The Buttermere infinity pool has risen to fame on social media lately, and it’s safe to say it’s worthy of all the attention. It’s an idyllic spot with crystal clear water and wonderful views over Buttermere. However, venture a little further up the valley and you’ll find a series of other stunning and quieter pools, each one a little different to the last.
We couldn’t believe how many incredible swimming holes were in one small area, many of which had the most beautiful turquoise water. However, our favourite (besides the infinity pool) was definitely the tiny plunge pool that sits at the bottom of a gorgeous little canyon waterfall.
In short, if you’re a wild swimming lover and want the low down on all the easy access pools, read on.
The walk to the Buttermere infinity pool
The stats
Distance: 2.6 miles (4.3km) return
Elevation gain: 150m
Difficulty: Easy
The walk to the Buttermere infinity pool is easy and almost all on a well manicured path. The final 200m are on a more rustic path, but it’s still easy.
Most of the walk is flat, with just a small climb to the pool at the end. The pools further up the valley are located along a steeper path, which is rougher with boggy patches. However, none are very far away, so it’s well worth the little extra effort.
None of the pools are signposted, but we have you covered on directions below.
Finding the Buttermere Infinity Pool
Starting the trail
From the car park (details below) you need to head left, along Honister Pass (the main road). After 150m you’ll see a signpost on the right for Honister House.
Head up this gravel path and continue following the obvious and well manicured trail. The path is either flat or so gradually uphill, that you don’t even feel it.
The scenery is stunning with views to Haystacks and the surrounding fells, as well as back towards Buttermere Lake.
I was expecting a much rougher, more rustic path, and was happy just to be able to enjoy the amazing scenery instead of having to look at my feet.
As the track rounds a corner, you’ll see a large waterfall in the far distance and this is where you’ll find the infinity pool.
Climbing up to the pools
Once you’ve been walking for 1.3km you’ll see a grassy path on your right (co-ordinates: 54.5140192, -3.2399422), take this path and follow it to the small bridge you can see ahead.
Cross the bridge and then a second unbridged stream, which for us in summer was almost bone dry and easy to rock hop over.
Continue up the now rockier path and you’ll come to the turn off for the Buttermere infinity pool after 100m (1.7km into the trail). The pool is less than a minute away.
The last few hundred metres from the wooden bridge to the pool is the only bit that is noticeably uphill, but it doesn’t take long.
Swimming at the Buttermere Infinity Pool
Co-ordinates: 54.5113416, -3.2365254
What3Words: famed.wonderfully.gazes
The Buttermere infinity pool is an absolute beauty. The water is crystal clear and shone a pale green in the sunshine.
There’s a decent size waterfall just behind it, and even without the view it would be a wonderful place for a dip.
The fact it looks out over the stunning valley, fells, and Buttermere Lake is the icing on the cake.
The water is surprisingly warm (by UK standards) and if you’re visiting in the sunshine on a hot day, it’s going to feel refreshing, rather than freezing like some of the other wild swimming spots in the area.
Accessing the pool is easy. There is a tiered ledge which you can use on the left side, it’s a little slippery as it’s damp, but still easy enough.
If you don’t like the look of it, you can cross the grass behind the pool and enter from the other side. There are rocks on the eastern side of the pool that will take you down very gently.
Either way, it’s easy enough to access, much more so than the Thirlmere Infinity Pool.
The only downside to this spot, is that on sunny weekends and in the school holidays, it can get very busy and it’s just a small pool. The magic comes in getting the pool to yourself.
It’s best to visit early for this reason, you might luck out and get a short solitary dip in the middle of the day like we did - but after we swam, we never saw it empty again - so we really did get lucky (although our visit was during a heatwave in August)!
If it is busy, you’ll find that continuing further up the hill to the other pools will slowly see the crowds melt away.
Venturing on to the more secluded pools
There are many pools higher up the trail. The easiest to access are along the first 200m stretch. The path is rougher and steeper, but not difficult.
However, even on our visit during a dry spell in summer, there was still a fair bit of bog. Nothing too awful, but it’s pretty squelchy.
At times you can see a distinct path and at times it’s more just making your way up through the bracken and rock strewn hillside.
The higher you go, the better the views and it really will blow you away.
The pools begin less than 100m after the infinity pool and many have phenomenal blue water. Most had fallen into shadow on our visit, but even then the water colour was gorgeous, in the sunshine it would sparkle a pale turquoise.
Some of the pools are quite shallow, but several are deep enough for a good plunge.
Our favourite pools
Our favourites were the double pools (which were separated by a cascade) and the canyon pool near the top of Warnscale Beck.
The double pool
The double pool has a gorgeous waterfall and then a second cascade and some good deep water. Access is a little slippery, but if you go carefully, it’s easy enough.
There are some big rocks inside the pools, so you can’t really swim, but it’s perfect for lounging around in.
It’s a beautiful spot and would be a destination pool in its own right, if it weren’t for the famous infinity pool below.
The slot canyon style pool
Co-ordinates: 54.5101969, -3.2351927
What3Words: snacks.breathing.example
Less than 90m beyond the double pool, you’ll find the most unique swimming hole of them all. The tiny plunge pool that sits at the bottom of a little slot canyon style waterfall. It’s absolutely stunning.
What it lacks in size, it makes up for with the wild factor. To access it you need to negotiate a few metres of rock hopping, which is a bit tedious, but it meant we never saw another soul here! Magic!
Some of the rocks inside the pool were slippery, but if you anticipate that you’re unlikely to fall. It also has an infinity style lookout, but the water here is significantly shallower and rockier than the main pool below.
The emerald pool
We also swam at another small pool inbetween these two, which was cute and slightly easier to get into as there were less rocks to climb over.
Unlike the other pools we’ve mentioned, this one has a striking emerald green colour, which really stood out.
The top of Warnscale Beck
Beyond the canyon falls we continued for another 250m which led to more cascades. The going gets tougher, as it’s much steeper and there’s a lot more bracken.
The falls were pretty, but the pools were too small for swimming.
At this point, we turned back as it would have been more of the same rough path, which seemed unnecessary when there were so many beautiful pools which were easy to access below.
If you love these spots and want to find another set of infinity pools (also in Buttermere) check out this post.
Getting to the Buttermere infinity pool
By car and parking
The closest car park to the trailhead is Gatesgarth Farm, postcode CA13 9XA. There’s a flat rate of £4 to park for 24 hours. You could try and park near Buttermere village for free, but you have to walk further and it’s hard to get a spot on weekends and during the school holidays.
There are no facilities at the car park, and that includes toilets.
Buttermere is a 30 minute drive from Keswick, 30 minutes from Cockermouth and 1 hour from Ambleside.
By public transport
The best way to get to the trailhead at Gatesgarth by bus is to hop on the Borrowdale Bus (77A) from Keswick. This departs every 30 minutes from the bus stop by Booths and takes approximately 45 minutes.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
The infinity pool is increasingly popular and high visitor numbers do mean there is an increased chance of litter.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
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