Buttermere and its surrounding areas I always regard as probably the ‘prettiest’ area of the Lake District - it has a very picture-book feel and is always a great pleasure to visit and photograph. Much like Derwentwater close by, it’s a very target rich environment for quite a small area.

As a local I’m fortunate to be able to visit here all through the year, and despite its popularity there’s still a few hidden corners worth exploring. I’ll cover a couple in this piece along with some of the classic spots you might be familiar with.

The Buttermere ‘lone tree’

Of the two bodies of water, Buttermere definitely gets the most attention over Crummock, however I’m not convinced it’s necessarily the prettier lake. Both are stunning in their own right, however I suspect Buttermere gets more admiring glances due to ease of access than anything else. Starting with the first and most obvious location, the ‘lone tree’ (near to OS Grid Ref: NY 17509 16455) is synonymous with the place, and in fairness for good reason. If you’re fortunate to catch it on the right day, it still makes for a glorious composition despite it becoming something of a cliche over the years. The tree itself is actually quite unimpressive at first glance, many non-photographers have mentioned to me that they’ve walked straight passed it without even noticing. It’s also clinging on somewhat, having lost a couple of branches over the years from bad weather. This aside, when framed correctly and against a great sky and backdrop, it makes for a classic lakeland picture.

Shooting tips

Ideally you want to get here on a calm morning (this is definitely not a sunset location as it sets right behind you) and shoot sunrise for those lovely reflections coupled with a great sky, you just need to be aware of a couple of things when shooting this classic. Firstly, if the water is low the foreground around the tree can look a little untidy, so visiting when water levels are elevated a little is preferable, ideally if there’s been a lot of rainfall which gives you more options. Secondly, for the vivid sunrises the winter months are probably best, as the sun rises behind the Honister Pass at 45 degrees to your shot. In the summer months the sunrise is more of a 90 degree angle and the effect is lessened. Also it takes quite a while for the sun to get over Buttermere Fell so you don’t really get any direct light on the distant mountains until well after sunrise.

The Sentinels

The Sentinels (also known as the Buttermere Pines) are as equally well-known as the lone tree. Located at the southern end of the lake, this small patch of scots pines make for a great subject as part of a wider shot (above and below) incorporating Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike in the background or being picked out with a longer lens (right). Again, ideally you’d like calm conditions for this shot, those pines really benefit from mirror-like reflections. Fortunately due to the topography of the area, Buttermere is one of the few places in the lakes that often has calm weather. The lake itself is hemmed in on all sides by relatively tall mountains, so if the weather is settled elsewhere then generally you can rely on Buttermere being a good place to shoot reflections.

Shooting tips

For the most striking shots you’d like that low raking light just after dawn to be hitting the pines in your image, there’s no real bad time for this shot although it’s probably optimal at sunrise in the autumn months. It can work well in the summer also, although you have to be a bit more precise in your timings as you only have a smallish window when the sun peeks over the fells before the light becomes too harsh and the sun too high in the sky. The main pointer is that your window of opportunity start’s about 30-45mins after sunrise, and is longer or shorter depending on the season you shoot here. Of course this isn’t to say it can’t be shot in the middle of the day, if you’re fortunate enough to time your visit where the sun is breaking through the clouds overhead you can get some lovely isolated spot-lit shots.

To get to this area you can make the 30 mins or so walk along the path which tracks the shoreline from the bottom of the lake (head left when you reach the lake from the path) or you can drive further down the road and park up (only if there’s space as the lay by is quite small) and cut through the path at Hassness Wood. From OS Grid Ref: NY 18868 15631 onward the view changes very little, just find your ideal angle and shoot away.

Crummock Water

For photographers that I speak to (especially clients on workshops) Crummock Water remains something of an unknown quantity which I always find really surprising, given the variety of subjects on offer here and the outstanding views available.

It’s quite a deceptive lake in size, much bigger than Buttermere. You can do a circular walk around it although I’d leave a good 3 hours hours if that’s your plan. For me most of the interest lies at the first third or so of the north shore. The wide views towards the High Stile range and Rannerdale Knotts are just superb. If you like a challenge there’s a small weir which makes for great foreground interest (seen right) though it’s particularly tricky to balance all the competing elements and converging angles.

Shooting tips

In terms of access, there’s national trust parking at OS Grid Ref: NY 14950 21496, from here you can follow the well defined path for about 15mins to the north end of the lake. From here I’d recommend taking the path to the right past the weir, and following it for as far as you deem necessary. Along this route there’s numerous lakeside stopping points which make for great wide angle shots of the distant view of the fells. In terms of the time of year, autumn is best for me, the views back towards Lanthwaite Woods which flank the eastern edge of the lake are superb in autumn colour, with the pyramidal shaped Grassmoor dominating the skyline behind. A close second to this is winter, when early morning light just after sunrise breaks through the gap behind Rannerdale Knotts and hits the side of Melbreak off to your right.

Moss Force

This location is starting to become popular in recent years, though I can’t quite figure out why it remained so untouched for so long. As waterfalls go, this has to be one of the best in the Lakes. Other notable ones such as Scale Force (also near Buttermere) and Colwith Force while beautiful, don’t have the added advantage of fitting into a wider, grander landscape like Moss Force does.

In terms of ease access they don’t get much easier either, simply head up the Newlands Pass from either the Buttermere or Keswick sides, and park up at the apex of the pass (OS Grid Ref: NY 19276 17652), the falls lie some 400 yds away and can be reached from the well marked path. The waterfall itself is a total of 100m high, and is split up into several sections. You have the option of branching off the path and making your way to each of the sections, for me however the best view is the one which includes the lower section looking down the Newlands Valley (above).

Shooting tips

The landscape orientated image above is slightly deceiving - it doesn’t give an accurate representation of scale (like many images of waterfalls). If you see this image then go and visit the falls, the first thing you’ll notice is how big they are, and secondly how steep the bank when shooting from this position.

The bank needs to be treated with care, as for most of the year the ground is quite sodden, and if you’re not careful you could take quite a tumble. My advice if you plan to try and get to this spot is to zig zag your way slowly down the bank, you’ll come to quite an obvious small flattish ledge (there’s some gravel near here) then don’t go any further than this point. In order to get the whole scene in you really need to shoot this as wide as possible - not something I normally advocate however in this instance the wider your lens the better really.

In terms of season - it’s great in any season really, I actually prefer it during the summer months where if you can catch it during some atmospheric/moody conditions the colour palette works really well (see opposite). The wider shot above was taken at the start of Autumn as the ferns and grasses were turning amber and red and while I like it (it was actually commended in International Garden Photographer Of The Year) I prefer the moodier greens in the image opposite.

The key point here, like with many waterfalls is how much actual water is coming down them. There’s no point in coming here after a dry spell, similarly don’t come here when it’s in full spate as there’ll be too much spray to contend with. Pick a time when there’s been a good amount of rainfall then leave it a few days for it to settle a little.

I hope you’ve found this guide helpful, feel free to subscribe to my mailing list or leave some feedback - happy shooting :-)