Buttermere classic

Buttermere, the lake district
ROUTE BY ABOVE BELOW

This route was originally created for Trail Magazine (the UK's best-selling hillwalking magazine) to showcase what our RuckRaft can do. All the words you need are below – but the pictures from this trip (courtesy of Trail Magazine’s Tom Bailey) really bring it to life.

LOCATION: Buttermere, the lake district
TOTAL DISTANCE: 5 – 10KM (very flexible)
ABOVE DISTANCE (HIKE, RUN): 5 KM
BELOW DISTANCE (SWIM): 4 KM
A (START): Buttermere Sykes Farm Cafe
B (FINISH): CIRCULAR
DURATION: a geat day out that can be made longer with wild camp
DIFFICULTY: Hard 4/5
OS EXPLORER MAP: OL4:english lakes

Before you set off, please read our safety guide and blog post on the risks of biosecurity. And here is our recommended kit list.

When we went out with Trail Magazine, they wanted to ‘get some height’ and do a proper test of the RuckRaft so our route with them was a little more adventurous than the one described below, with hikes over High Crag and Red Pike and an amazing overnight wild camp. The details of this trip are here – a wonderful read from Editor Oli Reed who joined us on the adventure.

The route below is a simpler day out guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

NEED TO KNOW

Biosecurity - this is a big risk in the lake district. At the time of writing, these lakes are clear of the problem, but that makes it essential that you stick to this route. Please read our blog here.

Terrain: Lakeside walks on good paths, clear lake swims with ability to swim near shore for easy outs. If you go high, things get steeper and more complex.

Safety – extra things to look out for: Buttermere can be cold. The entry can be rocky on your feet so Chacos sandals or suitable footwear is useful.

Nice things to look out for: 

So many. This is a superb route to get started in what’s possible with adventures over land and water. The simplest route is, on it’s own, a very pleasant and do-able day out. Sykes Farm cafe and campsite are excellent, the YHA is good, the Bridge Hotel is a great place for a pint and pie. 

Low Ling Crag on Crummock Water is a lovely beach to swim from and the beach on Nether How island that takes you back to Buttermere is beautiful. Buttermere is perfect to swim the length of and has numerous spits, shingle beaches to swim from and to. Paths on both sides of Buttermere give you all sorts of options to make your swims shorter if needed.

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Lots of options and you can do this in reverse.

Start at Buttermere. Get there early to get a parking spot. Breakfast at Sykes farm cafe and then walk out to the lake to see the shingle beach where you will finish.

Walk up the left or right of the lake as you look at it (can go up the other side if you wish). As you get up to the end you’ll see a nice set of shingle beaches and little spit that is nice to swim from back to Buttermere village.

Snack again if you like. Then head out on the path heading broadly west side of Crummock Water. This takes you up away from the lake a little to a lovely waterfall and then you can head back down to Low Ling Crag. Or if you want a longer swim the path goes to the end of the lake.

From here you swim back to Nether How beach - it looks like a small hill of trees at the end of Crummock Water. The swim is around a mile and roughly two if you swim the whole of Crummock Water (which is a nice swim and you can stop at Low Ling Crag for a rest at just over half way).

Nether How is a lovely spot to rest up, lie down. Then you can walk back into Buttermere past Syke Farm campsite. A pint and a pie at the Bridge hotel is our favoured finish but there’s tea and cake at the cafe.

This is a day out that will really put a smile on your face.

YOU GUIDE

Want to give this route a go, but not ready to go it alone?
Get in touch with our guide for this trip Lauren Munro-Bennett on 07486060073 or via email lauren@lmbcoaching.info

Lauren grew up in The Lake District and has a genuine and infectious passion for for the outdoors, specialising in running, triathlon, open water swimming coaching and guiding in the beautiful Lake District. Read more about Lauren and her coaching here.

All our local guides are qualified lifeguards or swimguides with first-hand experience of the route.