Buttermere is a iconic Lake District area, but getting there on the narrow roads and parking can be challenging. The solution I believe is to park and ride into the area. Starting from the National Trust car park in Loweswater take the bridleway straight from the car park and go up through the woods. This brings you out on the main lane to Buttermere. Once you get past Rannerdale Farm I would recommend staying on the road, this is narrow and you really need your wits about you as you go around the narrow bend, but it is I think better than going over the bridleway over Low Bank. We took this bridleway and now I have done it I am not sure if I would do it again, the view from the top is amazing, but to get there you need to get up some stone pitching and you need a horse that will wait and listen to you from the ground as this is very much a leading route and I would not recommend coming down it. When I have the time I will be going back on foot to investigate if we took the correct lin...
A blog recording my rides with my orange horse and bay pony, which I hope will inspire others to explore more on horseback. Routes takes in trails in the Lake District, Cumbria, Yorkshire Dales and North Lancashire and are open to all - walkers, cyclists, equestrians and 4x4 off road wheelchair users. Sometimes I may also blog about other outdoor access issues, being a keen campaigner on such matters! To see all rides and blogs click on 'More Posts', labels or use the search tool.