Walking Catbells
Time - 2h20
Weather - cloudy, windy, and rainy
1 Wainwright - Catbells (451m)
Difficulty ●●●○○ Rating ●●●●○
A rainy morning walking Catbells 🌧️
This was our second time walking Catbells. Matt had loved it the first time in December 2022, so for his birthday, we decided to walk it again. If the weather was amazing the first time, we weren't as lucky this time - between the wind, rain, and clouds, we had everything! The conditions were tough, and the rocks were slippery, but we still managed.
Our dog, Crunch, was with us both times and managed just fine, although we did have to help him a little on the scramble sections.
One thing that's very important to remember - Catbells is extremely popular and, as a result, suffers heavily from path erosion. You will find signs along the way asking you to stay on the designated path. Please follow the instructions; this is very important and really does make a difference (Watch this video from Fix the Fells for an example).
This time, we started our walk from the Swinside Inn, where we stayed the previous night - highly recommend it! The beer garden is amazing, the food is great, and the view from our bedroom was incredible. They also welcome furry friends!
The walk from the inn to the start of Catbells only took us 10 minutes, so we didn't have to pay for parking.
The start of the walk is a bit steep and is always the most painful part for us aha - especially this time with the wind and rain, which only got worse the higher we went.
Sadly, we couldn't see much of Derwentwater or its surroundings because of the clouds, but the views were still dramatic, and the bad weather is all part of the Lake District experience!
The walk was also quite busy. I wasn't sure how many people we would see, but the weather didn't seem to stop anyone! I'm always amazed to see young children doing it too; I would never have managed that at their age 😆
We then arrived at the first scramble section - my favourite part! It was a bit wet and slippery but not too bad.
Once we got through that, we reached the flatter section, which always feels good on the legs, before climbing the final steep part. This was a bit challenging with the rain and wind (which got quite bad from this point), and we had to help Crunch a little more.
And then, here we were at the summit - whoop whoop! There is something so satisfying and fulfilling about reaching the top of a fell, especially when the conditions are tough.
We didn't stay there for long, as it was incredibly windy and I could barely breathe aha, so we continued on our way down. There were scramble sections here too, so we had to be extra mindful with the wet rocks. The rain and wind were at their strongest here, but fortunately, the following section was fairly flat.
We then turned left to follow the steps zigzagging back down - this was actually the most difficult part for me, as I was desperately trying not to slip!
The walk along the flank on the Derwentwater side was lovely and flat. As we were a bit more sheltered here, the rain and wind weren't as bad.
Soon enough, we reached the road again, passed the car park, and made our way back to the inn before heading to Keswick to warm up, eat a delicious pizza at The Square Orange, and do a bit of shopping.
Despite the difficult weather, Catbells remains one of our favourite Wainwrights so far!
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