You can climb ten Wainwrights from Keswick without getting in a car: Latrigg, Walla Crag, Bleaberry Fell, High Seat, Catbells, Maiden Moor, High Spy, Skiddaw, Skiddaw Little Man and Lonscale Fell. Five more are a short bus ride away. Blencathra and Dodd are on the A66 and A591, Causey Pike and Grisedale Pike are above Braithwaite, and Castle Crag is in Borrowdale. That makes fifteen fells from one base, spread across the Northern Fells, the North Western Fells and the Central Fells.
Parking and buses
Keswick has three long-stay car parks, according to the town's visitor information: Central (334 spaces), Lakeside (253) and Otley Road (87). Bell Close is short stay, two hours at most. The Fitz Park car park on Crosthwaite Road has about 80 spaces and a path into town through the park, but no overnight stays. For Skiddaw and Lonscale Fell, the small free car park at the end of Gale Road, behind Latrigg, saves about 200 m of climbing.
The bus station is the hub for the northern Lakes. The Stagecoach summer 2026 timetable (23 March to 1 November) lists:
- 555 to Grasmere, Ambleside, Windermere and Kendal, roughly every 30 minutes in the day
- 78 Borrowdale Bus to Grange, Rosthwaite and Seatoller, about every half hour
- 77 and 77A Honister Rambler round Catbells, Seatoller, Honister, Buttermere, Whinlatter and Braithwaite
- X4 and X5 along the A66 to Threlkeld and Penrith, with the X5 also calling at Braithwaite
- 509 to Aira Force, Glenridding and Patterdale, new this year
- 554 via Mirehouse, at the foot of Dodd Wood
Short walks from town
Latrigg and Walla Crag both start from the streets of Keswick. The WalkLakes loop over Latrigg via the old railway line is 9.5 km with 344 m of ascent, a WalkLakes minimum time of about two and a half hours. Walla Crag from the National Trust car park at Great Wood, about 2 km down the Borrowdale road, is 4.7 km and 283 m (about 1 hour 25 minutes). Catbells from Hawes End is 6 km and 500 m, about two hours. The WalkLakes times are moving times, so add your stops.
Short walks from Keswick
| Rank | Fell | Height | Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 206 | LatriggNorthern Fells | 368 m | Northern Fells | Easy |
| 204 | Walla CragCentral Fells | 379 m | Central Fells | Easy |
| 189 | CatbellsNorth Western Fells | 451 m | North Western Fells | Easy |
Full days from town
Skiddaw is the highest, at 931 m. From Gale Road the tourist path to the summit and back, taking in Skiddaw Little Man, is 10.1 km with 699 m of ascent, at least 3 hours 10 minutes. Lonscale Fell from the same car park, via Burnt Horse ridge, is 10 km and 650 m. Walla Crag and Bleaberry Fell together are 9 km and 574 m from Great Wood. High Seat is another 2 km south along a boggy ridge, or 6.2 km and 430 m there and back from Ashness Bridge.
Full days from Keswick
| Rank | Fell | Height | Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | SkiddawNorthern Fells | 931 m | Northern Fells | Moderate |
| 15 | Skiddaw Little ManNorthern Fells | 865 m | Northern Fells | Moderate |
| =79 | Lonscale FellNorthern Fells | 715 m | Northern Fells | Moderate |
| 132 | Bleaberry FellCentral Fells | 590 m | Central Fells | Moderate |
| 129 | High SeatCentral Fells | 608 m | Central Fells | Moderate |
| 139 | Maiden MoorNorth Western Fells | 575 m | North Western Fells | Moderate |
| 113 | High SpyNorth Western Fells | 653 m | North Western Fells | Moderate |
A short bus ride away
The X4 or X5 drops you at Threlkeld for Blencathra. The Hall's Fell ridge round from there is 8.5 km and 750 m (about 3 hours), with some scrambling on the ridge. The 78 goes to Rosthwaite, where the Castle Crag walk is 4.5 km with 214 m of climbing. Castle Crag is also the most popular last fell on the LDWA register of completions, with 45 of 955 registered completers finishing there, and the third most popular on the Wainwright Society's. Dodd is a 7 km, 450 m walk through Dodd Wood. Causey Pike and Grisedale Pike both start near Braithwaite.
By bus from Keswick
| Rank | Fell | Height | Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | BlencathraNorthern Fells | 868 m | Northern Fells | Difficult |
| 214 | Castle CragNorth Western Fells | 290 m | North Western Fells | Moderate |
| 175 | DoddNorthern Fells | 502 m | Northern Fells | Moderate |
| =119 | Causey PikeNorth Western Fells | 637 m | North Western Fells | Moderate |
| 40 | Grisedale PikeNorth Western Fells | 791 m | North Western Fells | Difficult |
Classic rounds from Keswick
The Newlands half horseshoe
Catbells, Maiden Moor and High Spy make one ridge above Derwentwater. The WalkLakes loop is 16 km with 750 m of ascent from Hawes End, about four and a half hours of walking. You can also do it one way: take the launch to Hawes End or the 77A to the Catbells stop, walk the ridge south, drop down to Grange and catch the 78 home.
Skiddaw from the town
Walk out over the shoulder of Latrigg, climb the tourist path, and come back over Skiddaw Little Man. It is a long day from the Moot Hall but needs no transport.
The Coledale Horseshoe
Braithwaite is a short X5 or 77 ride away, and the full horseshoe over Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head, Crag Hill, Sail and Outerside is 15 km with 1,178 m of ascent. It adds several fells beyond the fifteen here. The Coledale Horseshoe guide has both versions of the round.
Take a map and compass on the higher fells, and check the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) forecast before you go. If you are ticking them off, Upfell is a free iPhone app that keeps the list for you. For more low starts, see the easiest Wainwrights. Castle Crag's popularity as a last fell is explained in where people finish the Wainwrights.