Tag: Walk

Buttermere Circular from Gatesgarth Farm | Graham’s Guides

Buttermere sits in the north west of the Lake District and has to be a contender for the most picturesque of the lakes. It’s certainly one of my personal favourites.

Graham’s Walks Vitals

  • Distance: 4.3 miles/7 km
  • Elevation: 380 ft/115 m
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Start: Gatesgarth Farm – the link takes you to the car park on the road. If this is full there is normally an overflow at the back of the farm.
  • Graham’s Cafe: You will pass Syke Farm Tea Room on this route.
  • Classification: None

The Maps

  • OS Maps Route: 🗺️
  • GPX Download: 📁

The Area

This route follows the shoreline of Buttermere. As you walk along the eastern shore, you will pass beneath one of only two buildings on the lake. This was the seat of the Hassness Estate owned by the Benson family, who were wealthy mill owners from Manchester. The house was built as a retreat for the family in the Victorian era, when the Lake District became popular.

Hassness Country House is currently in use as a base for walking holidays.

The Benson family used to like to promenade along the lake shore, but unfortunately there was a part of the shoreline that they couldn’t get around without a climb.

What were the Bensons to do? They built a tunnel, hand-chiselled through the rock, a tunnel that is still available for us to use and something of a curiosity.

The second building is at the south-eastern end of Buttermere. It’s a white single-storey building sitting below Haystacks, Green Crags and Fleetwith Pike. This makes for a dramatic scene which has been photographed by many. This is Char Cottage which was used as a base for people fishing for Arctic Char. The Arctic Char is a survivor from over 10,000 years ago when retreating ice sheets stranded their ancestors in deep cold glacial lakes such as Buttermere and another seven of the nearby lakes and tarns. The char were fished for food and apparently taste similar to trout and salmon.

Why start at Gatesgarth Farm?

There are four main routes into the Buttermere valley, three of them over passes, one of them is via Lorton from Cockermouth. There are also a couple of routes from West Cumbria also via Lorton.

If you are travelling into Buttermere via the A66 westward from the Keswick area Google Maps will probably direct you to Braithwaite via Stair and Little Town. This route will take you via the Newlands Pass and long winding stretches of single track road, some with steep descents to the side. It’s a glorious road with fabulous views if you are a confident driver and traffic is light. It’s a terrible route to follow if it’s busy. This route can be massively frustrating when busy as cars and vans try to manoeuvre between the sparsely spaced passing places. I’ve found myself, on several occasions, having to get out of my car to coach inexperienced drivers through a tricky narrow section. I’ve also been approached by several shaken drivers, in Buttermere, enquiring about alternative routes out.

Newlands Pass will drop you straight into Buttermere village where there is quite good parking, however, these car parks do get full on busy days.

A better alternative for the less confident driver and for busier days is Whinlatter Pass which takes you over the fells from Braithwaite to Lorton. This road has long been used for the transportation of wood from the forestry in the area making it wide with ample passing places. The route from Lorton to Buttermere does include some single track sections and takes you alongside Crummock Water where it can be narrow and is renowned for inconsiderate parking. The road from Lorton is the route you would take if you were driving in from Cockermouth. This route also takes you to Buttermere village first.

My preferred route to get to Buttermere from the Keswick side is to drive down Borrowdale and over Honister Pass. This road isn’t for the faint-hearted, but is fine for most competent drivers. At the top of the pass is Honister Quarry which is still in operation meaning that the road is well maintained and able to take trucks carrying slate.

The Honister route will drop you into Gatesgarth at the southern end of Buttermere where there is ample parking at the farm.

The Honister Pass option is not much further than the Newlands Valley route but much better for the blood pressure.

Starting the walk at this end of the lake means that you will arrive in Buttermere Village, where there are several options for refreshments, about halfway around. There is also an option for refreshment at the cabin at Gatesgarth Farm.

The Walk

Not sure this walk really needs a description because it is as simple as follows:

  • Join the path along the shore of the lake.
  • Walk to Buttermere village.
  • Return on the path along the other shoreline.

There are some more detailed directions that you might like, so here goes:

Gatesgarth Farm to Syke Farm Tea Room on the Eastern Shoreline

Having parked your vehicle, or got off the bus at Gatesgarth Farm, head out onto the road towards Buttermere village.

There is a short distance of road walking until you reach the lake.

You’ll soon reach a path between the road and the lake that keeps closer to the lake as the road turns to the left.

Follow this path as it works its way along the shoreline of the lake for a couple of miles.

Partway along the path goes through the Hassness Tunnel. The tunnel is dark but only short and you shouldn’t need any lights.

As you reach the end of the lake there is a fork in the path – one which goes to the left around the lake, the other takes you straight on and into Syke Farm where the tea room is. There’s a wiggle in the middle of the path before you reach the farm taking you right over some rocks and then left.

Syke Farm Tea Room to Gatesgarth Farm via the Western Shoreline

Syke Farm sits on the edge of Buttermere Village.

Head towards the road from the tea room and turn left down the hill towards The Bridge Hotel.

Take the lane down the side of the Bridge Hotel and head straight on following the signs for the lake. This should take you on a lane with the Buttermere Court Hotel on your right.

This lane will take you to the lake where you will again follow the shoreline.

Having reached the shoreline, the route takes you across a footbridge from where you will reach the base of Sourmilk Gill which is worth a bit of an explore. Note the small name difference from the valley in Easedale which is Sourmilk Ghyll.

Continue along the shoreline until you reach a gate beyond the end of the lake with another path branching off it.

Go through the gate across the back of Buttermere to Gatesgarth across Peggy’s Bridge.

Alternatives and Extensions

You could do this route the other way around. We prefer it this way because we like to have a swim at Horse Close near to where Comb Beck enters the lake.

As you cross the river just beyond Sourmilk Gill there is a path that leads up to Bleaberry Tarn. From the tarn you can work your way down on another path to the end of the lake. There are some fabulous views from this route, but it does make it a more tricky walk.

Comb Beck waterfalls are worth a bit of an explore as they descend to Horse Close.

You can miss out Buttermere Village by using the left-hand of the fork at the north-western end of the lake. This will continue you along the shoreline.

There are numerous fells that surround Buttermere, I’ll cover those in other guides.

Joining the path to Buttermere Village
Joining the path to Buttermere Village
The shoreline near Hassness
The shoreline near Hassness
Towards the Char Cottage
Towards the Char Cottage
Below Hassness House
Below Hassness House
Entering Hassness Tunnel
Entering Hassness Tunnel
Straight on to Syke Farm Tea Rooms, left if you want to miss out Buttermere Village.
Straight on to Syke Farm Tea Rooms, left if you want to miss out Buttermere Village.
Approaching Buttermere Village. Around and then to the right.
Approaching Buttermere Village. Around and then to the right.
Through the gate then left into Buttermere Village
Through the gate then left into Buttermere Village
Dropping into Syke Farm
Dropping into Syke Farm
Syke Farm Tea Room
Syke Farm Tea Room
The path to Sourmilk Gill
The path to Sourmilk Gill
The southern side of Buttermere through Burtness Wood
The southern side of Buttermere through Burtness Wood
Sticking to the shoreline
Sticking to the shoreline
Comb Beck - a great place for an explore
Comb Beck – a great place for an explore
Through the gate to Peggy's Bridge and Gatesgarth beyond
Through the gate to Peggy’s Bridge and Gatesgarth beyond
The view from Peggy's Bridge. Haystacks to the right, Fleetwith to the right.
The view from Peggy’s Bridge. Haystacks to the right, Fleetwith to the right.

Skeggles Water Circular including Cocklaw Fell and Hollow Moor | Birkett KEN 2 | Graham’s Guides

Get away from the crowds and explore some less visited fells and the gloriously names Skeggles Water.

Graham’s Walks📌
Distance5.6 miles/9 km
Elevation1182 ft/360 m
DifficultyDifficult
Map🗺️
GPX📁
Graham’s CafeYou will drive past More? The Artisan Baker
ClassificationBirketts KEN 2

The Area

I must admit that until I was reading though Bill Birkett’s “Complete Lakeland Walks” I’d never heard of Skeggles Water. I say that as someone who has walked most areas of Cumbria and completed a round of the Wainwright fells. My lack of knowledge is a reflection of how little attention is given to the areas at the edge of the Lake District and the draw of the big peaks. It’s not surprising that people go for the larger fells and the more dramatic lakes but in doing so they miss the opportunity for a quieter day.

Skeggles Water sits in the hills between the valleys of Kentmere and Longsleddale. There’s no obvious origin to the name Skeggles; it was likely the name of someone from the Norse era who had the nickname Skeggi (beardy). Both valleys have long histories of settlement with evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age activity (2,000 to 4,000 BC), the Romans used the nearby High Street as a route between their forts (100 to 400 AD) and there’s a Norse heritage in many of the place names.

We don’t really have strict rules for the way that we name things in English even though some people think we do. Kentmere suggests a mere (lake or pond) from the river Kent. However, it’s the valley and village that have become known as Kentmere and the mere is is known as Kentmere Tarn, further up the valley is Kentmere Reservoir. Confused?

Most of this walk is across an area of Kentmere known as Green Quarter. In more feudal times the grazing around Kentmere village was separated into four areas with the village church at the centre. Each grazing area had an allowance of tenants, each tenant had an allocation of cattle. In 1760 each quarter had 15 tenants, each tenants was allowed to graze 10 cattle. Green Quarter appears to be the only one of the quarters still visible on the map.

The Walk

The route of this walk isn’t on all, or even most, maps. The first third is on a well defined bridleway; the second third takes a path around the tarn and up onto the fells, most of it looks like it is regularly travelled by a quad-bike but can be tricky to stick to as it’s not on many of the maps; the final third is back onto well defined bridleways. The navigational challenges are why I’ve marked it as Difficult.

This walk starts from the village where there is very limited parking outside the Kentmere Institute for a donation. For most people this is also the start of the Kentmere Horseshoe a popular walk that contains numerous Wainwrights. In the summer there is also a car park in a field just before you enter the village. Away from these two parking areas there are very few areas to park and the roads are narrow. Don’t be that person who causes havoc for everyone else.

From the Institute head back along Hollingrigg Lane past the church and across the river; then turn left up Hellwell Lane.

Part way along Hellwell Lane you’ll see a footpath fingerpost on the right and a small gate up some steps which has the nameplate Lucy’s Wood. The path goes pretty much straight up to another gate onto a farm lane which will bring you out onto Lowfield Lane. Turning left and up the hill a short way. There’s a bridleway on the right through a farm gate; this is Cornclose Lane.

The route follows the bridleway for a little while until there’s a fork where we take the left hand option, the righthand route is marked as private. The path steadily ascends along the edge of the hill sweeping to the left.

The path reaches an apex from which it descends into a shallow valley and you will soon be able to see Skeggles Water in the middle. Just off the path before you reach the water there is a barn ruin; just beyond it is a path leading to the southern edge of the lake through a gap in a drystone wall.

Keep on the path around the southern end of the water and you’ll come to a footbridge across the outflow stream. Continue around, taking in the views until the path meets a more defined path heading north-westerly. Many of the maps only have a path as far as the footbridge but the path beyond is reasonably clear. At one point the path takes a detour away from the lake to find a gate through a fence.

Along this path you can see Cocklaw Fell rising steadily to the right. You are looking for a path to the right heading pretty much straight up to the top of the fell. This path probably isn’t on your map and isn’t easy to find on the ground; sometimes you just need to set a baring and follow it. The summit of Cocklaw Fell is little more than a hillock and you may need to take a baring to convince yourself you are really at the top. The views over into Longsleddale open out at this point.

From the small summit of Cocklaw Fell you should be able to see a fence just below it to the north-west. Turn left at the fence and follow it along and down to the main track and to a point where a couple of paths meet at the intersection of a couple of fences. At this point there is a path that heads up towards the summit of Hollow Moor off the main track to the right. This path, again, looks like it’s regularly travelled by a quad-bike but it isn’t on the normal OS topographic maps, but is on the OSMaps app standard view and OpenStreetMaps variants like CoMaps.

This path opens out the views towards upper Kentmere and the fells beyond, climbing steadily until you reach the summit of Hollow Moor. Near the summit of Hollow Moor it’s worth taking a few steps towards the valley to get the best views. Near to the top there is a stone that used to part of fence. According to the various maps this isn’t the summit, but it’s near enough to mark it.

The path off the summit is a continuation of the path you came up on. This will take you down the side of the fell towards another bridleway that crosses Kill Gill and into Kentmere. There are a couple of routes through Kentmere, the simplest is to take the path along the side of the stream onto Hellwell Lane. Turn left on the lane back to the bridge across the Kent and up to the church, the institute and your transport.

The church is often open and is lovely inside. There’s a also a really good local history and natural history display.

Alternatives and Extensions

There are probably simpler ways of ticking off Cocklaw Fell and Hollow Moor if you are trying to fit your Birketts list but this isn’t an arduous walk as it is. Perhaps you could miss out the circumnavigation of Skeggles Water but that feels like you’d be missing out on many of the best views. You could also do the fells from Longsleddale but it would be difficult to make it a circular route.

Crossing the Kent in the village
The steps up to Lucy’s wood
Walking the bridleway
The view back to the village and Sallows beyond
First glimpses of Skeggles Water
The barn ruin and the path to the lake
First views by Skeggles Water
Skeggles Water
The gate part way around Skeggles Water
The path along the fence after Cocklaw Fell
View of Hollow Moor
Views of Upper Kentmere
The fence post near the summit of Hollow Moor
Follow the track down from the summit of Hollow Moor
The view back to the church
Kentmere church
The summer car park

Blessings #155 – A Walk in the Woods

One of my most favourite places is Borrowdale in Cumbria. As I drive down into Borrowdale from Keswick I always feel like any stress that I am feeling is progressively being lifted from me.

Leaving the wide open expanse of the Derwentwater valley the road enters into a narrow cutting beyond Grange. Following the route of the river Derwent the road twists and turns for a mile or so before it opens out into Borrowdale.

Beautiful Walking in BorrowdaleSurrounded by hills on all sides Borrowdale is like a land that is cut off from the rest of the world – a secret, hidden place,

Some of the valley sides are displaying rocky crags, some are covered in grass and heather, but my favourite are the ones cloaked in ancient woodland.

This isolated place has managed to avoid the imposition of rows upon rows of conifers. It’s steep sides and remoteness have meant that the original broadleaf ecosystem still persists in all its splendour.

On August Bank holiday this year the weather was glorious and we were visiting family in Keswick. Even though we were really there to see family it always seems a shame not to get out into the countryside for at least part of the day. I set out from the busy market town with the view that I would park at the first place I could find. Passing crammed full car parks at Kettlewell and Grange I carried on into Borrowdale. No parking in Longthwaite or Seathhwaite either, so Seatoller it was, but only in the last parking space in the car park.

Heading for the gate at the rear of the car park I took the well trodden path along the river through the woods towards Longthwaite. Here the northern, eastern and southern sides of High Doat is covered with Jonny Wood. High Doat is not a huge hill but the woods like magnificent.

There’s something very special about the way that summer sunlight shines it’s way through a mixed broad leaf wood. The variety of green hew is sometimes breathtaking.

The floor of the wood is visibly alive with flora and fauna of immense variety. The birds might not be too visible but their song makes the presence of many species obvious.

Beautiful Walking in BorrowdaleEvery now and again the trees part to give fabulous framed views of the crags beyond.

After a little way the path and the wood drop down towards the river with elegant vintage trees bowing down to the clear crystal stream as it babbles and bubbles over rock and through crevice.

As I walk along I contemplate the things that these trees have witnessed. It’s a way to put thoughts and worries into perspective.

A wonderful walk and a great blessing.

Count Your Blessings #136 – Bridges

Crackington HavenI’ve written a few times about thoughts that come to me on my morning walk near where I live. It’s not surprising that I get ideas while out walking because that’s one of the reasons that I do it.

Walking and thinking is something that people have done for generations and generations, it’s great way of relieving stress.

Near our house I’m very privileged to have a whole set of walks through fields and woods. There are all sorts of alternatives, all of them out into the countryside.

The options for walking would be very limited though is it wasn’t for the wonderful invention of the bridge.

Our house isn’t far from a four lane section of the M6 motorway, there’s just a thin slither of countryside between the two. There’s a nice path down this slither, but it would become a bit dull if I couldn’t go down the path and along the lane under the thundering traffic and out into the open fields beyond. Then travel a bit further along to the old railway line and back across the wide footbridge, that links it back up to the other side.

Crossthwaite ViewsOn other days I can go through the woods a bit further along and over the footbridge into another set of woods where I’ve seen deer a few times. This footbridge is so narrow that if you look down towards your feet you can feel like you are flying over all of the vehicles as they speed underneath.

Trying to cross the M6 without access to these bridges would be a recipe for suicide, literally.  If it wasn’t for these bridges I would be stuck on my side of the motorway. I would have places to walk, but my options would be so limited.

The bridges enable me to connect to a much broader set of experiences and a whole new set of opportunities.

There is common phrase used about broken relationships: “burning your bridges” which suggests that relationships are a bit like bridges. If bridges open up new opportunities and relationships are like bridges how many relationships do you have that open up new prospects. I count myself as particularly blessed with the number of friends that add so much to who I am.

There’s also another relationship that broadens my perspective in so many ways and that is my relationship with Jesus. Many people see Christianity as something that shrinks peoples options, but a relationship with Jesus does exactly the opposite.

Jesus: “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

John 10:10