THIS short but hard walk climbs high above Buttermere to visit Bleaberry Tarn and Red Pike, writes JOHN EDMONDSON. It then descends to the spectacular Scale Force, which is highest waterfall in the Lake District, and returns to Buttermere above Crummock Water. Although fairly short in distance, this popular route requires a lot of energy, plus careful navigation at times, but the effort is rewarded by special natural features and splendid scenery.

Park at the Lake District National Park car park in the village centre (map reference NY174169, charge £8) or off the Newlands road above St James Parish Church (map reference NY176170, free). In the south window of the little Church of St James is a stone tablet memorial to Alfred Wainwright. It looks out on his favourite place to walk, Haystacks, where his ashes were scattered.

Information:

Distance: 5.5 miles; ascent: 2,900 feet

Time: 4 hours

Terrain: long steep climb on stepped and pitched paths, loose stones and a short rock scramble. Boggy in parts.

Map: OS Explorer OL4

Route:

1 From the B5289 pass left of the Bridge Hotel and go through a gate left of the Fish Inn onto the bridleway signed Buttermere Lake. Follow the track to the corner of a field next to Buttermere, where the view over the lake to Fleetwith Pike makes an impressive picture. Turn right and follow a path to a footbridge. Cross the bridge and go ahead up a steep, stepped path through the woods (expect to take 15 minutes for the ascent) to a gate. Continue climbing a steep winding stone pitched path (a further 15 minutes of hard work). The path then bends right and ascends more gently. Pass Sourmilk Gill waterfalls on the right to reach an excellent example of a mountain comb (corrie or hanging valley). Bleaberry Tarn appears just after crossing the Gill. Its name means mountain pool where bilberries grow. The word tarn comes from Norse for teardrop, a shape that Bleaberry Tarn closely resembles. Follow the main path slanting up to the right of the tarn. As it gets higher the path to Red Pike becomes steeper and worn, deteriorating to loose scree, which is red in colour (hence the name of the peak) before reaching the 2,477-feet summit. A reward for climbing this difficult ascent is that on a clear day no less than six Lake District waters - Buttermere, Crummock Water, Bleaberry Tarn, Derwentwater, Ennerdale water and Loweswater - can be seen from Red Pike

2 Keep on the main path in a north-westerly direction to the left of Lingcomb Edge. The path descends steeply at first, then continues downhill more gradually into a cleft between the fells ahead. A glimpse of Crummock Water appears over the fells on the right. The path meets Scale Beck close to where two streams meet then descends along the right of the beck. The path is eroded in parts and there is a short scramble over rocks before it enters a wooded area. Descend to a stepped path towards a footbridge. Scale Force waterfall is hidden away in a deep tree-lined gorge on the left. It is the highest waterfall in the Lake District with a single drop of 170-feet, and two others of about 20-feet.

3 Go through the gate on the right of the beck and follow a footpath (boggy and with boulders), curving to the right above Crummock Water and continuing beside the river (Buttermere Dubs). Turn left to go through a field gate and over Scale Bridge onto a track leading back to Buttermere village.

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.