Locals fed up of 'obnoxiously big cars' in village - and tell tourists stay away

03 September 2023 , 08:20

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One visitor even advised people to avoid the area completely in good weather (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Locals and visitors at a famous beauty spot are fed up with the heavy traffic and diabolical parking situation - with calls for those driving “obnoxiously big” cars to stay away entirely.

The Lake District is world famous for its stunning views and gorgeous nature, but a less attractive feature of this beautiful landscape are the hordes of cars as people flock to enjoy the area. The problem has got so bad in one area that people have taken to TripAdvisor to warn about the dire parking situation. One visitor even advised people to avoid the area completely in good weather.

The village of Buttermere, nestled in Buttermere Valley, oozes so much character and is surrounded by such breath-taking landscapes, not even the regular rain showers can stop it from shining, LancsLive reports. The countless walking routes, picture-postcard scenery, grand country houses and local youth hostel all make the area a hit with visitors, which is leading to parking chaos, some have warned.

The small village of Buttermere, Cumbria, is becoming a parking nightmare (James Maloney/Lancs Live)

One person warned people to stay away from the area entirely in summer, saying on TripAdvisor: "The lake is beautiful and the village has decent tea rooms and a public toilet, but it becomes absolutely packed in the summer on nice days - there's a lack of parking so that cars end up parked all the way up the single track road winding towards the Newlands Valley if they can find parking at all.

"This makes driving along the already narrow, twisty and steep roads to and from Buttermere across the Honister Pass and towards the Newlands Valley more dangerous, as you're forced to try to find lay-bys that dip significantly from the road to pass oncoming cars who often don't know the local roads all while attempting not to burn the clutch in your car to avoid tumbling off the edge of the hill. Wouldn't recommend in nice weather if you're not confident driving on steep single track roads or if you drive an obnoxiously big car."

'I'm in a 10-year parking row with my neighbour - I know she's acting illegally'

Another person who blasted the parking situation said: "As a family of six with kids from 12 up we had a lovely walk around Buttermere with a swim and lakeside BBQ as well. Unfortunately, we had an encounter with local authority car park wardens...we asked if we could park in a lay-by opposite the court hotel and were told the didn't know anything about this. Five minutes later they gave parking tickets to all the cars in the layby! Beware and only use authorised car parks."

But despite the parking, the area has some fantastic reviews. One person said: "Even on a damp grey day, Buttermere Lake was the perfect walk! With a very Swiss feel (hills, waterfalls and lake), I loved the fact you can walk around the lake properly, without having to take major detours away from the water. The path is easy-going and the tunnel cut-through a big rock so that you can walk by the lake the whole way was fun. Ideal length for us as well (7km). We parked at the Gatesgarth car park at the south end of the lake, but there’s also parking in Buttermere village."

A second added: "A beautiful four-mile walk lake with spectacular (gravel) walking routes. It has several wainwright fells and many many sheep that my son enjoyed watching. It’s very family friendly and an amazing opportunity to get closer to nature, very relaxing."

Melissa Major