//
Photo: Mick Knapton at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The most-climbed of the local fells. This is because it looks great from the lake shore in town, and looks close and easy. Many people take the ferry over to the jetty at Hawse End and take the pleasant walk through the woods then onto the hillside for the easy ascent. However, it is also the hill with the most injuries, because people tackle it in trainers or sandals, then have problems on a section of smooth-worn rock. For an alternative (quieter) route, when the path crossed the lane by the cattle grid, take the small lane to the right of the hill toward Skelgill Farm, and continue the gently ascending path into the Newlands Valley, then head left and uphill to reach the summit ridge after the summit of Catbells. You can then backtrack along the ridge to the summit. People most often descend from this dip on the ridge, down to the side of the lake, then either walk along the lakeshore or catch a ferry back to Keswick from the jetty at Brandlehow.
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. It is situated on the western shore of Derwentwater within three miles 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 Derwentwater. The Lake District writer and walker Alfred Wainwright acknowledges the popularity of Cat Bells among fellwalkers of all abilities 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."
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Collection of objects from the 1970s and 1980s including toys and computers.
Small brewery of cask and bottled ales, established in 2006. Shop open M-F 10AM-3PM.
A museum documenting 350 years of pencil making, situated next to the factory. Graphite was first discovered in nearby Borrowdale, hence the factory is here. Also includes the world's largest coloured pencil.
A Victorian museum (refurbished in 2014) with an assorted permanent collection and temporary displays.
Walk up from the car park on Whinlatter pass, to a sharp scenic ridge leading up to the summit.
Mirehouse was built in 1666, with several later alterations. The lakeside gardens include Cumbrian fruit trees and woodland playgrounds. The Old Sawmill Tearoom is open 10AM-4:30PM all year, except winter Wednesdays.