Old Man of Coniston

The Old Man of Coniston rises straight from the back of Coniston, and the direct route up it, past Church Beck and the tarn at Low Water, is one of the most heavily used paths in the southern Lakes. It is also one of the more industrial: the lower slopes are pitted with the remains of copper and slate workings, quarried on and off from the sixteenth century into the twentieth, and the path threads between spoil heaps and old level entrances rather than open fellside.

WalkLakes notes that Fix the Fells has worked on the upper part of the path, creating a stable stone-pitched route, and asks walkers to keep to it so the old eroded scar can recover. Above Low Water the gradient steepens and the ground turns to scree and broken rock for the final climb to the ridge, from where it is a short walk to the summit cairn at 803m. On a clear day the view takes in Coniston Water directly below and the Scafell range to the north. Most walkers return the same way, though fitter parties often extend the day along the ridge to Brim Fell, Swirl How and Wetherlam, turning a there-and-back into a full round of the valley’s western skyline.

WalkLakes records open shafts and levels, ruined buildings and steep crags near the path, and marks the walk potentially dangerous for a dog; they are worth keeping children away from rather than treating as a curiosity. The scree sections above Low Water are loose enough underfoot to slow an inexperienced walker considerably, which is worth building into any time estimate.

WalkLakes, starting from the national park car park on Ruskin Avenue and coming back largely the same way, gives 9.1km and 773m of ascent, with a minimum moving time of 3 hours 6 minutes before any stops. It suits a walker who wants a mountain summit from the village and does not mind steady climbing and loose scree; it does not suit anyone hoping for a short there-and-back with a view reached in an hour or two. For the same fells seen from a short path off a car park, Tarn Hows is the one.