Buttermere walk - circuit of Buttermere

Route: Circuit of Buttermere

Area: Western Lake District

Date of walk: 24th July 2015

Walkers: Andrew

Distance: 5.1 miles

Ascent: 400 feet

Weather: grey skies mostly, dry and no wind

I’ve walked this circuit many times and always follow one of two rules: go off peak or go early – otherwise there will be too many other folk around, understandably drawn by the sublime beauty of the surroundings and the accessibility of the walk

Today I went early and parked in the National Trust car park on the edge of Buttermere village shortly after 6am. The sun was rising over the High Stile range and I had high hopes of the weather, but it turned out to be a false dawn and a featureless grey sky gradually filled in any remaining blue patches

Not to worry though as the scenery looks good in any weather and there were some exceptionally clear reflections in the lake thanks to an absence of wind

After crossing the 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, passing through the short tunnel in the rocks near Hassness. From there I followed the sometimes rocky path back into Buttermere village

I always complete the circuit in an anti-clockwise direction, I’m not sure why but it feels the natural way to go. As ever, it was a beautiful walk and a good way of working up an appetite for breakfast

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)