Buttermere
Getting there, parking, where to stay and the fells you can walk straight from Buttermere.
Summit forecast
Pillar summit, verdict for 27 October: Save it for another day · Too windy for the tops
10°C at the summit, gusts 64 mph
Weather on the tops, not whether a route suits you. One summit, the highest within 5 km, not the valley · scored for 27 October by the site’s own scorer · all 214 ranked · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)First light
The sun reaches the Gatesgarth Farm start about 10:15 in October · sunrise 07:42
From the terrain around the start (Copernicus GLO-30), mid-month · how we work it outThe last bus
From Buttermere Youth Hostel (near):
Towards Keswick Bus Stn 3 (77): 18:21, every day.
Signed off per direction against the operator’s timetable, 7 September · the bus mapButtermere at a glance
Buttermere is three things with one name: the valley that runs from the foot of Honister Pass north-west to Crummock Water and Lorton, the village of a church, two inns and a handful of farms at the neck between its two lakes, and the lake itself, the smaller and higher of the two, ringed by dramatic fells: Haystacks, Fleetwith Pike, High Crag and High Stile rising straight from its far shore. It is owned in large part by the National Trust, it is much photographed, and it is one of the few that a bus reaches in summer.
Most people come for the lake walk, a 4.5-mile flat circular that hugs the water the whole way, and stay for the skyline. This page is the valley, the village and the walk together: how to get there and park, where to stay, what to see, and the fells that start from the village and from Gatesgarth at the head of the lake.
Quick facts
| Where | The north-western Lakes, over Honister or Newlands from Keswick or up the Lorton valley from Cockermouth; the B5289 runs the length of it |
|---|---|
| The village | A church, the Bridge Hotel and the Fish Inn, a youth hostel, farms with tea rooms, and the car parks; no shop |
| The lake walk | 7 km / 4.5 miles, allow 1½ to 2¼ hours, near-level, with a short rock tunnel and a spring path closure |
| Getting there | The seasonal 77 / 77A Honister Rambler from Keswick, stopping in the village, at the youth hostel and at Gatesgarth; no railway |
| Parking | The National Park and National Trust car parks in the village, the farm car park at Gatesgarth at the head of the lake, listed below with what they charge |
| The walking | Haystacks, Fleetwith Pike and the High Stile ridge from Gatesgarth; Red Pike and the ridge from the village; Rannerdale Knotts and Mellbreak from the Crummock end; the two lake shores at any time |
| Depth | 28 m at the deepest |
| Length | 2 km |
Getting there and parking
Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Sellafield (20 km away) and Corkickle (21 km away); the 77 stops at Buttermere Youth Hostel (near), 1.3 km from here in a straight line. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. The last bus from that stop: Towards Keswick Bus Stn 3 (77): 18:21, every day. Signed off against the operator’s timetable on 7 September; that is the day we checked, so check the operator’s timetable (opens in new tab) for your date. The bus map has every stop we hold.
The valley has one road, the B5289, which arrives over Honister Pass from Borrowdale, over Newlands Hause from Keswick by Moss Force, or up the Lorton valley from Cockermouth past Crummock Water; all three are narrow and the two passes are steep. Once the village car parks and Gatesgarth's are full there is nowhere else: the verges are the road's passing places and the National Trust and the farms will tell you so.
The answer in summer is the 77 / 77A Honister Rambler, the seasonal loop from Keswick through Borrowdale, over Honister, down to Buttermere and back over Whinlatter (the 77A runs it the other way). It stops in the village, at the youth hostel and at Gatesgarth for Haystacks, which makes a linear walk possible: over the pass on the bus, back on foot. The Rambler is seasonal; check the day's last bus from the far side before you set off, because the walk back is the whole route again. It is seasonal and it stops for the winter; the days it runs and the times are on the bus map, and the fell and route pages carry the last-bus figures where they have been checked.
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking near Buttermere
The searched-for postcode drops you in the village, but treat sat-nav as a guide on these lanes.
Where is Buttermere?
Buttermere near Keswick, in the Lake District. Zoom and pan to explore — or see all the Lake District lakes & waters on one map.
Parking near Buttermere
Toilets, food and shops near these car parks
Toilets: Buttermere village (opens in new tab) (about 285 m from Buttermere village (NT, paid), straight line, accessible)
Cafes: Syke Farm Tea Room (opens in new tab), Croft House Farm Café (opens in new tab)
All the car parks around Buttermere on the parking map →
Straight-line distances from the centre of Buttermere. We publish whether a car park charges, and who runs it, but never the price — tariffs change and a stale one is worse than none, so check the sign or the operator’s own site on the day.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Can you stay overnight?
- Buttermere village (LDNPA, paid) — run by Lake District National Park Authority, which does not permit overnight parking. “The only legal places to park are on formal camp sites.” (checked 2026-08-05)
- Buttermere village (NT, paid) — run by National Trust, which does not permit overnight parking. “We don't allow overnight parking due to the impact on nature and wildlife, staff resource and visitors.” (checked 2026-08-05)
These are the land managers’ and the council’s own published rules, quoted. Where a car park is not listed here we have found no published rule for it, which is not the same as permission.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
What to see
- The lake walk — the reason most people come, and it deserves its fame; the whole of it is below.
- Crummock Water — the bigger, wilder lake below the village, with Scale Force, the highest waterfall in the district, in a ravine on its far side.
- Moss Force — the roadside waterfall at the top of Newlands Hause, a spate fall best after rain, on the way in from Keswick.
- Haystacks — Wainwright's favourite fell, at the head of the lake above Gatesgarth, where his ashes were scattered at Innominate Tarn.
- The church — St James's above the village, with the memorial window to Wainwright that looks out to Haystacks.
- Rannerdale — the side valley below Crummock Water, famous for its wild bluebells in May, and the small fell of Rannerdale Knotts above it.
- Sour Milk Gill — the white fall down the far hillside from Bleaberry Tarn, seen from the whole of the lake walk.
Where to stay
The village is small and its beds go early. This is what is here, with the valley's alternatives:
| What it is | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| The Bridge Hotel | Historic inn with rooms and a bar | Buttermere village |
| The Fish Inn | The inn of the Maid of Buttermere, rooms and a bar | Buttermere village |
| YHA Buttermere | Youth hostel | On the road above the village towards Honister |
| Syke Farm | Farm campsite and tea room | Buttermere village |
| Dalegarth campsite | Campsite | Between the village and Gatesgarth |
| Farm bed and breakfasts | A handful in the valley | Buttermere and the Lorton end |
Each is a business named for the reader's convenience, not a recommendation; check its own site for what it costs and whether it has room. Lorton and Loweswater down the valley and Keswick over the passes have the rest. There is no campsite on the lake shore, and wild camping on it is not allowed.
Pubs and food
The Bridge Hotel and the Fish Inn are the village's two pubs, both used to wet boots, and Syke Farm and Croft House Farm serve tea and ice cream from the farm yards. There is no shop in the valley; the nearest are at Lorton and Braithwaite, and Keswick over the pass has everything.
The Buttermere lake walk
The circuit is the reason most people come, and it deserves its fame: a near-level path right around the lake, roughly 7 km (4.5 miles), taking most walkers 1½ to 2¼ hours (allow 3 with photo stops and a picnic). It is one of the gentlest of the big-lake circuits, stretches of it "Miles without Stiles"-easy, and you can start from the village and go either way. Two small surprises to know about:
- A short rock tunnel on the south-western shore (about 20 m, low-roofed, often wet and puddled underfoot), carved in the 19th century at the whim of a Manchester mill owner so his guests could walk the shore. It is fine, but a torch helps.
- One brief "rock step", a few moments of easy hands-on scrambling; otherwise the path is straightforward.
Runners love the circuit; cycling the shore path is not really on (it is a walkers' footpath, rough and busy), so ride the valley road or the passes instead. The Buttermere circuit route Planned covers the shore walk in detail, stage by stage.
Routes that start near Buttermere
| Route | Distance | Ascent | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fleetwith Edge and HaystacksStart 1.3 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 8.83 km | 767 m | ~3–4¼ h |
| High Stile, Seat via ButtermereStart 1.5 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 12.97 km | 881 m | ~4–5½ h |
| Rannerdale Knotts from ButtermereStart 1.9 km away (straight line) | 4 km | 265 m | ~1–1¾ h |
| Scale Fell and MellbreakStart 1.9 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 14.68 km | 572 m | ~3¾–5¼ h |
| The Buttermere RidgeStart 1.9 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 13.39 km | 1012 m | ~4¼–6 h |
| High Snockrigg from ButtermereStart 1.5 km away (straight line) · not yet walked | 4.02 km | 404 m | ~1¼–2 h |
More routes that start near Buttermere: Great Borne & Starling Dodd (not yet walked) · Red Pike by Scale Force (not yet walked) · The Buttermere Ridge Anti-Clockwise · Buttermere lake circuit (not yet walked) · High Snockrigg, Eel Crag & Lad Hows (not yet walked) · Crummock Water shore circuit (not yet walked)
Routes starting within about 2 km of Buttermere, or on its doorstep at one of its car parks. Each time is the whole route’s, from a fast to a steady pace, and takes no account of stops, conditions or daylight — a guide, not a schedule.
Fells & walks near Buttermere
- High Crag (Buttermere)
- High Stile
- Robinson
- Red Pike (Buttermere)
- Fleetwith Pike
- Haystacks (Buttermere)
Straight-line distances from the centre of Buttermere — the nearest summits with a full guide on this site.
Places nearby: Moss Force · Scale Force · Crummock Water · Honister Pass
All walks by Buttermere → — the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km, ranked, with today’s conditions.
Spring closure: the nesting sandpipers
One honest caveat that catches people out: a short permissive path along the north-eastern edge is closed each spring, roughly 1 April to 30 June, to protect ground-nesting sandpipers. For most of the year the full circuit is open; in late spring you may have to follow a short signed diversion, so do not promise yourself the complete shoreline loop in May without checking the signs on the day.
Can you swim in Buttermere?
Yes, and it is lovely. There is a shallow, shelving entry and a small beach at the village end, which makes a natural place to wade in or paddle. Canoes, kayaks and paddleboards are off for now: the National Trust has suspended boating permits on Buttermere and Crummock Water on Natural England's advice (National Trust, read 15 October 2026). As always in Lakeland water, take cold-water care: it is cold year-round, there are no lifeguards, and you should ease in rather than jump. Out of respect for the ground-nesting birds, keep to the village end in spring rather than the quiet north shore.
The walks
Buttermere is the start of some fine ridge days. From the village, High Stile and Seat by Buttermere Planned climbs Red Pike by Bleaberry Tarn and walks the whole of the High Stile ridge, and the Buttermere ridge Planned takes it the other way; Scale Fell and Mellbreak Planned goes round the Crummock side by Scale Force. From Honister at the top of the pass, Haystacks Walked April 2026 climbs Fleetwith Pike, crosses to Haystacks and comes back over Brandreth and Grey Knotts. For the flat days, the Buttermere circuit and the Crummock Water shore Planned from the village. Check the live fell conditions before the tops; the full list is below, with the fells each one climbs.
Frequently asked questions about Buttermere
How long is the walk around Buttermere lake, and how long does it take?
Where do you park to walk around Buttermere (and what's the postcode)?
Can you swim in Buttermere lake?
Can you walk all the way around Buttermere — is the path closed at any time?
Is the Buttermere walk dog-friendly, and can you cycle it?
What's the tunnel on the Buttermere walk?
Who owns Buttermere, and where can you camp nearby?
Where is Buttermere and is it a ribbon lake?
Events across the Lake District
Planning a trip around a show or festival? See our Lake District events & festivals guide for what's on near Buttermere — traditional Lakeland sports, agricultural shows and seasonal events, month by month.