Old Man of Coniston

This is one of the easiest fells to ascend in our difficult category, and we have only marked it as "hard" thanks to the distance involved. The Old Man of Coniston is very popular with tourists and as such the route up is well established and easy to follow.

At the top and on a clear day, you may be able to see as far out as Blackpool Tower, whilst the route itself passes through a disused quarry, giving an insight into Lakeland life of days gone by.

The Route

Old Man of Coniston footpath

From the car park, take the track leading right (north) and follow this as it gradually inclines up through the fells. The track turns sharply left at Grid Ref SD 284 981 and then winds through the old quarry, with various abandoned buildings giving it a somewhat spooky feel during poor weather.

The track will take you up to Low Water before veering left and then zig-zagging up to the summit, which is marked by a cairn. From here, a path continues over the summit and heads north, forking at SD 271 979 where you need to take the left fork.

This takes you up to Goat’s Hawse. Turn left onto Goat’s Hawse and then left at the crossroads at SD 265 982 onto the path that will take you south past Goat’s Water and beyond to Walna Scar Road, another old quarry track. Turn left here to follow this track back to the car park.