Buttermere walk - circuit of Buttermere

Route: Buttermere

Area: North Western Lake District

Date of walk: 16th September 2016

Walkers: Andrew

Distance: 5.1 miles

Ascent: 400 feet

Weather: Cloudy, a few brighter spells later on

A circuit of Buttermere is one of the classic low level walks in lakeland but thanks to its beauty and accessibility it’s a very popular one, and to avoid the crowds it’s best avoided at peak times if – like me – you prefer to walk in relative solitude

With this in mind, I made an 8am start from the National Trust car park just outside Buttermere village and set off in my customary anti-clockwise circuit of the lake. I’ve no idea why I always walk round the lake in this direction, it just seems to be the natural way to go

I walked through Buttermere village, passed by the Fish Inn, and followed the path to the foot of the lake. After crossing the new footbridge over Buttermere Dubs I set off along the lakeshore path which leads to the head of Buttermere.

After crossing Peggy’s Bridge and passing by Gatesgarth Farm I started the return leg along the other shore. I passed through the short tunnel in the rocks near Hassness and continued beside the lakeshore along a path which is quite rocky at times. This brought me back into Buttermere village to end a walk which I could never tire of

For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box

Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)

Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow

The morning before the walk, a misty sunrise in the Newlands Valley…

Later that day, it was wonderful to see a hedgehog in the garden

Next morning, the start of the walk as I pass by Cragg House Farm

I follow the track past the Fish Inn

Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks at the head of Buttermere

I arrive at the lakeshore

Sourmilk Gill as I walk across the foot of the lake

I cross over Buttermere Dubs

I follow the easy path through Burtness Wood

Hassness

I emerge from the woods into an area known as Horse Close

Looking across to Lower Gatesgarth

Footbridge over Comb Beck

Warnscale Bottom ahead

The bothy near the foot of Fleetwith Pike…

I turn left here to walk across the head of the lake

The path to Gatesgarth, which has some fine views along the way…

Haystacks

Warnscale Beck from Peggy’s Bridge

Looking back across Buttermere from the bridge, some blue sky appearing

Buttermere pines

Beyond Gatesgarth, the start of the return leg involves a short road section

Looking back to Haystacks and Scarth Gap

High Stile…

…and Burtness Wood again, at the foot of High Stile

Looking back, more Buttermere pines

High Crag and High Stile, with Burtness Comb between

From Crag Wood there are superb views back to the head of the lake…

…Fleetwith Pike…

…and the oh so inviting path up to Haystacks

I continue to follow the lakeshore path

Into the tunnel…

…and out again. It was carved in the 19th century by the owner of Hassness Estate so that he could walk round the lake without straying too far from the shore