The Best Locations For Beautiful Lake District Photos
The Best Places to Capture Stunning Lake District Photos
The Lake District is one of the UK’s greatest landscapes for photography, offering dramatic mountains, serene lakes, and timeless stone structures. Whether you're carrying a DSLR, mirrorless setup, or just a smartphone, these top locations for beautiful Lake District photos - Buttermere, Derwent Water, the Langdale Pikes, Slater’s Bridge, and Blea Tarn - provide breathtaking opportunities year-round. Below you’ll find directions, best visiting times, and expert photography tips for each location.
Stunning views into Buttermere from Warnscale Beck
Snow on the Old Man of Coniston
Beautiful light on Helm Crag in the Lake District photos gallery
Classic Lakeland: Beautiful Tarn Hows
Buttermere – Mirror Reflections & stunning mountain views
Buttermere is beloved for still-water reflections and it’s amazing location surrounded by stunning Lakeland Fells on all sides including Alfred Wainwright’s favourite peak, Haystacks. It’s also one of the few photo locations in the Lakes that, if visited in the winter months, genuinely feels a world away from everything.
Best time to visit:
Sunrise for perfect reflections and at dawn golden light hits the surrounding peaks, giving you soft tones and long shadows;
Autumn for vibrant colours;
Winter for dramatic mist.
Photography tips:
Use a polarising filter to enhance reflections.
Walk the full lakeside circuit for multiple compositions.
Bring a wide-angle lens (14–24mm) to capture the full scene especially if the lake is a mirror of reflections.
How to get there:
From Keswick, drive over Honister Pass via the B5289. Park in Buttermere village and follow the lakeshore path.
Stunning reflections of Fleetwith Pike in Buttermere
Beautiful views of Buttermere from the Haystacks path
Derwent Water – Keswick
Derwent Water offers classic Lakeland scenery with jetties, small islands, and expansive viewpoints and it’s one of the most popular locations in the Lake District for landscape photography.
Best time to visit:
Sunrise at Ashness Jetty, the rising sun behind the mountains can be stunning;
sunset from Surprise View;
early morning for misty tree-line shots and from higher vantage points, the chance to photograph temperature inversions especially in spring & autumn.
Photography tips:
Long exposures (1–2 seconds) smooth the water beautifully.
At Friars Crag, frame boats and trees for strong foreground interest.
Use NDgrad filters for sunrise colours over the water.
How to get there:
From Keswick, walk 10–15 minutes to the lake. For Surprise View, drive the B5289 toward Borrowdale.
The Langdale Pikes – Dramatic Fells & Moody Skies
These jagged peaks create some of the Lake District’s most recognisable silhouettes.
Best time to visit:
Golden hour (sunrise or sunset) when warm light hits the rock faces.
The low sun in autumn can produce lovely shadows of the peaks on the valley floor.
Winter offers moody clouds and snow-capped summits.
Photography tips:
Shoot from the valley floor for scale or the views from the summit of Lingmoor Fell are stunning, worth the relatively steady climb.
Telephoto lenses (70–200mm) compress the peaks beautifully.
Capture changing cloud formations for dynamic images.
How to get there:
From Ambleside, follow the A593 to Great Langdale and park at Stickle Ghyll.
Views of the Langdale Pikes & Bowfell
Stunning views of the Langdale Pikes from Lingmoor Fell
Slater’s Bridge, Little Langdale – Historic & Peaceful
This 17th-century packhorse bridge creates a fairytale setting surrounded by meadows and gentle rivers.
Best time to visit:
Late afternoon when warm side-light enhances the stonework. Spring is especially beautiful with green meadows.
Photography tips:
Shoot low to the water for leading lines from the stones.
Try a slower shutter speed to blur the flowing stream.
Ideal for detail shots as well as wide scenes.
How to get there:
From the A593, follow signs to Little Langdale. Park near the Three Shires Inn and walk west to the bridge.
Blea Tarn – Perfect Reflections of the Langdale Pikes
A favourite among landscape photographers, Blea Tarn delivers pristine waters and postcard views of the Langdale Pikes.
Best time to visit:
Sunrise for glassy reflections and pastel skies. Autumn adds rich colours to the surrounding woodland.
Photography tips:
Use foreground rocks for foreground interest & to add depth.
A tripod is essential for early-morning low light.
Consider bracketing exposures for dynamic-range-heavy scenes, it’s quite often a high contrast scene with the shoreline near the tarn in shadow but the sky above the Langdale Pikes bright - NDgrad filters are also an option.
Climb the path to Lingmoor Fell to photograph the tarn from a different angle - in dramatic light this can be a great viewpoint.
How to get there:
Drive from Little Langdale toward Wrynose Pass. National Trust parking is right beside the tarn.
Autumn reflections of the Langdale Pikes on Blea tarn
Fleeting light on Blea Tarn from Lingmoor Fell
Grasmere & Rydal Water – Lush Greenery & Scenic Lake Views
Grasmere and Rydal Water are some of the most picturesque lakes in the Lake District, surrounded by rolling hills and dotted with traditional stone cottages. It’s perfect location for a nice stroll with the camera and a chance to photograph the essence of Lakeland life.
Best time to visit:
Morning for soft, diffused light and the best chance of reflections.
Spring when the area if full of colourful wild flowers.
Autumn when the lake is framed by colourful leaves.
Photography tips:
Shoot across the lake for symmetry and wide views.
Frame your shot with the stone cottages or the surrounding hills for a more intimate composition.
Capture the reflections of the trees and hills on the lake’s surface for a tranquil, serene feel.
How to get there:
Grasmere is easily accessible by car from Ambleside or Keswick. There’s a small car park near the village centre, with walking paths leading down to the lake and on to the shores of Rydal Water.
Reflections on Grasmere on a misty winter day in the Lake District
A rainbow arches over Rydal Water on a rainy day in Lakeland