Haystacks from Buttermere

Haystacks is a small fell by Lakeland standards, barely 600m high, but Alfred Wainwright named it as his favourite of the 214 he catalogued, and asked for his ashes to be scattered near the shore of Innominate Tarn just below the summit. His wife did so after his death. The circuit from Buttermere village follows the lakeshore before climbing to Scarth Gap Pass, an old mountain pass linking Buttermere with Ennerdale, then turns steeply uphill onto Haystacks itself.

The ground gets rougher as height is gained. The path onto the summit plateau involves short sections of scrambling over rock, nothing technical but enough to need hands as well as feet, and the terrain among the many small tarns and knolls on top is uneven and easy to wander off-route in mist. The descent usually continues past Innominate Tarn and down through the old slate and stone quarry workings above Warnscale Beck, where loose scree and spoil make for slow, careful going before the path rejoins the lakeshore back to the village.

At around 13.7km and 671m of ascent for the full circuit, this is a half-day-plus commitment rather than a short outing, and the scrambling sections rule it out for anyone unsteady on rock, who should take the level Buttermere Lake Circuit in the same valley instead. It suits walkers who want a proper mountain day without needing one of the bigger neighbouring fells, and WalkLakes says the scrambly bits are not a problem for most active dogs, with water from the tarns on Haystacks and from Warnscale Beck. The Lake District National Park asks that dogs be kept on a lead near livestock.