Walks by Coniston Water
The walks you can reach around Coniston Water — the routes that start within about 5 km, and the Wainwright and Outlying fells within the same radius, ranked nearest first. Each fell carries today’s conditions and the bus where there is one. Planning the trip? See the full Coniston Water guide for parking, buses and where to stay.
0 of the fells here are rated good to climb on 11 September — see live conditions →
A prediction from our daily fell score, not a guarantee — always check the mountain forecast before you go.
Map
● routes · ● fells within ~5 km
An interactive map of the route start points and the fells within about 5 km. Each marker links to its page; the same routes and fells are listed below.
Walking routes near Coniston Water
- Top o' Selside 0.7 km away8.7 km~369 m~2.4 hThree quiet tops in the woods east of Coniston Water — Top o' Selside, Arnsbarrow Hill and Stang Hill. 8.7 km and 369 m, easy for exposure but rated hard to navigate. About 2.4 hours.
- Low Light Haw 2.4 km away5.6 km~247 m~1.5 hEasy–ModerateA short, quiet loop onto Low Light Haw, one of the overlooked Bethecar Moor Birketts on the wild eastern side of Coniston Water. While the crowds file up the Old Man across the lake, this little top sees almost no one — a steep pull up through the woods onto open, heathery moor, a wide view over Coniston Water and the southern fells, and an easy return. Under 6 km, but with one genuinely steep climb: a fine short outing for a clear day and a bit of solitude.
- Carron Crag from Grizedale 3.2 km away11 km~388 m~2.8 hThe high point of Grizedale Forest, out and back in 11 km with 388 m of climbing and nothing steeper than about 9%. Easy for exposure but rated hard to navigate — forest tracks all look alike. Under three hours.
- The Coniston Horseshoe 4.1 km away20.8 km~1279 m~6.3 hThe full Coniston Horseshoe — the grand ~21 km, ~1,280 m round of seven Wainwrights above Coniston: Wetherlam, the steep Prison Band onto Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Brim Fell, the Old Man of Coniston and Dow Crag. The big day out; for the shorter version see the [Coniston Old Man round](/routes/coniston-old-man-round.html).
- North of Coniston Birketts 4.3 km away7.7 km~458 m~2.3 hModerateThree quiet Birketts on the Yewdale fells north of Coniston — Long Crag, High Wythow and Low Wythow — on a short but steep loop that most walkers pass over for the Old Man across the valley. Moderate for the legs, harder for the map: faint paths and a clear-day-only navigation challenge, rewarded with rarely-trodden tops and a fine view over Coniston Water.
- Coniston Old Man Round 4.3 km away17.4 km~1148 m~5.4 hModerateA satisfying round of the Coniston fells, and a simpler approach to the Old Man than my longer outing. From Coniston it climbs to the Old Man itself, then follows the high ridge over Brim Fell and Swirl How and back over Wetherlam, with Grey Friar an easy extra along the way. You can extend it further by adding Dow Crag. Big views over the southern fells and the sea, old copper-mine history underfoot, and a proper mountain feel without the biggest mileage.
- The Sun Pub Walk (Coniston) 4.4 km away6.4 km~202 m~1.6 hEasy🏞️ EasyA short circuit straight from the door of The Sun, climbing out of Coniston village toward the old Coppermines valley beside Church Beck before dropping back with the Old Man of Coniston at your shoulder and Coniston Water opening up ahead. Around 200 m of gentle climbing over 6.4 km — enough to earn a pint, not enough to spoil one.
Fells within about 5 km
- Top o' Selside (Wainwright summit) 1.4 km away332 mTop o' Selside at 335m (1,099ft) is a heathery summit between Coniston Water and the Grizedale Forest, giving fine views of Coniston Water and the Coniston Fells.
- Carron Crag 2.3 km away314 mCarron Crag at 314m (1,030ft) is a Birkett top in the Grizedale Forest above the Furness Fells, its summit now partially cleared of conifers and giving views across Esthwaite Water and south to Morecambe Bay.
- High Light Haw 2.8 km away263 mHigh Light Haw (263 m / 863 ft) is the higher of a low twin pair of heather-and-birch knolls in the gentle wooded country between Tarn Hows, Hawkshead and Arnsbarrow Hill.
- Low Light Haw 3.2 km away250 mLow Light Haw (250 m / 820 ft) is the lower of the two Light Haw knolls, a quiet rise of heather and scattered birch in the soft country south of Tarn Hows and west of Hawkshead.
- Unnamed top (Top o' Selside) 3.5 km away221 m
- Beacon Fell 3.7 km away255 mBeacon Fell at 336m (1,102ft) is a small, pleasant summit in the lower fells south of Coniston, its heathery top giving a fine view of Coniston Water and the higher fells of the Old Man group behind the town.
- Yew Bank 4.8 km away207 mYew Bank at 207m (679ft) is a low, pathless rise of heather and bracken west of the foot of Coniston Water, in the quiet Woodland corner of Wainwright's Outlying Fells.
- Wool Knott 4.9 km away223 mWool Knott at 448m (1,470ft) is a small, grassy summit in the Dunnerdale Fells, its open top giving views across the moorland to the Coniston group.
Distances are straight-line from the centre of Coniston Water — ‘within ~5 km’ means as the crow flies, not that the walk necessarily starts there. Always plan your own route and check the bus before you travel.