I have done this gentle walk many times but in my recent mail there was a collection of drawings of Mary, the Beauty of Buttermere who was the daughter of the landlord of the Fish Inn.

Buttermere was one of the favourite haunts of Victorian visitors to Lakeland in pursuit of the story described by Coleridge, Southey and Wordsworth not to mention a host of melodramas acted out on the London stage. It took place in 1802 when Mary Robinson the 18-year-old daughter of the landlord of the Fish Inn came face-to-face with ‘the evil of the city.’ Known as the Beauty of Buttermere, Mary was seduced and bigamously married to John Hatfield posing as the Honourable Colonel Hope. He was eventually hanged at Carlisle for forgery and it is good to relate that Mary’s ‘proper’ marriage was a happy one and that she lived to a ripe old age and almost unaware of the fame thrust upon her thanks to the writings of the Lakeland poets.

There is some confusion with regard to the inn sign of the Fish Hotel. Some here wondered why the inn was not just called The Trout. There is a reason for this and that is that Buttermere has long been famous for its Char Fishery. This fish is a relic of the last Ice Age when, as a member of the salmon family, its route to the sea was blocked by debris carried by the glaciers. At one time Buttermere and Crummock Water were one large lake now divided by debris left over from the glaciers. The char is a difficult fish to catch and potted charr is a local delicacy well worth enjoying.

How to get there: From the A66 towards Cockermouth turn onto the B5289 and pass Crummock Water to reach the small car park at Buttermere. There is pay and display parking.

Information:

Map: OS Explorer OL4

Grid Ref: 176 172

Distance: 4 miles

Route

1 This area is so well looked after by the National Trust that the route around the lake is so easy to follow which means that the history and natural history can be explored without having to worry too much about the route. All you have to do is follow the signs and so it is no wonder that families and dogs on leads can enjoy it.

I always start my walk at the lovely little church of St James. Until the 18th Century Buttermere Church was considered to be too small to have a ‘proper’ vicar and had a reader who was not very well paid. He had one pound per year plus a pair of clogs and a hodden sark which was a sort of thick shirt. He also had the right of goosegale and whittlegate. This meant he could keep geese on the common free-of-charge. Whittlegate meant that the reader would be fed at each farm that he visited.

2 Just before the Fish, and close to the Bridge Hotel, turn left along an obvious footpath down to the shore of Buttermere and parallel to the B5289. The good birdwatching starts here and my first sighting was of a resident great crested grebe. To the left of the road is Buttermere Fell. On the opposite side of the water is High Stile. The fell walker and writer Wainwright listed this area as his favourite, which is really saying something.

3 Continue to follow the obvious track with Buttermere on the right. This route then veers left to meet the B5289. Turn right here along the road for a short distance until a sign leads off to the right. Follow this track passing Gatesgarth Farm on the left.

4 Cross a footbridge over Gatesgarth Dale Beck and then bear right to see Buttermere on the right. Be on the look out for anglers and rowing boats can be hired from the village.

5 The route leads into Burtness Woods which is a mix of mainly native trees but also several exotic trees, including some splendid specimens of larch. On the ground is a carpet of mosses which are rare enough to attract the attention of professional botanists.

6 Cross a footbridge over Sourmilk Gill which takes its name from the frothing torrent of a waterfall that crashes down the hillside away to the left. Continue onwards along an obvious path and cross a footbridge over the substantial Buttermere Dubs, which flows out of Crummock Water. Approach Wilkinsyke Farm and then return via an obvious track to Buttermere and the Fish Hotel which has been one of the main focal points of this present walk.

NB: Restrictions on space mean that this article provides a general summary of the route. It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.