Catbells

The morning after Woolfest, the Resident Radiologist and I decided to go for a walk (since it would be rude to stay in the Lakes and not go for a walk on a dry day). I have a few walking books in the Ordinance Survey Range and the one for the lakes recommended a route from Hawse End, up and over Catbells, then back along the western bank of Derwent Water.

We altered the route slightly to take a path that ascended a little way up the side of Catbells, then contoured round the hill, along which we walked the whole outward route. We then joined the summit path and climbed up to the top from the south end, finally following the ridge north and back to Hawse End. In this way we avoided the shore of the lake which would probably have been pretty midge-ridden given the warm, damp weather.


The views from the top were fantastic and were definitely worth the climb. We could look out over Derwent Water to the east...


... the Newlands Valley to the west...


... and as far as Bassenthwaite Lake to the north...


PS We saw these sheep along the way; they appeared on the far side of the road, stopped, looked both ways, then crossed over and were lost from view. Clearly evolutionary pressures are live and well in the Lake District!