The sun beat down on us as we tied our laces and packed our bags. The first days of summer truly felt like they were here. Not a cloud to be seen, the warm air brushing our cheeks, hair wisps gently moving in the breeze. The drive up to the carpark to begin our hike was a bumpy one. Winding roads lead to potholes, passers by awkwardly parking in ditches of corners in order to let the other one through. Had we known moving back to the UK would involve so many dirt tracks, we may have reconsidered our choice of car purchase, but alas, we carefully drove our beamer up the roads and found a spot and began to make our way up towards towards The Old Man of Coniston...
The Old man of Coniston is a quintessential walking route for many in the Lake District. The fell is well known for its mining background dating back to the 12th Century. Whilst there are several routes up and down, arguably the simplest is the circular route starting and ending in Walna Scar carpark. In this blog, I take you through my journey hiking The Old Man of Coniston Circular walk offering a step by step guide of what to expect along the way.
Quick Facts
The Old man of Coniston is steeped in history. The fell is home to slate quarries that go back as far as the 12th Century.
The "Old Man" part of it's name originates from the Celt term, Al Maen, which meant "high stone".
Whilst not the tallest peak by far, the summit is in fact the highest fell in the "Furness Fells" reaching 803m.
Although this walk is relatively easy for a fit individual, there are still some steep parts which will require your hands and a good level of fitness.
How to get there
The walk begins in Walna Scar Carpark, which is located off the A593 up a small winding road off of the main town centre up towards the hills. You will need to pay to use the carpark, but you can either use a card, cash or the app, so there's no reason to worry about not having any coins on you.
Hiking Route Elevation gain: 590m
Length: 6km
time taken: 3-4 hours, depending on pace
From the carpark, we headed "left" and followed the gravel path clockwise. The path winds on for a while with views that stretch across as far as the sea on a clear day. We carried on along this path for some time, following a small stream before heading towards the fell. If you reach a bridge, you've gone too far and will need to backtrack to a small fork in the path which takes you past Goats water. The lake is a lovely place to sit, rest and have a well earned snack.
Rob and I sat, sun warming the back of our necks listening to the quiet ebb and flow of the lake water, beating the rocks. We turned to our bags and retrieved our trusty peanut butter sandwiches, sat and watched whisps of clouds pass high above, making small shadows around the basin. We rested before making the ascent up the fell, so far there had been very little in the way of elevation, so we knew some quick gain in height was upon us.
We began to climb quickly, Goat lake fading further and further into the distance until the steep path became loose gravel and the path became less clear.
We used our map to find our way to the clearly defined ridge line path towards the summit.
As you reach the ridge line path, it's a straight path to the peak where you'll experience panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and lake as well as bagging yourself a Wainwright before setting back down towards the carpark.
In order to get back down, you need to follow the path which will lead you off a steep-ish path back down past the quarry. Afternoon time will see this side of the fell lit golden in the sunlight, slate cliffs and abandoned mining structures will lead you down the hill.
The decent began to level out. Rocky slate cliffs were replaced with bright green ferns that glistened in the afternoon sun. the path widened and soon became gravel. We had made it. Whilst the walk hadn't been particularly long, Rob and I returned to the car with triumph. We took our hiking boots off and made our way to Coniston waters for an evening swim.
Our walking route, All Trails:
Have hiked The Old Man of Coniston? Leave your experiences on the trail in the comments below, or if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear about them!
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