England
Buttermere
A mirror lake ringed by fells so symmetrical the reflection is indistinguishable from the real.
The lake lies so still between Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike that the fells appear twice — once in stone and once in water. Buttermere in Cumbria is the quieter sibling of the central Lakes, a valley where the walking is serious but the mood is gentle.
Buttermere's circuit walk — four miles of flat lakeside path — is one of the finest low-level routes in the Lake District, threading through ancient oakwood, past cascading becks, and through a rock tunnel carved to improve the path in the 19th century. The lake itself, half a mile wide and a mile and a quarter long, sits at 100 metres elevation between the high ridges of Haystacks (Wainwright's favourite fell and the site where his ashes were scattered) and Red Pike. The Bridge Hotel and the Fish Inn, the valley's only two pubs, have served walkers since the 18th century. Crummock Water, separated from Buttermere by a half-mile of flat meadow, extends the valley's water northward and offers Scale Force, the tallest single-drop waterfall in the Lake District at 52 metres.
Couple
The lakeside circuit is flat, unhurried, and intimate. Walk it in the morning mist when the reflections are at their most perfect and the valley belongs to you.
Solo
Climb Haystacks alone, scatter your thoughts where Wainwright scattered his ashes, and descend to Buttermere knowing why he chose this fell above all others.
- The lake circuit is four flat miles of lakeshore path beneath Haystacks — Wainwright's favourite mountain, and where his ashes were scattered.
- The water is so clean it was once proposed as Manchester's water supply — wild swimming here is cold, clear, and earned.
- Scale Force, the Lake District's tallest waterfall, hides in a ravine a short walk from the lakeshore.
- The Bridge Hotel and the Fish Inn have fed walkers since the 18th century — wet boots welcome, pretension left at the door.
Herdwick burger at the Bridge Hotel — the sheep graze the fells you just walked.
Flapjack from the tiny honesty-box stall at Gatesgarth Farm.
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