The Buttermere circular walk gets the perfect balance between being just long enough to leave you satisfied and gentle enough for when you want to take things a little easier. It’s just as good in full sunshine, where the crystal clear water will hold your attention, as it is on a rainy day when the peaks above Buttermere look foggy and atmospheric.
That aside, I think the Buttermere walk deserves your attention for the variety it offers. It’s not just a low level walk around a lake, it’s how much the trail and views change that makes it so worth doing.
You’ve got classic lakeshore views towards iconic mountains like Fleetwith Pike. Opportunities to head up to peaks like Haystacks, take in Warnscale Bothy or a detour to Buttermere Infinity Pool. Waterfalls cascading from high in the fells. Crystal clear water. Dense woodland. Going through Hassness rock tunnel. It’s absolutely beautiful.
My guide to the Buttermere circular walk is 7.52km/ 4.67 miles with 177m/ 580ft. ascent and descent. You can walk it in roughly 2.5 to 3 hours, but I’d recommend giving yourself longer if you plan to swim anywhere along the route or simply want to go at a slower pace.
The path itself is a classed as a miles without stiles route, which does mean it’s moderately accessible (though only the western shore of Buttermere is wheelchair accessible, which would turn it into a there and back from Buttermere to Gatesgarth).
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know for the Buttermere circular walk. It includes what to expect, where to park, what to bring and my downloadable, easy to follow Buttermere walk map, all from first hand experience. You’ll also find pictures from both sunny and more ‘gloomy’, atmospheric days, so you can really get a feel for how it changes.
Looking for a swim or paddle focused Buttermere walk? There are plenty of great swimming spots along Buttermere’s shore and you don’t need to do the whole walk to find them. I cover some of the best ones, including good spots for paddleboard and kayak launching later in this guide.
Buttermere Circular Walk: Quick Stats
Distance: 7.52km / 4.67 miles
Elevation Gain: 177m / 580ft. ascent and descent
Approx Time Needed: Roughly 2.5 – 3 hours, more if you plan to swim anywhere along the Buttermere circular walk.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate. Paths are well surfaced on the western shore of the lake. Whereas there are tree roots and short cave sections on the east shore once you pass Gatesgarth. Short section on a quiet road on the road here before rejoining the lake.
Accessibility: The Buttermere walk is a miles without stiles route, so somewhat accessible. Only the western shore is wheelchair accessible.
Start Point: Either start from Buttermere village or Gatesgarth, see car park options later in this guide.
Route Type: Loop / circular
Wainwrights covered: None
Family friendly: Yes
Our Downloadable Route Map for the Buttermere Walk
Download your route before you go
Phone signal is unreliable across much of the Lake District, so save your route for offline use before setting out.
Why we offer both
OS Maps and
AllTrails maps
The right navigation tool can depend on the route and the person walking it: because routes vary by difficulty and terrain, you don’t need the full topographic detail for every walk. We therefore offer both, so you can choose the mapping software that best suits where you’re at.
AllTrails
A straightforward way to follow a route, from beginners to progressing onto more challenging walks. As it’s used worldwide, it can also be a practical choice if you’re visiting from overseas and already use the app.
OS Maps
More detailed topographic mapping for understanding terrain and more advanced navigation. As detailed Ordnance Survey mapping is specific to Great Britain, it may be less familiar to overseas visitors.
Our take
For most of our easy to moderate walks, AllTrails is a perfectly good option. For more remote, steep or complicated terrain, or for people who follow hiking routes within the UK, we’d choose OS Maps.
OS Maps vs AllTrails
- OS Maps helps you understand the landscape, whereas AllTrails is more focused on helping you follow a route through it. For a lot of Lake District walks, the additional topographic detail is very useful for understanding terrain and making informed decisions.
- OS Maps has extremely detailed mapping, including precise contours and terrain information, whereas AllTrails relies on OpenStreetMap data, which does not contain the same level of topographic detail.
- OS Maps is generally considered the authoritative standard for topographic mapping in Great Britain. However, paths and features on the ground can change over time, particularly on higher fells, so a mapped path should not always be assumed to perfectly reflect what you will find on the ground.
- OS Maps is primarily focused on Great Britain, whereas AllTrails is used internationally. If you already use AllTrails at home and are visiting the Lake District for a short time, it may therefore be the more familiar option.
- OpenStreetMap, which AllTrails uses, is community maintained and can sometimes receive frequent updates. However, these updates depend on contributed data and do not provide the same level of detailed topographic information as OS mapping.
- Offline map functionality is limited on the free versions of both services. AllTrails requires a paid subscription for offline maps, while OS Maps also requires a paid subscription for its full offline mapping features.
Route & Safety Disclaimer
All routes uploaded are personally created by us, from walks we’ve actually done. We redo walks regularly and make adjustments where needed to the downloadable maps we offer to you.
However, due to the sheer volume of walks in the Lake District and our growing collection, we cannot guarantee that every map will be completely accurate due to land changes we may be unaware of between times of doing the walk again.
We are not responsible for your own safety and you should be confident in your own ability and make judgement calls where needed.
Any walking route can pose hazards that may be topical and new and this is something you need to keep in mind whenever you head out.
Buttermere Circular Walk: What to Expect on the Walk
The walk starts from Buttermere village, and I’d recommend following the western side of Buttermere lake first, there’s just something I always prefer about doing the walk this way round, as I think you catch the light really beautifully as the day goes by.
From the village, you’ll take a wide trail down along fields, Buttermere itself won’t be visible for a while, which just makes it even better when you reach the shore, and the views suddenly opens up. Many people will just do this section of the walk to access the lake, whether it’s to swim, take in the view or relax.
This is probably one of the most classic spots on the walk where the lake frames the foreground, and the mountains around shape the background, with steep, unusually shaped peaks like Fleetwith Pike at the end of the lake.
From here, the Buttermere walk continues to your right as you take the bridge over the river. If you want, you can take a short detour to the waterfall here (which looks much more impressive after heavy rain).
The Buttermere circular walk continues on the lower path here, which is wide, mostly gravelled and pretty easy going, so you can enjoy the views.
There are plenty of spots to go down to the lakeshore and explore along here. You usually find the further you go along the trail, the less people are around. So if you’re looking for a quiet swim spot, or even just a place to relax, you’re likely to find it here.
The next real point of interest, aside from the gorgeous mountain views all around you and clear water of Buttermere is Comb Beck, another gorgeous waterfall about 2/3 of the way to Gatesgarth on the western shore. Just slightly further from here, the uphill trail to Haystacks meets the main Buttermere walk.
As you get closer to Gatesgarth along the main trail, the views of the mountains just become more and more dramatic. On a foggy day, you’ll likely see wisps of clouds rolling over, making incredible patterns that only last for a few seconds at a time.
At the end of the lake, the path takes a turn to the left, which you’ll continue along to get to Gatesgarth Farm. This is where you can take detours to places like Fleetwith Pike; the steep sided mountain you could see from the other end of the lake, places like the Buttermere Infinity Pool or Warnscale Bothy.
When you reach Gatesgarth Farm, you’ll take a left onto the road to continue the Buttermere circular walk. The section on the road is short (roughly 500m) but if you’ve not done it before it can feel like it takes ages.
The road is very quiet, and people don’t generally drive very quickly along it, but you do need to stay alert all the same. Just keep following the road until you see a trail turning left downhill to the lakeshore, which rejoins the shore for the rest of the walk.
This section along the lake feels more rugged in parts than the other side, with tree roots and a few rocks you need to walk over. It’s incredibly picturesque. There’s also Hasness tunnel along this section, which is a small tunnel cut through the rock outcrop that allows the trail to keep moving along the lakeshore.
It’s not very long (you’ll be in it for all of a minute) but it can be dark. After heavy rain, it can also be pretty muddy and wet, so be prepared for this if needed with the light on your phone and waterproof shoes.
The trail continues along the lakeshore until you arrive back at the part of the lake you started, and you then follow the same trail back to the village to finish it.
Key Highlights
Places to Swim
Buttermere is one of the most beautiful places to swim, the water is crystal clear and there’s plenty of beachy areas to choose from whether you want deeper or shallower water.
You can pretty much swim anywhere around Buttermere that feels safe for you, and it’s the perfect walk on a hot day to explore a few different spots.
Here are just a few I particularly like:
For shallower water perfect for anyone, but particularly beginners and children, I’d recommend this spot. It sits right as the trail from the village meets Buttermere lake itself. This is one of the main spots people walk to though, so it can get quite busy, but it’s still beautiful and has a gentle walk into the water over small rocks and gravel.
You don’t have to walk far to find somewhere a little quieter. I always enjoy swimming around this spot on the eastern shore. This has a very gradual entry and is very easy to walk over the rocks.
On the western shore, there’s plenty of spots along the trail that are worth checking out. You’ll find lots of little side trails you can take down. Though some of these can have quite rocky entries, so go with what you’re comfortable with here.
There’s also another good spot just past Hasness Crag wood on the other side of the lake past Gatesgarth which is really great for swimming. The water gets pretty deep here, and it can get very cold, very quickly!
Paddleboard and Kayak Launching Spots on Buttermere
It is possible to use a paddleboard, kayak or canoe on Buttermere. To do this, you need to get a day permit. These can be purchased from the Buttermere National Trust car park (payment by cash only).
You can also use the JustPark app to purchase a day use permit in advance. Use the code 80531 for a boating permits. There is not very much reception in the area, so I’d recommend buying this either the night before or morning of before you leave for the day.
The main spot to launch from is as you reach the lakeshore from Buttermere village here. This is also great for beginners as the shoreline is pretty shallow here.
I believe at certain times, the National Trust so impose restrictions as to the number paddleboards, kayaks and canoes on the water to help protect the lake from New Zealand pigmyweed, an invasive non native plant that can spread incredibly easily, but I’m still to find any concrete information about if there are set times this is in effect.
Helpful hint: To help protect this beautiful place, please follow the ‘Check, Clean, Dry’ guidance to help avoid the spread of invasive non-native species that have become a problem in other Lake District waterways. This simply just means checking your swimwear, paddleboard, wetsuit etc that has come into contact with water, rinse it and dry it out before moving to another waterway.
Best Views & Photo Spots
I think one of the great things is that you don’t need to go far on the Buttermere walk to get great photos. There are beautiful views everywhere you look! There are a few spots that I’d particularly recommend keeping an eye out for though.
The first is the lakeshore section when you first get onto the lake from Buttermere village here. This gives you an amazing view over towards Gatesgarth with the iconic Fleetwith Pike in the distance. I actually think some of the better views of the lake are in this direction.
The spot very close to the waterfalls in this area on the western shore is also beautiful. The trail merges with some uphill ones that head off to places like Haystacks. The mountains around you tower here.
The Hassness Crag wood/lakeshore section of the Buttermere circular walk on the eastern shore around here gives you some really interesting views. I also think this area gives some of the nicest (and deeper) swimming spots. If you ever get to see Highland cattle in this area, they are most likely to be around this section, but of course not guaranteed.
Buttermere Lake Walk Route: Difficulty Breakdown
Terrain and Conditions
The Buttermere circular walk is a great low level trail year round, and particularly good when some of the higher peaks are in complete cloud. The actual trail itself on the western side of the lake is well graded (its actually wheelchair accessible on this side) whereas the trail on the eastern side is a little more rugged at points with some sections of trail containing tree roots.
It’s worth keeping in mind that in snowy and icy conditions, the roads in and out of Buttermere aren’t the easiest, so getting here may be very tricky. I would personally be very unlikely to drive over some of the mountain passes to Buttermere in these conditions to be honest!
Technical Difficulty, Exposure, Navigation and Steepness
The Buttermere walk isn’t technical, isn’t steep and is a simple walk to follow. There are very places where you need to pay attention to the map. The only area to really note here is the road section from Gatesgarth before the path rejoins the lake side trail.
What I Like About the Buttermere Circular Walk
Buttermere was the first lake I swam in, so it has special memories for me. I remember all that time ago being mesmerised by the clear water as I got into the lake for a swim in the summer: it felt perfect.
Aside from that, I love how the circular walk of Buttermere just couldn’t feel any better on a hot sunny day: wandering around, finding spots to swim.
On rainy days, the mountain tops look gloomy and descend into fog for a completely different experience. You never experience the same thing twice in the Buttermere valley, and that’s part of its charm.
Buttermere Walk: Parking & Transport
Parking
There isn’t a specific car park for the Buttermere circular walk, but there are two main car parks in Buttermere that work well: the National Park Authority car park and the National Trust car park.
Each have a decent number of spaces, but Buttermere walk parking can be tricky in busier times, and especially in peak seasons and school holidays. So, I’d advise either arriving early or a little later in the day to secure a spot.
The National Park Authority car park accepts most payment methods (card, contactless, RingGo etc) but the National Trust car park only accepts cash. National Trust members can use their membership card to get a parking ticket.
Another option is to park at Gatesgarth Car Park, which you walk past on the trail anyway. This would mean you’d start the walk at the other end of the lake instead, and also good for other walks like Fleetwith Pike or adding Buttermere Infinity Pool to the main walk. This car park now accepts contactless card payments. An overflow car park is usually opened here at peak times.
Public Transport
The Buttermere Valley is served by the 77 and 77A bus routes from Keswick. This is a seasonal bus and only runs from Spring to Autumn each year.
The journey takes around 50 minutes and there’s stops at Buttermere village and the Gatesgarth Mountain Rescue Point (roughly near the trailhead for Fleetwith Pike which is near where the main Buttermere walk passes Gatesgarth).
Buttermere Circular Walk: Route Extensions & Other Walks in the Area
There are some brilliant walks in the same area as this Buttermere Lake walk route. There’s also plenty of ways you can extend the Buttermere circular walk to add in some other really great points of interest.
Looking at mountain walks in this area, you can really take your pick. You’ve got the whole group of mountains around Buttermere and neighbouring Crummock Water to choose from. Some of these include Fleetwith Pike, Haystacks, High Stile and Red Pike.
You can also extend the Buttermere walk to the Buttermere Infinity Pool, which is a series of waterfalls just up the valley from Gatesgarth around Warnscale Beck. There’s also Warnscale Bothy: the views out from this stone structure are incredibly iconic.
Heading further towards Crummock Water, there’s also Scale Force waterfall, which is well worth seeing. You can add this on as a section to your Buttermere walk, but it does of course make it a decent bit longer, and the rocks to Scale Force can be quite slippery, so makes the trail much more moderate than easy. If you like the sound of it, I’d recommend doing it this way round.
The other side of Crummock Water is well worth some attention too, especially if you visit around May and do the Rannerdale bluebell walk. This is one of the most beautiful places in the area to see the new season flowers emerge, and Rannerdale Knotts itself is well worth heading to the top of for great views of the area.
There are so many incredible walks in this area, it’s hard to pick just a few to add here! Whether you choose to add a section to the Buttermere circular walk or plan a few walks from this area, you won’t be disappointed.
What to Bring on the Buttermere Walk
Whilst this is a low level, moderately easy walk from Buttermere, you are still in a remote valley where weather conditions can and do change quickly.
On a basic level, here’s what I’d recommend bringing for the Buttermere lake walk, with adjustments based on the time of year you visit:
- Waterproof jacket (and waterproof pants depending on just how much rain is forecast)
- Waterproof hiking shoes or boots: the trail can become waterlogged and boggy in places, especially on the eastern shore. Some of the tree roots on the eastern side of Buttermere that you need to walk over can become slippery, so good grip makes a huge difference.
- If you do this trail after snow or ice, bring snow spikes just in case, though getting to the trail in the first place may be very tricky in these kinds of conditions.
- Warm layers including an insulated jacket (as you’re next to the water, winds can feel cooler).
- Gloves and a hat (or a sun hat and sunglasses in summer)
- Water and snacks
- Map saved offline: signal is patchy, and while the trail itself isn’t too difficult to navigate, there are a couple of turns
- Swimwear and microfibre towel if you plan to swim
Why Trust Our Lake District Walking Guides?
This Buttermere walk guide has been written by someone who lives in the Lake District. When I write a walk guide, it means I’ve done the route multiple times in different seasons, weather conditions and assessed it in detail using my years of experience in this landscape.
The aim with all our guides is to give you the information you actually need, including maps and the right level of detail to get you out and feel prepared.
Overall this will help you feel more confident and have a better impact on you and the place you’re visiting, so it’s a win-win.
About the Author
- Based in the Lake District, Fay Doyle is also co-founder of This Expansive Adventure
- Walks these routes regularly
- Writer and photographer specialising in the outdoors, with extensive local hiking experience
- Focused on firsthand experience walking guides