Catbells
The classic view of Catbells from near Friars Crag on the opposite side of Derwent Water
Elevation:	451 m (1481 ft)
Location:	Lake District, England
Prominence:	c. 86 m
Topo map:	OS Landrangers 89, 90
OS grid reference:	NY244199
Listing:	Wainwright

Catbells is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It has a modest height of 451 m (1481 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 five kilometres 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: A view of Derwent Water in the English Lake District Derwent Water (alternative spelling, Derwentwater) is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in the north of England. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a metre. ... Crinkle Crags as seen from the adjoining fell of Cold Pike. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains. ... Example of a topographic map with contour lines Topographic maps, also called contour maps, topo maps or topo quads (for quadrangles), are maps that show topography, or land contours, by means of contour lines. ... Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... Peak bagging (also hill bagging, mountain bagging, or among enthusiasts, just bagging) is a popular activity for hillwalkers and mountaineers in which they attempt to reach the summit of each peak in a region above some height, or having a particular feature. ... Alfred Wainwright listed 214 fells in total in his series of seven Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. ... In geography a fell is a treeless mountain landscape that has been shaped by glacier ice earlier in history. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Crinkle Crags as seen from the adjoining fell of Cold Pike. ... Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count. ... Cumbria is a administrative county located in the northwest area of England. ... metre or meter, see meter (disambiguation) The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units. ... This article is about a foot as a unit of length. ... A view of Derwent Water in the English Lake District Derwent Water (alternative spelling, Derwentwater) is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in the north of England. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... Keswick is a market town in Cumbria, England, and inside the Lake District National Park, just north of Derwent Water, one of the Lake Districts most picturesque lakes. ... Alfred Wainwright (1907 – 1991) was best known for his seven Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. ...

"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."

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. Nearly all ascents of Catbells start from Hawes End at the foot of the northern ridge; there is car parking here but the spaces soon get taken on busy summer days. Hawes End is also served by the Derwentwater Motor Launch and this enables visitors to Keswick to combine a sail on the lake with an ascent of the fell. The view from the top of Catbells gives a fine panorama which is dominated by the aerial view of Derwentwater. Bassenthwaite Lake, the Newlands Valley, Skiddaw and Keswick all show well to the north, while the view south has a fine vista of Borrowdale. Bassenthwaite Lake is located in the Lake District in England. ... Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in the United Kingdom. ... Borrowdale is the name of two valleys in the English Lake District. ...

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 Hawes End. Robinson is a mountain near Buttermere in the English Lake District. ...

Although Catbells is renowned as a "family fell" it does have some dangers especially from the disused lead 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. General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ... Mine can refer to a number of things: Mines are tunnels used in mining for extraction of resources. ...