Sunnyside Studio - photographs from around Scotland and beyond

Compared to Scotland, the Lake District is very compact but the scenery is equally magnificent. The roads are often overwhelmed by traffic and the villages seem crowded, but walk half a mile away from the car park (if you are able to get in one!) and there is all the space you want. On the busiest summer holiday there are walks you can take and meet no one all day and even the most popular routes have their quiet days.

This is one of those more popular walks; a circuit of Buttermere, a small but very pretty lake which has the great attraction of beginning and ending at a pub. Across the water is more taxing climbing territory, the rocky Haystacks and part of High Crag. The former was Alan Wainwright's favourite mountain.