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7.41 km · ~66 m ascent · ~1.5–2 h · loop

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Buttermere lake circuit

7.41 km
Distance
~1.5–2 h
Typical time
~66 m
Ascent
Download GPX →Maps & guidebooks

Key facts

Distance 7.41 km
Ascent ~66 m
Descent ~66 m
Time ~1.5–2 h
Type Loop
Start Buttermere village (NT / Syke Farm car parks)
The classic low-level lap of Buttermere — a flat, well-made path right around the lake beneath High Stile and Fleetwith Pike, passing the famous lone tree and a short rock-cut tunnel. One of the great easy walks in the Lakes.
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

🧭 The automated detail on this page — distance, climb, pacing and a first-pass difficulty read — is live. Hand-written field notes are being added.

Difficulty profile

LengthEasy7.41 km — a short outing.
SteepnessEasySteepest sustained pull about 5% around the 0.9 km mark.
TerrainModerateMostly good mountain path. desk assessment — not field-verified
NavigationModerateClear line, hard to stray. desk assessment — not field-verified
ExposureNot assessedExposure (drops, scrambling, how bad a slip would be) can’t be judged from gradient data alone, so we don’t guess. A rating appears once the route is editorially assessed or walked.

Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.

Dog
Gates only
Buggy
Buggy: in part
Knees
Gentle descent
  • Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
  • Buggy: Only part of this suits a buggy.
  • Knees: No sustained steep descent — kind on the knees.

On the line: 17 gates · 5 kissing gates

These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

☀️ Daylight & turnaround

Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.

Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.

OpenTopoMap
Elevation profile
Elevation profile Rises from about 102 m to 120 m over 7.4 km, with the summits marked in order. 120 m 102 m 0 km 7.4 km
~66 m
Total ascent
120 m
High point
113 m
Start height

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).

This walk covers about 7.41 km with around 66 m of ascent. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Finish7.4 km66 m1:36–2:07

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.

The walk, stage by stage

Buttermere village (NT / Syke Farm car parks) → Finish (7.4 km, 66 m)

Climb of about 66 m over 7.4 km (around 1% average).

Stage-by-stage field notes coming soon.

Summits bagged (0)

    🅿️ Getting there & parking

    Buttermere village (NT, paid) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
    For Red Pike, High Stile, Robinson, Rannerdale Knotts.
    Directions
    Gatesgarth Farm, Buttermere (paid) — 3.0 km from the start (straight line)
    Farm car park at the foot of Haystacks, Fleetwith Pike and the High Stile ridge.
    Directions

    Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

    💧 Water, shelter & getting away

    🚌 The Fish Hotel (119 m)🚌 Bridge Hotel (166 m)🚌 Mountain Road junction (318 m)🚌 Buttermere Youth Hostel (N bound) (448 m)⛺ Syke Farm Campsite (91 m)

    On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

    🚌 Buses

    Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
    Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
    Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
    Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.

    Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before travelling.

    ⚠️ Safety & conditions

    Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast before you set off.

    Make it easier or harder

    Easier and harder options coming soon.

    ⬇️ Download

    Download GPX

    GPX track for your GPS or phone.

    Appears in these collections
    Dog-friendly walksEasy walks