Keswick to Honister Hause
1
NY268235 From Keswick Youth Hostel, head south-west (Station Street) to the town centre. Turn right along the pedestrianised market place, passing the Moot Hall tower, where you can gather tourist information. After 400m, now in a road, cross the River Greta and turn left in a short lane. An enclosed path on the right leads across fields to another lane near the River Derwent. Turn left, and keep ahead over a suspension footbridge into Portinscale.
2
NY252235 Head south through the village. At the village end, after two marinas on the left, the road bends right; here keep ahead through a hedge gap. The signed path rises gently through woods, then drops to join a track. Across Lingholm driveway, take a gate to the right of the house for the continuing path. It passes through an open field, with views ahead to Cat Bells, then reaches a track junction near Hawse End landing stage. Bear right, up a tree-root path, to reach a road junction at the foot of
Cat Bells.
3
NY246211 A wide path heads straight up the spurline above. The spur becomes level ridge, then steepens again, with a couple of rocky moments where the pathÕs worn down to bedrock, to the scraped-bare summit of Cat Bells. Here thereÕs a topograph pillar to help you with the view.
4
NY244198 A wide path leads down south, along the saddle of Hause Gate. It continues up the left edge of the slope ahead, above drops towards the head of Derwent Water, then follows the wide ridge up south-west. Above Bull Crag, as the slope eases, fork right on the path above the crag, to Maiden MoorÕs summit.
5
NY236182 Continue south along the level ridgeline, with the best path being next to the Newlands drops on the right. The ridgeline rises only slightly over 2km to the tall pillar cairn on High Spy. The main path runs down along the tops of the drops on the right, to a wide col at the top of Newlands Beck.
6
NY231152 The energetic can cross the stream on the right, doubling back past Dalehead Tarn for a path up Dale Head, to continue down south to Honister Hause. But the easier way is to keep ahead, south, to the left of the stream. Cross a plateau (High Scawdell), damp in places and with no clear path. At the plateau edge, slant down to the right, south-west. Soon you reach a wide path descending from Dale Head, with a fence beyond it. Turn downhill, to arrive at Honister Hause immediately above the Youth Hostel.