--- title: "Buttermere | Visit Keswick, Lake District" url: https://visitkeswick.com/explore/lakes/buttermere description: "The lake over Honister: the low-level walk round it, the village, and the church with Wainwright’s dedication and a window onto Haystacks." --- ## The lake and the village Beautiful Buttermere, set in its amphitheatre of mountains, is a tranquil scene made more dramatic by the play of light and shade in the narrow valley. In the village of the same name there is a choice of places to eat and stay — see [Buttermere and Lorton](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/neighbouring-villages/buttermere-and-lorton) . bus driving past st james church in buttermere ## St James’s church, and a window Call into the tiny church of St James to look at the dedication to Alfred Wainwright — the Lake District’s best known fell walker, guide book author and illustrator. Then look out of the window, and you see his favourite mountain, Haystacks, where his ashes are scattered. a runner on the path around buttermere ## The walk round The low-level walk round the lake is a delight, especially if it begins and ends in the hamlet of Buttermere itself. It takes about two to three hours. There are footpaths around both Buttermere and [Crummock Water](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/lakes/crummock-water) , and on to Scale Force — the highest waterfall in the Lake District. high up view of buttermere ## Higher up, and getting here Many popular high-level walks start from the valley, and can often be linked into the Honister Rambler bus, which runs a circular route from Keswick through [Borrowdale](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/valleys/borrowdale) and Buttermere. [Bus times and routes](https://visitkeswick.com/visitor-info/getting-to-keswick) are on the getting here page. A short walk up from Honister to the top of Fleetwith Pike gives views over the whole length of Buttermere. Buttermere seen past a line of tall pines with the fells rising steeply beyond Buttermere with a row of dark pines along the near shore and steep fells beyond A curved shingle beach on a lake shore with steep fells rising behind Loading map… - Buttermere - [Keswick](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/town) - [Buttermere](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/neighbouring-villages/buttermere-and-lorton) - [Crummock Water](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/lakes/crummock-water) - [Haystacks](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/fells) - [Seatoller](https://visitkeswick.com/explore/neighbouring-villages/seatoller-and-stonethwaite) ## Start your trip here Plan your perfect escape with our Keswick guide. From places to stay and things to do, where to eat, explore and unwind. ## Stories from our blog [See all blog posts](https://visitkeswick.com/blog) The Moot Hall and Keswick main street lit with Christmas lights Blog ### Keswick Victorian Fayre Keswick's Christmas fayre returns to the Market Square on Sunday 6 December 2026, with free entertainment, charity stalls and a children's funfair. 30 October 2026 derwentwater keswick ### Planning Your Stay In Keswick Keswick is a vibrant and lively town nestled in a stunning part of the Lake District and theres something for everyone here. Read on for some inspiration and ideas for where to stay and what to do whe Original publication date not recorded ### Festive Walks to do over the Christmas Period If you are staying in Keswick or the North Lakes over the Christmas period, you are probably planning on going for a walk? ## For AI agents - API catalogue: https://visitkeswick.com/.well-known/api-catalog - Guide for AI agents: https://visitkeswick.com/llms.txt - A2A agent card: https://visitkeswick.com/.well-known/agent-card.json - MCP server card: https://visitkeswick.com/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json - Personal Agent Protocol: https://visitkeswick.com/.well-known/poppy.json - Live availability and booking: the site's tools above (MCP connector at https://visitkeswick.com/mcp).