This walk will have two options for the walk – A strenuous longer walk (A Group) or a more moderate walk (B Group). Both details as listed and you should contact Jack for joining either walk.
Meet time: 09.15am
Start time: 09.30am
(Estimated finish time 17.30pm – 18.30pm)
Grading: A Group – Strenuous 11.5 miles / 18.6 km. B – Group Moderate/Strenuous 7.8 miles / 12.6 km.
Ascent: Approx. A Group – 4,593 feet (1,400 meters). B Group – 3,241 feet (987 meters).
Start point: Coniston Tourist Information Centre (Ruskin Avenue). Grid Reference for start point is SD 303 975.
Postcode: LA21 8EH
Car parking: There is a pay and display car park at the Tourist Information Centre (Ruskin Avenue). Other Parking is available around the village.
It is the responsibility of each walker to make sure they understand where to park. If you are not sure where the car parking/meeting point is, you must contact the walk leader at the latest the day before the walk. You should not rely on mobile phones or postcodes. There is often no mobile reception near walk meeting points and postcodes are for the nearest place nearby but should only serve as a guideline. Please allow plenty of time to find a parking space so that walks can start promptly.
Description: This walk will include 7 Wainwrights – The Old Man of Coniston, Brim Fell, Dow Crag, Grey Friar, Great Carrs, Swirl How, and Wetherlam. B Group will do The Old Man of Coniston, Brim Fell and Dow Crag.
The walk will begin in Coniston Village before heading through the village and following the road to Miners Bridge. Once we cross the bridge we begin our main ascent to Crowberry Haws then reaching Low Water before the Old Man summit. The route to Low Water is one of the most spectacular in the Lake District, passing old mining equipment before reaching the beautiful tarn overlooked by the Old Man. The path on this final ascent to Coniston Old Man is quite steep and in some places poor the closer you are to the summit, but we will take our time and the views really are worth it from the top.
Leaving Old Man of Coniston we head to Brim Fell, this is quite a gentle walk. From Brim Fell we take the unobvious route to Dow Crag via Jack’s Slide and Goat’s Hawse. Retracing our steps to Goat’s Hawse we will then walk beneath Brim Fell and the main ridgeline before re-joining it at Levers Water.
Group B will now make their descent back to Coniston. The descent from Levers Hawse goes via Gill Cove and down to Levers Water. From here the path is obvious back to Crowberry Haws and then back into Coniston Village. If you would like to join the rest of us in Coniston later then please feel free to hang about until we return to the village.
Group A in the meantime will continue to the col of Fairfield then ascend our next Wainwright which is Grey Friar. Returning to Fairfield col we then head to the summit of Great Carrs which has a memorial stone to the crew of the Halifax bomber who crashed there in 1944.
We then make a small climb to Swirl How before heading to the final Wainwright of the day, Wetherlam. There is an additional option however to miss Wetherlam and descend to Consiton from Swirl How. If you decide to continue to the Wetherlam summit we will descend to the Coppermines before returning to Coniston.
Please contact Jack on 07517 765959 by 9pm on Friday 7th July if you are coming on this walk.
Please check the weather and bring appropriate clothing (waterproofs and spare warm clothing), footwear and enough food and water. The leader reserves the right to turn away any walker not suitably equipped. The leader may cancel the walk or modify the route dependent on conditions.
New members: please note the walk leader may ask for more information about your walking experience. This is to ensure you have the fitness required to complete the walk that is planned safely.
On Saturday night, there is the option to go out for food and drinks in Coniston and to camp at Coniston Hall. Please see the post in the link below for camping details.
Friday 7th July to Sunday 9th July – Coniston Camping Trip – SuMMit Good