Dow Crag and The Old Man of Coniston, Lake District

Coniston is served by Stagecoach Bus 505 from Ambleside and Windermere. See www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables for timetable information.

[1] Starting at the bridge over Church Beck (302975) in Coniston, walk up the lane by the side of the cafe, and pass by the Sun Hotel and under the old railway bridge. The road leads steeply uphill to the popular Walna Scar car park. Continue straight ahead, and soon pass a steep quarry road on the right which has a large rock with the words 'Coniston Old Man' and an arrow marked on it. Avoid this and continue on Walna Scar Road which, after crossing Torver Beck, becomes rougher under foot. The top of the pass (258965) is almost at the 2,000 foot contour at a crossing of four paths.

[2] Turn right and follow the path, north, over to Brown Pike, overlooking Blind Tarn and then on to the summit of Buck Pike marked by a cairn. Continue on the the summit of Dow Crag (263978). This route crosses the tops of the gullies which line the east facing crag — in mist do not stray near the edge. Follow the path downhill, distinct for the most part, to Goats Hause (266983) and then up onto the easy slopes of Coniston Old Man. The walk to the summit affords superb views across the corrie to Dow Crag. The top of the Old Man, 2,633 feet, is soon gained at the end of the climb and is marked by a substantial cairn.

[3] The starting point for the descent is a few yards to the south-east of the summit, and after an indistinct start swings to the north-east and follows the stony path down towards Low Water. Follow this path past the tarn and down to the quarry road. At a sharp bend in the road (284981)  follow the path (east) across to Church Beck (294981) where paths on both sides of the beck leads to Coniston.

As an alternative, follow the quarry road to its junction with the Walna Scar, and then walk down this to the village.

Coniston has been discovered by many waves of tourists and by the closing decades of last century it was a thriving holiday centre. The railway line, opened in 1859, carried members of the Victorian middle class to indulge in their new found pleasure in the mountains. Early rock climbers embarked at Coniston and spent a day pioneering on the ‘treacherously loose Doe Crags’ before walking to Wasdale Head. The railway has given way to motor coaches and private cars, but the ascent of Coniston Old Man is still the most popular walk in the area.

Terrain: Track and lakeland paths

This is route number 24 from Walking in Central Lakeland by Brian and Joy Greenwood.