Buttermere Horseshoe, Lake District
Bag five Wainwrights around a rugged skyline horseshoe at the head of Buttermere on this classTiHcELFaAkCeTlSand walk.
This rugged rollercoaster route circles Buttermere, taking in the exciting skyline that towers above the northern, north-east and part of the southern sides of the lake. It’s a grand outing and on a clear day the views are stunning.
In all, five Wainwright summits are visited – Robinson (737m/2417ft), Hindscarth (727m/2385ft), Dale Head (754m/2473ft), Fleetwith Pike (648m/2126ft) and Haystacks (597m/1959ft). Although the final one of these doesn’t quite hit the 610m/2000ft contour, it was in fact one of Wainwright’s favourite Lakeland tops and is where his ashes were scattered by Innominate Tarn. It’s also the most rugged section of this walk, bristling with rocky outcrops, and has a twin-cairned summit that is a true mountain top.
Expect a lot of steep ups and downs on this stunning horseshoe as you travel through some exciting terrain. The route drops to cross the elevated Honister Pass at roughly the halfway point and there is a café here if you fancy a break. The outing finishes with a walk along the south-west side of Buttermere Lake before returning to the start.