A quiet lake under high fells, with a flat shoreline circuit that's among the loveliest short walks in the Lakes
Buttermere is one of the smaller Lake District lakes, and one of the best loved — a quiet stretch of water held tight between steep fells on the road over from Keswick. The name gets used for the lake, the little village at its northern end, and the whole valley. Most people come for the walk right round the shore, a flat and easy circuit of about four and a half miles that stays close to the water the whole way, ducking through a short rock tunnel on the far side. It takes a couple of gentle hours and shows you the fells from every angle.
Those fells are the draw for walkers. High Stile and Red Pike stand along the southwestern shore, part of the Buttermere Fells ridge. Crummock Water lies just beyond the village to the northwest, the two lakes almost joined, and the fall of Scale Force drops off the fellside between them.
The village has a couple of hotels doing food and a small car park that fills fast, so get there early or come out of season. Bring waterproofs whatever the forecast, because the western fells catch a lot of rain.
