Bleaberry Tarn

Bleaberry Tarn is a small natural mountain tarn near Buttermere in the English Lake District. It sits in a corrie below the Lakeland fells of Red Pike and High Stile, with Chapel Crags rising behind it on the ridge between the two peaks. The footpath that climbs Red Pike from Buttermere passes along the tarn’s northern edge. A. Wainwright called it ‘secluded’ and believed it formed in an old volcanic crater. In the 19th century local people also knew it as Burtness Tarn or Blebba Tarn. The tarn feeds the stream Sour Milk Gill, which flows down to Buttermere. One of the popular routes up Red Pike follows this stream. The path offers steady climbing through rough grass and rocky sections. Views of the surrounding fells open up as the climb continues. The tarn itself remains quiet and little visited. Visitors find a quiet pool surrounded by grassy banks and low crags. The water is clear and still, reflecting the slopes above. The sound of Sour Milk Gill can be heard as it leaves the tarn. The ridge of Chapel Crags adds a dramatic backdrop. The whole scene feels remote despite its closeness to Buttermere.