Catbells, Maiden Moor & High Spy Hike: Best Lake District Walks, 3 Wainwrights

This was a stunning 10 mile walk, filled to the brim with awesome views and wild beauty, up the very popular Wainwright fells of Catbells, Maiden Moor and High Spy. We parked in a small parking area (approx. CA12 5UE) on the road that runs alongside the eastern side of Catbells, these spaces fill up very quickly so an early start is advisable.

The walk up Catbells is short and sharp, a small amount of easy scrambling can take place here, it is gentle fun but may be a bit slippery in bad conditions. An excellent starter fell, we can understand why this fell is so incredible popular with families, the views are impeccable, looking over Derwentwater and Keswick.

The path between Catbells and Maiden Moor is very distinct. Once down in the dip between the fells you can also cut off to the east and make your way down to Derwentwater for a shorter but still stunning circular walk. However, we made our way up the winding trail to the Maiden. We watched the scenery change with every step, becoming more remote and wild. We stopped on the top for a highly anticipated cup of tea before moving off towards the highest peak of the day, High Spy.

The path between Maiden Moor and High Spy is also very obvious and flattens out for a short time before reaching another short burst uphill to the absolutely massive trig point of High Spy. From here you can see the scarring of Rigghead Slate Quarry and the towering outline of Dale Head. We made our way down the fell before turning east over peat bog land, not easy to see a path here so just keep heading towards the mining works and the path becomes clear. We made our way through the quarry, heading down towards the Borrowdale valley, poking about the ruins and manmade openings, before crossing the river and going through the gate.

We poked around a bit at Castle Crag Quarry as we went by, interesting place, feels a bit eerie. Eventually we met up with the mighty River Derwent, the water was crystal clear and seemed to be a real draw for families. We had to wind our way through farm yards and fields before meeting up with the road that hugs the east side of the Catbells range before getting back to our car.

An amazing walk, we had a cracking day of it, a route we had wanted to do for a while and it did not disappoint!

Thank you for being here, all the best, Ceri & Kat!

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