- Play Hard
- 5th Aug 2026
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High Life North Hikes: scenic walk to Buttermere Infinity Pool, its hidden pools and fell views
Image credit: @walkmyworld & @gatesgarthfarm.camping
Location: Gatesgarth Farm, Buttermere, Lake District
Distance: 2.6 miles (4.3km) return
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation gain: 150m
Parking: Gatesgarth Farm car park, £4 flat rate for 24 hours
Dogs: Check locally before swimming
Image credit: @reallywildswimming
The Buttermere Infinity Pool is one of the Lake District’s most photographed wild swimming spots, and this short walk from Gatesgarth Farm proves the pictures don’t lie.
You’ll follow a gentle path up towards Haystacks before reaching a crystal-clear natural pool that sits right on the edge of the valley, with Buttermere lake stretched out below and the fells rising up behind it.
It’s an easy-going route that doesn’t ask much of you until the final stretch, which makes it a good pick for anyone chasing that famous view without committing to a full day’s hike. Keep walking past the infinity pool, though, and you’ll find something even better waiting further up the beck.
A HIDDEN GEM ABOVE BUTTERMERE LAKE
Tucked beneath Haystacks, the infinity pool has picked up a serious following on social media over the past few years, and it’s easy to see why once you’re standing beside it. The route out from Gatesgarth is gentle by Lake District standards: mostly flat, well maintained, and only properly rustic underfoot for the last few hundred metres.
Head left out of the car park along Honister Pass, then pick up the signposted gravel path near Honister House. From there, the track curves gradually uphill, with views back towards the lake and out towards Haystacks opening up as you climb.
It’s the kind of walk you can manage in trainers, at least until you’re nearly there, which is exactly why it’s become such a popular spot for a first wild swim. Families and first-timers make up a good chunk of the crowd on any given weekend.
THE WALK TO THE INFINITY POOL AND BEYOND
About 1.3km in, a grassy path breaks off to the right and leads down to a small bridge, followed by an unbridged stream that’s usually an easy rock-hop in drier months. From here, the path turns rockier underfoot, and the turning for the infinity pool appears roughly 1.7km into the walk, just a short scramble from the water’s edge.
The pool itself sits beneath a modest waterfall, fed by water so clear you can see straight to the bottom. A tiered rock ledge on one side makes for an easy entry point, while a gentler grassy bank on the other lets you ease in slowly if you’d rather.
Push on past the infinity pool and the real reward starts to reveal itself. The path steepens and gets boggier underfoot, but within 100 metres or so you’ll start finding a chain of smaller pools in shades of blue and turquoise, each one better than the last.
Look out for a double pool split by a small cascade, an emerald-tinted pool with an almost unreal colour, and, further up still, a tiny plunge pool tucked beneath a slot-canyon-style waterfall. That last one might just be the most memorable spot on the whole route, so save some energy for the extra climb.
GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU DIVE IN
None of the pools are signposted, so it’s worth having directions or coordinates saved before you set off. The main infinity pool is understandably popular on sunny weekends and school holidays, so an early start is your best bet if you want it to yourself.
If it’s busy when you arrive, don’t turn straight back. The crowds thin out fast the further up the valley you go, and the upper pools are rarely crowded, even in peak season, so a little extra walking usually pays off.
BEFORE YOU GO: PIT STOPS AND PRACTICALITIES
There are no facilities at the Gatesgarth car park, so fill up your water bottles before you set off. Sturdy shoes are worth the effort too; the path is easy going but does get loose and rocky near the water.
On the way back through the village, Buttermere has a couple of cosy pubs worth pencilling in for a well-earned pint and something to eat after your dip, the perfect way to round off a morning spent chasing waterfalls.
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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