The Old Man of Coniston

The Lake District Guided Walk of the Coniston Old Man and Dow Crag is one of the best days out in the Southern Lake District. This is one of Adventure Peaks’ shorter walks, that sets out from the impressive Walna Scar road, but don’t be tricked by its length, this is a hard route with a lot of stunning high level walking.

We begin by following the Walna Scar up to Brown Pike where the views quickly open up. The ridge then takes us to the impressive summit of Dow Crag, its huge wall, popular with climbers, drops spectacularly to the beautiful Goat’s Water below. We then cross Goat’s Hawse and summit the Old Man. The views of the Lake District coastline and surrounding vistas are breathtaking. We complete our walk past Low Water Beck and through the hugely impressive slate spoils and old mining ruins.

Guided Walk Overview

  • Height: 803m / 2,634ft
  • Distance: 9.48km / 5.9 Miles
  • Time: 5 Hours
  • Grade: Hard

Equipment Needed

  • Walking Boots
  • Waterproof Jacket and trousers
  • Rucksack
  • Warm tops
  • Spare clothing
  • Hat & Gloves
  • Suitable clothing for walking (no jeans)
  • Packed lunch
  • Water bottle/Thermos Flask
  • Torch and whistle

A 15% discount is available on all equipment and clothing from the Adventure Peaks store. This is valid from the time of booking to the date of the walk.

Wainwrights Included

Brown Pike, 682m – Dow Crag, 651m – Coniston Old Man, 803m

Total ascent / descent

740m/2,425ft

Meeting Point/Transport

The group will meet at 9am at the pay and display car park on the Walna Scar Road, high above Coniston. Grid Ref: SD 288 970. You should have your rucksack packed ready to depart including a full packed lunch.

Please note that no transport is included as part of the walk.

The day will finish at 2.00-2.30pm.

If you are not there within 20 minutes of the departure time (9am) the group will begin their walk.

Previous Experience

You should have a good level of fitness and be comfortable walking for 5-6 hours per day with around 740m (2,425ft) of ascent.

“The highest (by a few feet) and best-known of the Coniston fells is the Old Man,a benevolent giant revered by generations of walkers and of particular esteem in the eyes of inhabitants of the village he shelters, for he has contributed much to their prosperity.”
“Although cruelly scared and mutilated by quarries the Old Man has retained a dignified bearing, and still raises his proud and venerable head to the sky. His tears are shed quietly, into Lows Water and Goats Water, two splendid tarns, whence, in due course, and after further service to the community in the matter of supplies of electricty and water, they ultimately find their way into Coniston’s lake, and there bathe his anciaent feet.”
Alfred Wainwright

Books & Maps

Ordnance Survey OL 5 covers The Southern area of the Lake District and OL7 covers the Northern area at a scale of 1:25,000. The BMC produce a Lake District map at a scale of 1:40,000, which are waterproof and tear resistant, specially designed for walkers and climbers.

 

Upcoming Events

4 Comments

  1. Sahera Patel on June 20, 2022 at 8:26 am

    Hi. I’d like to join the date in July please.

    • Liz Chegwin on June 20, 2022 at 9:42 am

      Hi, we have the 3rd and the 20th of July. When were you hoping to go?

  2. Wendy Pearson on August 30, 2022 at 4:52 pm

    Hi We would like to to the is walk in the next few weeks is it possible to book?

    • Liz Chegwin on August 31, 2022 at 9:40 am

      Thanks for getting in touch regarding the Old Man of Coniston. We could have various dates available so can set up a date to suite you. It would however require a minimum of 3 people to run.

      We also have the following walks if they are of interest:

      Blencathra and Sharp Edge – 12th of September
      Fairfield horseshoe – 14th of September
      Scafell – 17th , 20th and 24th of September

      I have send you an email. Please let me know some dates that are good for you for the Old Man of Coniston, and I will see what I can do.

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