Coniston Old Man Round
Photo: John H Darch, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in new tab)
Start Coniston village
Getting here Parking: Coniston Station car park (paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 505 stops at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre, a 520 m walk and 39 m of ascent from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Severe steepness: Steepest sustained climb about 37% around the 3.6 km mark. Hands for a few steps: the Prison Band, on the descent from Swirl How (km 9.6–11.5).
Before you choose
- Disused mine shafts and quarry spoil on the flanks, especially toward the Coppermines valley — keep to the paths.
- The high ridge is exposed and the broad tops need care in cloud.
- Grey Friar stands off the main ridge and its paths are faint; the ground between it and Swirl How is awkward, and one onward line from Swirl How appears to head straight over a cliff face. In mist it is easy to lose the route or drift onto steep ground. Navigate by compass and don't trust a vague trod.
- A steep, stony scramble of a ridge linking Swirl How to Swirl Hawse and Wetherlam. Awkward and tiring, especially descending, and parties are often caught out here at dusk. Allow plenty of daylight, take the rock carefully, and do not underestimate it as 'just a path'.
- The Coniston-facing side of Brim Fell is all crag, with a spur ending in the broken cliffs of Raven Tor. The rounded grassy top gives little sign of the edge — in mist or wind it is easy to drift east onto steep, dangerous ground. Keep to the crest and well back from the eastern rim.
Hazard & incident notes: The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man) · Brim Fell · Grey Friar · Great Carrs · Swirl How · Wetherlam
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 6 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.
Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →
Daylight & turnaround
Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
The path beneath your boots
High on the Coniston round, above Levers Water, Fix the Fells spent 79 ranger-days and about £16,000 in 2023 coaxing walkers back onto the right of way — runs of big stepping stones over the wet flushes, a stone-lined drain and a line of new cairns — to stop a second, braided path eroding the peatland and washing sediment into the tarn.
Notice underfoot: the stepping stones and cairns aren’t decoration — they’re nudging you onto the sustainable line and off the fragile peat, so follow them.
Fix the Fells built and maintains this path. How a fell path is made → · Give back (opens in new tab)
Path-repair data © Fix the Fells (National Trust / Lake District National Park). Source (opens in new tab).
Route map
1 The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)2 Brim Fell3 Grey Friar4 Great Carrs5 Swirl How6 Wetherlam
Easy 67%Moderate 23%Hard 10%Severe 1%
Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Coniston village → The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man) (4.0 km, 721 m)
Starting from Coniston village, take the lane past the Sun and the track up beside Church Beck as far as Miners Bridge, without crossing it. Just above the bridge, turn left (west) through a gate onto a footpath that climbs past The Bell to join the worn, pitched main path, which winds up through the old slate quarries, passing the bowl of Low Water, before the final steep zig-zags to the summit.
WaypointsConiston village, Church Beck, Miners Bridge (not crossed), the old slate quarries, Low Water, The Old Man of Coniston summit (802 m).
Decision pointThe old quarries and the dark tarn of Low Water are distinctive landmarks. The summit has a large slate platform and an OS trig pillar.
Easy to get wrongAbout 18% on average: 11-16% for the first 2 km, then 25-27% up through the quarries and about 40% on the zig-zags above Low Water. The path climbs through old slate quarry workings. The terrain is rocky, stepped, and busy in the summer months. The final pull up the headwall from Low Water features loose scree and polished rock that can be slick after rain.
If you need to get offTurn around and retrace your steps down the main tourist path via Low Water directly back to Coniston.
© Lee McCoy - 2
The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man) → Brim Fell (0.8 km, 12 m)
Leave the busy summit of the Old Man and head north along the broad ridge, walking the high rim above the eastern coves to reach the cairn on the minor rise of Brim Fell.
WaypointsConiston Old Man summit, Brim Fell summit (796 m).
Decision pointKeep the precipitous drop into the coves above Low Water and Levers Water to your right (east) as a handrail, but keep well back from the edge.
Easy to get wrongAn easy, almost flat stroll after the climb. However, this high ridge is exposed to the prevailing westerly winds from the coast. In thick clag, the featureless expanse requires concentration to stay on track.
If you need to get offRetreat south to the Old Man of Coniston and descend your ascent route. Bailing east directly into the coves is a severe trap involving vertical, trackless crags.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 3
Brim Fell → Grey Friar (3.0 km, 135 m)
Continue north along the main ridge, down to the col at Levers Hawse. Climb on north on the path that skirts the west side of Great How Crags, then drop north-west to the saddle at Fairfield. Turn west-south-west there for the steady climb up the stony ridge to Grey Friar.
WaypointsLevers Hawse, the path west of Great How Crags, Fairfield (saddle), Grey Friar summit (773 m).
Decision pointThe ridge line north to Levers Hawse is clear. To reach Grey Friar, head west-south-west from the Fairfield saddle. On clear days the Scafells, across the Duddon Valley, make a good landmark.
Easy to get wrongA long, undulating stretch: about 125 m down to Levers Hawse, then about 135 m of climbing in two pulls, past Great How Crags and from Fairfield to Grey Friar. The ground shifts from worn grass to rocky, uneven terrain. Grey Friar is often quiet compared with the main ridge, but the out-and-back spur can feel like a slog on tired legs. The Coniston-facing side of Brim Fell is all crag, with a spur ending in the broken cliffs of Raven Tor.
If you need to get offWe have not checked a line down from Levers Hawse to Levers Water, so none is offered here. The way back is the way you came.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 4
Grey Friar → Great Carrs (1.2 km, 92 m)
Retrace your steps east-north-east from Grey Friar back down to the Fairfield saddle, then climb on east-north-east, a rocky, stepped ascent, to the top of Great Carrs.
WaypointsGrey Friar summit, Fairfield (saddle), Great Carrs summit (785 m).
Decision pointThe saddle between Grey Friar and Swirl How is a distinct dip.
Easy to get wrongDown about 75 m to Fairfield, then about 90 m up to the top of Great Carrs. The terrain is a mix of scree and blocky rock requiring careful foot placement. In heavy mist, the descent off Grey Friar back to the correct saddle requires a precise compass bearing to avoid drifting south into the trackless Duddon Valley.
If you need to get offWe have not checked a line down from Levers Hawse to Levers Water, so none is offered here. Do not attempt to descend east via the Prison Band in high winds.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 5
Great Carrs → Swirl How (0.6 km, 41 m)
From the top of Great Carrs, head south-south-west for about 100 m to the path along the edge, then turn south-south-east along it, past the memorial and the top of Broad Slack, to the summit of Swirl How.
WaypointsGreat Carrs summit, the memorial, the top of Broad Slack, Swirl How summit (802 m).
Decision pointThe large summit cairn on Swirl How marks the highest point of the northern Coniston fells.
Easy to get wrongA short stretch: about 40 m of climbing in the half kilometre along the edge to Swirl How.
If you need to get offWe have not checked a line down from Levers Hawse to Levers Water, so none is offered here. Do not attempt to descend east via the Prison Band in high winds.
- 6
Swirl How → Wetherlam (1.9 km, 139 m)
Leave Swirl How and carefully descend the Prison Band, a steep, craggy ridge dropping east into Swirl Hawse. From the hawse, climb the rocky path up the western shoulder of Wetherlam to the summit, about 1.2 km.
WaypointsSwirl How, Prison Band (descent), Swirl Hawse (crossroads), Wetherlam summit (763 m).
Decision pointThe Prison Band is a clearly defined ridge. At Swirl Hawse, Levers Water sits below to the right (south). The ascent path up Wetherlam is deeply worn into the rock and scree.
Easy to get wrongThe descent down the Prison Band is steep, loose, and requires minor scrambling; it is slick and dangerous in wet or icy conditions. The climb from the hawse to Wetherlam, about 140 m in 1.2 km, is rocky and comes late in the day.
If you need to get offWe have not checked a line down from Swirl Hawse to Levers Water, so none is offered here.
© Lee McCoy Wetherlam → Finish (4.6 km, 15 m)
Descend south off the summit of Wetherlam down the Lad Stones ridge, over steep, complex and rocky ground, to Hole Rake. From there the path drops south past the old quarries into the Coppermines Valley, where you join the track, cross Miners Bridge and walk back down beside Church Beck into Coniston.
WaypointsWetherlam summit, Lad Stones, Hole Rake, Coppermines Valley, Miners Bridge, Coniston Finish.
Decision pointAim south, down the ridge to Hole Rake and the Coppermines Valley. The network of white-grey spoil heaps and tracks in the valley is your target. Stay strictly on established paths to avoid hidden mining hazards.
Easy to get wrongA long descent to end the day. The upper rocky sections off Wetherlam are steep and convoluted, and the old workings start near Hole Rake. The lower terrain is a maze of abandoned mine shafts, sheer quarry drops, and spoil heaps. Thick clag makes navigation here treacherous.
If you need to get offYou are on the final descent. Take extreme care through the quarry ruins; do not cut corners off the established paths, as the ground is unstable, steep, and riddled with dangerous industrial remnants.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, August 2024
Summits bagged (6)
- 1The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man)802 m
- 2Brim Fell796 m
- 3Grey Friar773 m
- 4Great Carrs785 m
- 5Swirl How802 m
- 6Wetherlam763 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
More about this walk
Conditions and timing
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Getting there and back
Driving an electric car? Coniston, Ruskin Avenue (paid) has a verified public charger 35 m away (about 350 m from where this walk starts) — Coniston Ruskin Avenue (LA21 8EH), 7 kW and 1 other nearby. Over about 5.1 hours on the hill that is up to 36 kWh, which is a ceiling and not a promise. EV charging near this start → (checked 2026-08-05).
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 33% at Coniston Old Station and 10% at Ruskin Avenue were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
If the parking is full
There is no real plan B by car here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so expect them to fill on the same mornings. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off. The bus below is the exception: it is not limited by car-park space, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.
- Coniston, Ruskin Avenue (paid) — a 460 m walk to the start, climbing about 30 m
- Coniston Station car park (paid) — at the start
- Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid) — a 440 m walk to the start, climbing about 30 m
- By bus: buses stop at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre, a 520 m walk from the start. This walk starts and ends in Coniston, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Coniston on a weekday: 20:24 towards Kendal (505), 18:44 towards Ambleside (505). A bus is not affected by a full car park, but check the timetable before you rely on it.
We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.
No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.
Buses
The 505 stops at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre, a 520 m walk and 39 m of ascent from this start. This walk starts and ends in Coniston, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Coniston: the 505 towards Kendal at 20:24 every day; the 505 towards Ambleside at 18:44 every day. From Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre; checked against the operator's timetable, 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 505 passes this route at 0.2 km (Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre, 230 m off the line).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Coniston Station car park, where the walk starts. Pay and display, by coins, card or RingGo (location 37306). (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked 11 August 2026)
- Toilets Public toilets are mapped about 200 m away, and they charge. 207 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments The Sun Hotel is the nearest mapped pub, with a Spar shop in the village. Opening hours are not recorded. 129 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation A sustained descent of about 38% over 250 m near the 9.9 km mark, hard on tired knees. Not a pushchair route. (our steepness model, from the route's own track, checked 4 October 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):
Also mapped within reach: 2 benches, an information board.
Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Planning detail
How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.
Difficulty profile
Severe overall — hardest: Steepness; terrain not assessed
Five independent axes, not one score. Two of the five were set on the ground; the rest are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.
How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old Man) | 4.0 km | 721 m | 2:00–2:40 |
| 2Brim Fell | 4.8 km | 733 m | 2:11–2:54 |
| 3Grey Friar | 7.9 km | 867 m | 3:01–4:01 |
| 4Great Carrs | 9.1 km | 959 m | 3:25–4:33 |
| 5Swirl How | 9.7 km | 1000 m | 3:36–4:48 |
| 6Wetherlam | 11.5 km | 1140 m | 4:13–5:36 |
| Finish | 16.1 km | 1155 m | 5:09–6:51 |
A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?
- Buggy: No mapped stiles, but the ground underfoot has not been assessed; not a buggy line on what we know.
- Knees: A long, steep ~38% drop over 250 m around the 9.9 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 37% around the 3.6 km mark.
- Drops and exposed ground: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. A walkers' round with some drops; the descent of the Prison Band needs hands in places, and is slick when wet.
- Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: the Prison Band, on the descent from Swirl How (km 9.6–11.5). Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
- Stiles and gates: Only gates and kissing gates are mapped: no stile a dog can’t get through. That is the barriers alone; check the route’s steep or rocky ground before you bring a dog. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 4 October 2026)
- Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
- Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.
On the line: 7 gates · 1 kissing gate
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 4 October 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
- Bank Ground Farm (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.6 km
We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Coniston — 0.2 km from this start
- Walks from Tom Gill waterfalls (Glen Mary) — 3.3 km from this start
Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.
