Buttermere

Why base here

Buttermere is one of the smallest places on this list, a scatter of houses, two hotels and a church between two lakes, Buttermere and Crummock Water, closed in by fells on every side. What it lacks in size it makes up for in position: Fleetwith Pike, Haystacks and the High Stile ridge all rise straight from the valley floor, and Honister Slate Mine sits at the top of the pass a few minutes’ drive away, still working slate and now also running a via ferrata route up the old quarry face. It suits a week built around walking and one adventure activity rather than a week that needs shops, choice of restaurants or an easy train connection.

On foot versus by car

The walk around the lake itself starts from the National Trust car park and needs nothing else, an easy circuit on level ground. Haystacks, by contrast, starts in the village but climbs hard over Scarth Gap, and most people treat it as a half-day commitment rather than an afternoon stroll. Great Gable starts at the top of Honister Pass instead, from the National Trust car park by the youth hostel, and the round from there is 11.8km with 727m of ascent. Honister Slate Mine is close enough to reach by car in a few minutes, or on the seasonal Honister Rambler bus that runs between Keswick and Buttermere in summer. Beyond the immediate valley, Keswick and Borrowdale are a drive over Honister Pass, and Newlands Valley and Braithwaite are a drive over Newlands Pass; neither is a quick trip without a car.

Practicalities

There is no railway station anywhere near Buttermere; Workington, on the Cumbrian Coast Line, is the closest at around 18 miles by road, and most visitors arrive by car. The National Park Authority’s seasonal shuttle from Cockermouth has run in past summers, and the Authority publishes each year whether it runs; the seasonal Honister Rambler connects to Keswick. Outside those services and outside summer, a car is close to essential. The village itself has no fuel, cashpoint or large shop, so it is worth arriving prepared rather than expecting to find everything on-site.