Buttermere to Scaleforce Walk

Starting from the dog-friendly Bridge Hotel, pass the small cafe and follow the lane for several hundred yards while passing the Fish on your right-hand side, then after going through the first “kissing-gate”, watch out for the signpost to the right of the path showing the way to Scale Bridge. 

In times gone by, ladies and gentleman would pay 1d to be rowed across Crummock Water to Scale Force in one of several boats owned by the hotels of the village, just to avoid their shoes getting dirty. Who said progress is a good thing?

The path then leads you across the valley floor and over the stream by means of quaint little stone bridge. The lush fields you are now passing through are the reason Buttermere is thus named: The old English translation was “The Lake by the Dairy Pastures”. The path from here on is well defined but rather uneven and rocky in places, stout boots are essential from here on in. The otherwise excellent OS maps of the area now differ from the many walkers who have trodden this path, and, at the foot of Crummock Water, the path takes a sharp left, uphill, instead of following the shoreline as indicated on old maps.

Scale Force itself only becomes visible as you round the last bend on the path. It is at its most spectacular after heavy rain – that is not obviously a common occurrence in the Lake District.

Full text is available from the Recommended Walks by The Bridge Hotel book that is available from the Hotels Recception.

Guests who are spending lunch or dinner in our dog-friendly Bridge Inn pub are welcome to park in the hotel’s car park for free of charge while walking.