Espresso Round
All four summits are visible from George Fisher's cafe window, so you can plan the whole thing over a coffee before you go and pick out exactly what you're about to climb.
All four summits are visible from George Fisher's cafe window, so you can plan the whole thing over a coffee before you go and pick out exactly what you're about to climb.
A 22.6km round from Keswick's George Fisher shop taking in Catbells, Rowling End, Causey Pike and Barrow - the shorter sibling of the well-known Tea Round, with 615m of climbing over four distinctive Newlands Valley tops.
The route
Named for being the compact version of George Fisher's Tea Round, the Espresso Round starts and finishes at the shop in the middle of Keswick and picks up all four Newlands Valley tops that you can see from its top-floor cafe: Catbells, Rowling End, Causey Pike and Barrow. There's no fixed order and no clock running - the appeal is a proper round of distinctive little fells packed into a single loop rather than a personal-best attempt.
The four tops
Catbells is the one everyone knows, a short steep pull with a view back over Derwentwater that explains why it's one of the most climbed fells in the district. Causey Pike is the standout of the round: its knobbled summit ridge needs an easy rocky scramble for the final stretch, and Rowling End runs off its eastern shoulder as a sharp little addition rather than an afterthought. Barrow, the last of the four, is a quieter finish with views back over Keswick and the Newlands Valley you've just crossed.
Underfoot
None of the climbing here is high or remote by Lakeland standards - the highest point on the round barely touches 640m - but the connecting ground between summits crosses old mine workings and boggy patches lower down, so it pays to know where you're going rather than just aiming for the next top. Sheep graze most of the fellside, and the Newlands Valley floor between climbs can be wet after rain.
Getting there
This is a genuinely accessible round: no long approach, no remote valley to navigate out of, and a coffee waiting at the finish. It works well as an introduction to fell running for anyone used to lower-level trails, and equally as a fast recovery lap for anyone who's already done the full Tea Round and wants the shorter version on a tighter schedule.
The final approach to Causey Pike's summit is an easy rock scramble that gets greasy when wet. Old lead mine workings and shafts on Catbells' lower slopes are mostly fenced off but worth avoiding in poor visibility.
Summits on this route
Safety on this route
- No signal? Text 999 — pre-register first: text register to 999
- Tell someone your route and expected return time before you head out
Common questions
About the author
Runner reports
Ran this route? Log your time, rate it, share conditions — helps other runners plan their day.
No runs logged yet — be the first.