⛰️ The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)

802 m · Wainwright — Southern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Home › Sitemap › The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)

802 mWainwright — Southern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+6 bonus Birketts within 3 km

📖 Key Information

The Old Man of Coniston at 803m (2,635ft) stands guardian over the Coniston valley, its summit the finest viewpoint on the Coniston fells and one of the most popular destinations in southern Lakeland. Wainwright painted a vivid picture of the industrial history etched into its flanks — the old copper mine workings, spoil heaps and quarry levels that make it uniquely atmospheric among Lakeland summits. The classic ascent from the village via the mine road is straightforward, with the option of continuing along the ridge to Brim Fell, Swirl How and Wetherlam for a superb horseshoe. Views extend to the sea and on a clear day to the Isle of Man.

🗒️ My notes
The Old Man was a fell I climbed doing the traditional route of including Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friars, Brim Fell, Dow Crag and then the Old Man at the end. I started off from the Station Pay & Display car park - well just before it on Old Furness Road as I got there nice and early and no-one else had taken the spaces. When I started that last Sturday of August 2024 it was a cool, crisp morning. By the time I was at summit it wsa exceptionally hot - and I mean very hot. I'm not being judgemental, but there were people at the top that were completely unprepared. One guy had not top on and denim shorts and was asking more prepared hikers for water - he only had a 330ml empty plastic bottle left. On the way down it was just as heaving with many people clambering up the slab path. I'd love to do it again when it was less glorious weather and definitely off-peak.

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

🎯 Bonus Birketts within 3 km

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

1.2 km WSWBuck Pike - Seathwaite Fell744 m · Southern
1.7 km SWBrown Pike682 m · Western
2.1 km NGreat How (Swirl Band)775 m · Southern
2.6 km ENEKitty Crag435 m · Southern
2.8 km SWWhite Maiden613 m · Western
2.8 km ENELong Crag - Yewdale Fells421 m · Southern

⚠️ Hazard & Incident Information

Loading incident data…

🦶 My hikes over The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man) (Strava)

Loading hike data…

🅿️ Potential parking

Walna Scar Road, Coniston (free, rough track) — 1.4 km from summit (straight line)
High free car park above Coniston — Old Man, Dow Crag, Brown Pike with a head start.
Directions ↗
Coniston village (paid) — 3.0 km from summit (straight line)
Main village car parks — full Coniston round.
Directions ↗

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

🚌 Buses from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 505 “Coniston Rambler”
Windermere – Ambleside – Skelwith Bridge – Hawkshead – Coniston
Catch it from: Windermere · Ambleside
Daily in season (reduced winter service). Best access for the Coniston fells (Old Man, Wetherlam group).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

🌦️ 7-day summit forecast

Loading…

Other fells in this region

Open The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man) in the interactive explorer ↗