Lake District challenges
Buttermere Round
- What's involved
- The route
- Prices
This challenge involves visiting the summit of 7 of the Lake District's mountains in one day - Red Pike, High Stile, High Crag, Haystacks, Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson.
You'll climb about 1,758 metres (5,780 feet)
You'll walk about 20 km (12.5 miles)
This challenge is a circuit of the mountains surrounding Buttermere. We start the challenge in the village of Buttermere and return to the same location at the end of the challenge.
Buttermere is one of the most scenic valleys in the whole of the Lake District and you see the whole of it on this walk.
It's not the most strenuous of walks on this site but it shouldn't be underestimated as it is challenging with one substantial descent and reascent.
Preparation is key to successfully completing any challenge of this nature.
To book tel: 07584 177506
e-mail: enquiries@bigwalks.com
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We start the challenge from the Fish Hotel in Buttermere village and our first objective is the group of 3 mountains that make up the 'High Stile ridge'. The first is Red Pike which we approach via Bleaberry Tarn.
Fish Hotel Buttermere - start & finish of the challenge
Buttermere looking towards Fleetwith Pike
The High Stile ridge rises abruptly from the shores of Buttermere to over 2,000 feet, apparently vertically, and is a geologist's delight with hanging valleys, volcanic rocks and extinct volcanoes.
Looking to the Grasmoor group from the ascent to Red Pike
We ascend from the shore of the lake through woods initially. When we emerge from the woods we are rewarded with a superb view that gets better as we gain height.
On the High Stile ridge looking back to Red Pike with Bleaberry Tarn below - reputedly hiding the crater of a dead volcano
We traverse the ridge over the summits of Red Pike, High Stile and High Crag with superb views down to Buttermere. We descend from the ridge to Scarth Gap via the steep and rather unpleasant path down Gamlin End.
Gamlin End, High Crag, this is your dscent route to Scarth Gap
From Scarth Gap we then pass over Haystacks, the favourite mountain of Alfred Wainwright, the man who's name is synonymous with the hills of the Lake District. He wrote the pictorial guides to the Lake District that became best sellers and encouraged legions of tourists to descend on the region ever since.
Haystacks Alfred Wainwright had his ashes scattered here
From Haystacks we head for Honister Pass where we can have a break and refreshments at the Honister visitor centre.
View of Fleetwith Pike and the High Stile range from Dale Head
Once refreshed we head for the mountains on the other side of Buttermere and ascend Dale Head directly from Honister Pass. From the summit of Dale Head you have views into the Newlands valley which is on the opposite side of this range of hills. We head along the ridge to Hindscarth and then to Robinson before descending back to Buttermere village for some well earned liquid refreshments in the Fish Hotel.
mob: 07584 177506
e-mail: enquiries@bigwalks.com
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