Coniston Old Man

Walked on 04/02/2006

Start point: Walna Scar road (SD 289 970)

Walna Scar car park – Boo Tarn – The Old Man of Coniston – Low Water – Walna Scar car park

Distance: 4 miles Total Ascent: 580 metres Time Taken: 4 hours

Weather: Misty and murky, valley level. Clear above 450m. 5°C.

Another temperature inversion was predicted for today, so Connie and I set off for the summit of Coniston Old Man in the mist to try and get some sunshine above the grey, murky conditions below. This was also a milestone for 5 year old Connie – her highest fell yet – by far, and a great achievement for her. Alas, the conditions were not as good as yesterday as the temperature in the valleys had warmed up, so although we got above the hazy, mist layer into the sunshine, there wasn’t the great waves of thick cloud that I witnessed yesterday. Eskdale looked the place to be – there was plenty of inversion going on over there.

Where are we off to then?

With backpack, teddy and all.

Above the mist layer now, Brown Pike and Buck Pike ahead.

A great view of Buck Pike and Dow Crag.

...and closer up.

Dow Crag.

A hazy view of Coniston from above the quarry. Remarkably, to the top right, Ingleborough and Whernside can be seen above the cloud layer over in Yorkshire.

The hazy, mist layer still persists to the south, here looking towards Walna Scar with the mist over Torver High Common.

Strange atmospheric conditions; there is almost an inverse mirror of Coniston Water by the cloud bar above.

Harter Fell with Eskdale beyond in inversion.

The ridge to Brim Fell and beyond from The Old Man gets a bit of cloud cover.

Made it! Connie at the summit of The Old Man of Coniston.

Looking across to Eskdale, the peaks appearing above the cloud with the mist swirling on and off the Scafells on the extreme right.

Eskdale Inversion.

The clouds moving rapidly on and off the Scafells.

Slight Side across Eskdale.

Mickledore between Scafell and Scafell Pike.

Scafell Pike with Esk Buttress and Pen in the sunlight and Ill Crag further to the right.

The Scafell Pikes.

Now they're almost clear.

Looking across to Wetherlam with Low Water below with Levers Water above.

Scafell completely clear now.

Sunny again on the summit.

A frozen Low Water...

...and a frozen path as we head past it.

On the edge of Low Water we had to test the ice with stones to listen to the noise and check how thick it was!

The sun on Wetherlam as we head below the cloud layer again.

Passing one of the many becks.

The Old Man of Coniston

Walked on 01/03/2005

Start point: Walna Scar road (SD 289 970)

Walna Scar car park – Low Water – The Old Man of Coniston – Goat’s Hawse – Goat’s Water – Walna Scar car park

Distance: 5.6 miles Total Ascent: 562 metres Time Taken: 2 hours 15 minutes

Weather: Cold, some sunny spells.

The sun was shining on the Coniston fells this morning so I couldn’t resist another snowy walk up to The Old Man. We were the first up that way this morning and blazed a trail through the newly fallen snow; a great feeling.

The Old Man of Coniston route map.

Elevation profile of the route.

3D image of the walk route.

The Coniston fells from Torver.

The Bell with Wetherlam behind from the Walna Scar road.

Low Water.

Relics of an industrial past on The Old Man.

Icicle formations on the crags above Low Water. The climbers near the bottom show the scale.

A panoramic view of Coniston Water from the summit of The Old Man of Coniston.

The Old Man (Men?) of Coniston.

Snow cornices on the ridge to Brim Fell.

Harter Fell from the descent to Goat's Hawse.

Dow Crag.

Goat's Water.

The Gullies and Chimneys of Dow Crag.

A Coniston Round

Walked on 10/06/2004

Start point: Coniston (SD 304 976)

Coniston – Walna Scar road – Brown Pike (48) – Buck Pike on Seathwaite Fell (49) – Dow Crag (50) – Goat’s Hawse – Coniston Old Man (51) – Brim Fell (52) – Levers Hawse – Great How (53) – Grey Friar (54) – Little Carrs (55) – Hell Gill Pike (56) – Great Carrs (57) – Swirl How (58) – Prison Band – Swirl Hawse – Black Sails (59) – Wetherlam (60) – Coniston

Weather: Overcast with sunny spells. Very windy.

A long Coniston round today taking in all the highest tops and some of the less well known ones. It was a drizzly start but this soon cleared and there were lots of sunny intervals with some cloud coming in. There was a strong breeze all day growing to gale force by the end of the walk.

You may have noticed a distinct lack of Tarns on this walk. This is because there were so many to be seen, I have given them their own page and they can be viewed here.

The initial ascent was via the Walna Scar road which is a good hours trek from Coniston before the highest point is reached. The picture is of Cove Bridge across Torver Beck

and a shelter on the roadside 'just big enough for one person or a honeymoon couple' - AW.

A sharp ascent from the Walna Scar road to the summit of Brown Pike. The furthest fell is Black Combe with Caw visible behind Walna Scar.

An easy traverse to Buck Pike. Dow Crag is the next fell along the path, in the distance Great Carrs, Swirl How and Great How Crags coming round to Brim Fell on the right.

Another short walk to Dow Crag summit. Looking down easy gully to the pinnacle.

Looking through Swirl Hawse to Dunmail Raise in the distance.

From Dow Crag, it's a descent to Goat's Hawse and then a steep ascent back up to the Old Man of Coniston.

Dow Crag from the Old Man.

An easy, grassy ramble to Brim Fell

and then another descent/ascent of Levers Hawse to the summit of Great How

Off the beaten track now to a fairly long trek contouring round to Grey Friar, Looking out towards Eskdale and the Scafell range and then another contour round to Hell Gill Pike and Little Carrs.

Little Carrs summit looking towards Little Langdale Tarn.

The summit of Hell Gill Pike. Harter Fell is on the left and Hard Knott on the right. The Hardknott - Wrynose road can be seen on the bottom right of the picture.

An easy ascent again to Great Carrs summit...

and the memorial to the World War 2 Canadian Air Force bomber that crashed there.

Into the mist and gale force wind now up to the summit of Swirl How

Then a steep descent of Prison Band before ascending Black Sails. The picture is from Black Sails summit showing Coniston Water and Levers Water.

The sun shines over Langdale from Black Sails. Right of centre, Pavey Ark can be seen overlooking Stickle Tarn with the distinctive shape of Pike O' Stickle to the left.

Another easy traverse to Wetherlam. Pike o' Blisco and The Langdale fells are seen here from Wetherlam summit.

Mine workings on The old Man seen from the sharp descent of Wetherlam

Miners Bridge on the way back to Coniston.