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I was nominated to organise a walk for my sister’s birthday to include Catbells, so that my sister would also complete her top 5 walks on her list. My brother and I also wanted to take her to the recommended restaurant on Lingholm estate for her surprise birthday meal too. Here is the route of the walk I devised using OS maps.
Total Distance: 12 Miles Steps: ~40,000 Steps Highest Point: 1470 Feet Total Realistic Time: ~6 Hours
Derwentwater, or Derwent Water, 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.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derwentwater
Cat Bells is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It has a height of 451 metres (1,480 ft) and is one of the most popular fells in the area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Bells
Beatrix credited The Lingholm Kitchen Garden as her original inspiration for Mr McGregor’s Garden in The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingholm
There are many many car parks around Keswick, the one we parked in is a donation one. £3 all day parking. There are no toilets there, however a short walk into Keswick which is also where the walk goes by, there are toilets. 50p contactless payments only, there are also toilets in many cafe shops however they are not usually open until 9am or later depending on season.
I decided to do the walk around Derwent Water for a warm up before the workout climb towards one of the popular fells Catbells, then we would end the day at Lingholm.
Small hills around Derwent Water that gave you woodland and lovely views of the lake on the right side of the route.
Head towards Borrowdale Hotel, the footpath carries on opposite the hotel.
Then takes you to the start of the ascent to Catbells.
Consisted mainly of a small stone path that was slippery on the day due to the misty rain. A lot of people were coming the other way taking their time to avoid slipping.
This is one of the best looking trig points I have seen from all the walks I have been on so far.
The view on the way down the other side of Catbells, loved the bold green landscape. It is steeper than it looks in the photos, quite slippery too.
Follow the path down which eventually takes you to a wooded area and leads you all the way to the Lingholm estate.
We made it to the Lingholm Kitchen restaurant with plenty of time to spare before closing. So glad I got the pace right otherwise we might not have made it in time 😮💨.
We stopped here for my sister’s surprise birthday meal.
After food it was just a short walk back into Keswick back to the car park.
Conclusion:
Some parts of the walk was challenging especially up towards Catbells and coming down from it due to the weather making the stones slippery than usual. Overall a good workout for the legs, especially your knees. We enjoyed the walk and glad my route turned out well, especially making it to the restaurant in time to enjoy the lovely food. My sister loved it, maybe the food more than the climb to Catbells and down 😅 But she has done the top 5 walks on her list now 👍 now onto the next 5 😊
GENERAL EQUIPMENT
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro (for taking photos/videos and mapping using OS Maps)
- Comfy walking shoes (most important)
- Flask with Hot/Cold drink (a good cuppa is always welcome)
- Altruist Sunscreen (at least factor 30)
- ibuprofen (helping hand if you have any aches and pains)
- Food and snacks (fuel to keep you going)
Amble Around 