Route: Circuit of Buttermere
Area: North Western Lake District
Date of walk: 13th May 2014
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 5.5 miles
Weather: almost perfect
It wasn’t until late afternoon that I was able to get out for a walk and I couldn’t think of anywhere better than Buttermere on a day like this. It’s a deservedly popular walk but at this time of day most people would have been and gone, and this proved to be the case as I only saw a few folk on the way round the lake
I parked in the National Trust car park (free to members) just outside the village and walked to the foot of the lake. The light was exceptionally clear and the view of Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks was breathtaking. I carried on round the lake in an anti-clockwise direction (for some reason I’ve never walked it the other way round, it just seems natural to go this way)
Progress was slow as I kept stopping to take photos and gawp at the stunning surroundings
All too soon I was back in Buttermere village, but before going back to the car I looked into St James Church to pay my respects to the great Alfred Wainwright whose memorial is there, looking towards his favourite fell – Haystacks
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
On the way to Buttermere I took a short detour to admire one of my favourite views - Crummock Water from Foulsyke
Then driving past Rannerdale I took another quick detour as I noticed that the famous bluebells were still going strong
We’d been here last week (click here for that walk) - but the weather today showed them off at their best
Facing Crummock Water. The flowers on some of the other slopes were almost over, but these were at their peak
On with the walk - and what is walk it would turn out to be, as I enter Buttermere village, with the High Stile Range beyond
I walk past the Fish Hotel - no more detours, despite the temptation
The easy track leading to the foot of Buttermere
Fleetwith Pike
I cross the footbridge over Buttermere Dubs
Sourmilk Gill
Burtness Wood
Further along the easy lakeshore path
Fleetwith Pike, with Haystacks coming into view on the right
Warnscale Bottom at the head of the valley
Warnscale Beck from Peggy’s Bridge
and looking the other way from the bridge
Haystacks
Approaching Gatesgarth Farm, at which point I will turn left to follow the other shore of Buttermere
Looking back to Haystacks
And again, this time with Fleetwith Pike in the picture, on the left
Entering the rock tunnel
Light at the end of the tunnel
Looking across Buttermere to Burtness Wood
Another view back to Haystacks
Buttermere village, with Rannerdale Knotts and Low Bank behind it
A last look back to Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks in the late afternoon sun
Walking into Buttermere through Wilkinsyke Farm
St James’ Church Buttermere
The Wainwright memorial, and for the last time today I lifted my eyes to his favourite place
