Catstycam

Glenridding, on Ullswater, is the place to start. The main car park is the large National Park pay and display in the village, and the Ullswater Steamers car park nearby is cheaper in winter. There are only a handful of spaces further up Greenside Road near the old lead mine, so do not count on driving that far.

Most people take Catstycam in with Helvellyn. The classic day goes up Striding Edge, over Helvellyn and down Swirral Edge. Where Swirral Edge levels out, turn off along the short ridge to Catstycam's top instead of dropping to Red Tarn. The start of Swirral Edge is a loose drop onto jumbled boulders and often needs a bit of down scrambling.

On its own, Catstycam needs no edge at all. From Glenridding, walk up past Lanty's Tarn and over Birkhouse Moor to Red Tarn, then take the path up to the middle of Swirral Edge and along to the summit. It is steep and rough in places, but you will not need your hands. Come back down the steep east shoulder or the gravel path beside Red Tarn Beck, then follow Glenridding Beck past the Greenside mine workings. The north west ridge is very steep and a poor way down.

The summit is small and neat, with a tiny cairn where three paths meet. From here you get the best side view of Striding Edge across Red Tarn and a close look at Helvellyn's east face.

Red Tarn is named after the screes around it, not the water. The Greenside mine dammed it in the 19th century to store water, which is partly why it is now so deep. Ordnance Survey maps spell the fell Catstye Cam.