Buttermere walk - circuit of Buttermere

Route: Circuit of Buttermere

Area: Western Lake District

Date of walk: 20th July 2023

Walkers: Andrew

Distance: 5.1 miles

Ascent: 400 feet

Weather: Sunny

I’ve been longing to repeat the wonderful circuit of Buttermere for some time now, but feared that my knee may not be up to the task, having been replaced in February. The recuperation has been going well and I decided to put it to the test

This classic walk around Buttermere appears 30 times on this site and is one of the finest low level walks in the Lake District. The beauty and accessibility of the walk is both a virtue and a problem in that the path can be too busy at peak times and, if you prefer to walk in relative solitude, then it’s best to choose a quiet day and time. I made an early start and as a result only passed by a handful of other walkers along the way

I parked as usual in the National Trust car park at Long How. The walk got off to a bad start when I realised that the battery in my camera was flat. I’d have to make do with the iphone instead. I walked through Buttermere village, passing by the Buttermere Court Hotel (formerly The Fish). I followed the path to the foot of the lake. I always walk around Buttermere in an anti-clockwise direction in order to keep the best views ahead. After crossing the footbridge over Buttermere Dubs I set off along the lakeshore path which leads to the head of Buttermere. The section near the head of the lake is perhaps the best of all, with views towards Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks

After crossing Peggy’s Bridge and passing by Gatesgarth Farm I started the return leg along the other shore, passing through the rock tunnel near Hassness along the way. I continued along the shoreline path and, where it forks off to the foot of the lake, carried on ahead. This brought me back into Buttermere village, to end another wonderful circuit of the lake, all the more enjoyable for being completely pain free

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

After turning right out of the car park I pass by Cragg House Farm, with the High Stile Range in the background

Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks at the head of Buttermere

I arrive at the foot of the lake

I follow the path across the foot of Buttermere

Looking back to the footbridge over Buttermere Dubs

A view back from the lakeshore path

Burtness Wood

I leave the main path to follow an alternative narrower one which runs closer to the side of the lake...

Looking back

Fleetwith Pike as I continue towards the head of Buttermere...

I ignore the path to Haystacks on the right

The little white bothy at the head of the lake is called Char Cottage and was intended only for fishermen, with no overnight stays. It was named after char, the rare arctic fish left in the lake after the glacier retreated