowledges the popularity of Catbells among fellwalkers of all ability by saying:
from the Newlands valley. It rises due south from Hawse End, reaching the summit in two distinct steps. The lower top is named Skelgill Bank. Beyond the summit of Catbells is the steep sided depression of Hause Gate, before the ridge broadens and twists south westward to Maiden Moor
.
of disrupted, sheared and folded mudstone
, siltstone
and sandstone
.
Nearly all ascents of Catbells start from Hawse End at the foot of the northern ridge; there is car parking here but the spaces soon get taken on busy summer days. Hawse End is also served by the Derwent Water Motor Launch and this enables visitors to Keswick to combine a sail on the lake with an ascent of the fell. Many walkers who reach the top of Catbells return to their starting point after admiring the view, however, strong walkers can continue along the ridge to take in the fells of Maiden Moor
, High Spy
, Dale Head
, Hindscarth
and Robinson
to give a horseshoe walk which ends in the Newlands valley close to Hawse End.
, the Newlands Valley
, Skiddaw
and Keswick all show well to the north, while the view south has a fine vista of Borrowdale
.
mines
on its slopes. The Yewthwaite mine, which is on the western side of the fell has extensive spoil heaps and shafts. Many of the shafts were previously open and dangerous but most have now been blocked off. The Brandlehow and Old Brandley Mine worked a lode for lead ore on the Derwent Water (eastern) side of the fell. All three mines ceased production in the 1890s. On the lower slopes of the fell above Derwent Water stands Brackenburn Lodge, now holiday accommodation but formerly the home of Hugh Walpole
who wrote the Herries series of books when he lived here from 1924 to his death in 1941.
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
in the county of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. It has a modest height of 451 metres (1,480 ft) but despite this it is one of the most popular fells in the area. It is situated on the western shore of Derwent Water
Derwent Water
Derwentwater is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria....
within 3 miles (5 km) of the busy tourist town of Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
. Its distinctive shape catches the attention of many visitors to the Lakes who feel compelled to climb to the summit after seeing it from the viewpoint of Friars Crag on the opposite side of Derwent Water. Renowned Lake District writer and walker Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
acknowledges the popularity of Catbells among fellwalkers of all ability by saying:
- "It 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 topknott attracts the eye offering a steep but obviously simple scramble."
Name
The fell's unusual name may well have come from a distortion of "Cat Bields" meaning shelter of the wild cat, although this is not certain. The fell's name is sometimes written as Cat Bells and is so printed on some maps.Topography
Catbells is the last fell on the ridge separating Derwent WaterDerwent Water
Derwentwater is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria....
from the Newlands valley. It rises due south from Hawse End, reaching the summit in two distinct steps. The lower top is named Skelgill Bank. Beyond the summit of Catbells is the steep sided depression of Hause Gate, before the ridge broadens and twists south westward to Maiden Moor
Maiden Moor
Maiden Moor is a fell in the English Lake District, it stands south of the town of Keswick and is part of the high ground that separates the Newlands Valley and Borrowdale, it has a modest height of and so fails to be mentioned on many UK mountain lists but it does have a separate chapter in...
.
Geology
The Catbells ridge is an example of the Buttermere Formation, an olistostromeOlistostrome
The term olistostrome is derived from olio - a dish of many ingredients or stew; a mixture of heterogeneous elements; hodgepodge. and stroma - a bed covering...
of disrupted, sheared and folded mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
, siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
.
Ascents
Maiden Moor
Maiden Moor is a fell in the English Lake District, it stands south of the town of Keswick and is part of the high ground that separates the Newlands Valley and Borrowdale, it has a modest height of and so fails to be mentioned on many UK mountain lists but it does have a separate chapter in...
, High Spy
High Spy
High Spy is a fell in the English Lake District it is situated on the ridge that separates the Newlands Valley from Borrowdale, eight kilometres south of Keswick.-Topography:...
, Dale Head
Dale Head
Dale Head is a fell in the northwestern sector of the Lake District, in northern England. It is 753 metres or 2,470 feet above sea level and stands immediately north of Honister Pass, the road between Borrowdale and Buttermere.-Topography:...
, Hindscarth
Hindscarth
Hindscarth is a mountain between the valleys of Buttermere and Newlands, in the north-western part of the English Lake District. The fell's name is derived from two words from the Old Norse language, Hind and Skarth, and means the pass used by the red deer.-Topography:The North Western Fells occupy...
and Robinson
Robinson (Lake District)
thumb|Robinson seen from the [[Ard Crags]] ridge, with Hindscarth to the leftRobinson is a fell in the English Lake District, its southern slopes descending to Buttermere, while its northern side is set in the Newlands Valley...
to give a horseshoe walk which ends in the Newlands valley close to Hawse End.
Summit and view
The summit is all rock with many loose stones lying amid the small outcrops. The view from the top of Catbells gives a fine panorama which is dominated by the aerial view of Derwentwater. Bassenthwaite LakeBassenthwaite Lake
Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately long and wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about ....
, the Newlands Valley
Newlands Valley
The Newlands Valley is in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque and quiet valleys in the national park, even though it is situated very close to the popular tourist town of Keswick and the busy A66 road.The valley forms part of the civil...
, Skiddaw
Skiddaw
Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. With a summit at 931 m above sea level it is the fourth highest mountain in England. It lies just north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes...
and Keswick all show well to the north, while the view south has a fine vista of Borrowdale
Borrowdale
Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England.Borrowdale lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland, and is sometimes referred to as Cumberland Borrowdale in order to distinguish it from another Borrowdale in the...
.
Mining
Although Catbells is renowned as a "family fell" it does have some dangers especially from the disused leadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
on its slopes. The Yewthwaite mine, which is on the western side of the fell has extensive spoil heaps and shafts. Many of the shafts were previously open and dangerous but most have now been blocked off. The Brandlehow and Old Brandley Mine worked a lode for lead ore on the Derwent Water (eastern) side of the fell. All three mines ceased production in the 1890s. On the lower slopes of the fell above Derwent Water stands Brackenburn Lodge, now holiday accommodation but formerly the home of Hugh Walpole
Hugh Walpole
Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, CBE was an English novelist. A prolific writer, he published thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories, two plays and three volumes of memoirs. His skill at scene-setting, his vivid plots, his high profile as a lecturer and his driving ambition brought him a large...
who wrote the Herries series of books when he lived here from 1924 to his death in 1941.