National Trust is the official charity of Keswick Mountain Festival. Together we are launching a new Catbells legacy project. The goal is to raise £10,000 per year, which will cover the annual cost for the conservation work carried out by Fix the Fells on Catbells and we’re asking everyone who is coming along to the Festival to help preserve Catbells.

Catbells forms the back drop for Keswick Mountain Festival and is the most iconic and busiest hill in the North Lakes, and for good reason; the expansive panoramic views and varied walks make for an adventurous outing for people with all levels of experience.

The North Lakes Fix the Fells team, along with a huge amount of help from volunteers, work tirelessly to try and combat the inevitable erosion caused by thousands of visitors. Whilst real progress has been made, there remains an enormous amount of work to do to create a single, sustainable surface over the hill.

The key focus is to prevent the main path from widening, which causes loss of fragile vegetation from the sides. Due to more frequent periods of heavy rain, drainage needs to be installed to prevent the path from gullying out. In addition, work is needed every year to maintain the work that has already been done, which is no small feat in itself.

Being one of the busiest hills in the Lake District, with an ever growing number of visitors, Catbells needs continuous help to preserve the paths and surrounding habitat for the benefit of nature and for generations of outdoor enthusiasts to come.

Visitors, are invited to donate at checkout when buying a ticket for KMF. Exhibitors and sponsors are invited to donate to the fund throughout the year, and the KMF organisers, Triathlon Edinburgh Ltd, will donate 10% of any profits from the Festival to the fund.