Home / Routes / Dow Crag without the Old Man

Written by Lee McCoy · Route guide updated 18 October 2026: decision points added on stage 1 · 171 of 214 Wainwrights with a Strava-matched summit

Hard steepnessLoopPlanned

Dow Crag without the Old Man

11.88 km

Distance

~3¼–4¾ h

Estimated time

~630 m

Ascent

Summits

A loop of about 11.9 km from the Walna Scar Road car park above Coniston, with about 630 m of climbing: out along the Walna Scar Road, up a public footpath past Goat's Water to Goat's Hawse and the top of Dow Crag, along the ridge over Buck Pike and Brown Pike, out over Walna Scar to White Maiden and back, and down the Walna Scar Road.

Start Walna Scar Road car park

Getting here Parking: Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 505 stops at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre; from there it is 1.8 km and 179 m of ascent to this start. And the same back: about 15.4 km in all, with the walk. Parking & buses ↓

Hardest part Hard steepness: Steepest sustained climb about 27% around the 3.7 km mark. Hard navigation: Care needed in cloud — 31 path junctions near the line. Hard – estimated from the map, not checked on the ground Hands for a few steps: the last steps to Dow Crag from Goat's Hawse (km 4.6–5.2).

Before you choose

The top of Dow Crag is at the edge of its crag: OpenStreetMap maps the cliff 3 m from the line at the top, and the heads of the east face's gullies, among them Easy Gully and Great Gully, 40-60 m from it. Keep back from the edge, and do not use a gully as a way up or down.
About 3.2 km of the line follows paths that OpenStreetMap does not record as public rights of way: the out-and-back from the Walna Scar Road over Walna Scar to White Maiden (about 6.5 to 8.4 km), the last few hundred metres to the top of Dow Crag, and short paths beside the Walna Scar Road. The rest is public footpath and the Walna Scar Road, a restricted byway. That is a map-data note, not a ruling on access: check the access land and rights of way maps before relying on this stretch.

Hazard & incident notes: Dow Crag

Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet. A route line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass. How to use this guide.

Download GPX →Planned route · not yet walked

Conditions on this route

We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 1 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.

Last bus back20:24, the 505 · until 1 November
Hardest partHands for a few steps

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.

Route map

OpenTopoMap

Elevation profile, shaded by steepness

1 Dow Crag2 Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell3 Brown Pike4 Walna Scar5 White Maiden

Easy 77%Moderate 21%Hard 2%Severe

768 m

High point

233 m

Start height

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
Walna Scar Road car park → Dow Crag (4.7 km, 537 m)
Climb of about 537 m over 4.7 km (around 11% average).
From the car park, follow the Walna Scar Road, a restricted byway, west-south-west. Near Boo Tarn, at about 0.5 km, the line takes a path beside the road for about 0.4 km, then rejoins the road south-west. At about 1.7 km it leaves the road for a public footpath, which climbs west-north-west and then north-west below Goat Crag, crossing two small streams at points OpenStreetMap maps as fords, at about 1.8 and 2.7 km. From about 3.0 km the path runs north beside Goat's Water. Beyond the tarn it climbs steeply north and north-north-west to Goat's Hawse, the col at about 4.0 km; this is the steepest climbing of the walk, about 27% sustained near 3.7 km. At the col the line turns west and then south-south-west up the ridge to the top of Dow Crag at about 4.75 km.
Waypoints
Walna Scar Road car park, the Walna Scar Road, Boo Tarn, Goat Crag, Goat's Water, Goat's Hawse, Dow Crag (778 m).
Decision point
Several paths meet at Goat's Hawse; the line turns up the ridge to Dow Crag.
Easy to get wrong
The top of Dow Crag is at the edge of its crag, with the heads of the east face's gullies 40-60 m from the line. Keep back from the edge. Many paths are mapped on this ground: the desk count for the whole line is 31 path junctions near it, so check each turn against the map.
If you need to get off
Back the way you came, down to Goat's Hawse, past Goat's Water and out along the Walna Scar Road: about 4.7 km from the top to the car park.
2
Dow Crag → Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell (0.7 km, 6 m)
Undulating section of about 0.7 km.
From the top, follow the ridge path south, keeping back from the crag edge on the left, to Buck Pike at about 5.45 km.
Waypoints
Dow Crag, the ridge path, Buck Pike (744 m).
If you need to get off
On along the ridge to the Walna Scar Road at about 6.5 km and down the road is about 4.5 km from Buck Pike; back over Dow Crag the way you came is about 5.4 km.
3
Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell → Brown Pike (0.7 km, 11 m)
Descent of about 62 m over 0.7 km.
The ridge path goes on south-south-west and south, gently down and up again, to Brown Pike at about 6.15 km.
Waypoints
Buck Pike, Brown Pike (682 m).
If you need to get off
On down the ridge to the Walna Scar Road at about 6.5 km, then down the road to the car park: about 3.8 km from Brown Pike.
4
Brown Pike → Walna Scar (0.5 km, 15 m)
Descent of about 61 m over 0.5 km.
From Brown Pike the path drops west and south-west to the Walna Scar Road where it crosses the ridge, at about 6.5 km. The line crosses the road and climbs gently south-west to the cairn on Walna Scar at about 6.67 km.
Waypoints
Brown Pike, the Walna Scar Road at the top of the pass, Walna Scar (621 m).
If you need to get off
At the road, at about 6.5 km, the way off is down the Walna Scar Road: about 3.5 km to the car park.
5
Walna Scar → White Maiden (0.8 km, 16 m)
Undulating section of about 0.8 km.
Go on south-west and south-south-west along the broad ridge to the cairn on White Maiden at about 7.46 km.
Waypoints
Walna Scar, White Maiden (613 m).
If you need to get off
Back the way you came to the Walna Scar Road at the top of the pass, about 1 km, then down the road.
White Maiden → Finish (4.4 km, 45 m)
Descent of about 378 m, with about 45 m of climbing, over 4.4 km.
From White Maiden the line turns back north-north-east on the same path, over Walna Scar again, to the Walna Scar Road at the top of the pass at about 8.4 km. There it turns east-south-east down the Walna Scar Road, over Torver Bridge at about 9.8 km, and on east along the road, the way the walk began, back to the car park.
Waypoints
White Maiden, Walna Scar, the Walna Scar Road at the top of the pass, Torver Bridge, Walna Scar Road car park (finish).
If you need to get off
The line itself is the way down: about 4.4 km from White Maiden to the car park.

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone. Planned route · not yet walked

Summits bagged (5)

1Dow Crag778 mSouthern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP, Hewitt
2Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell744 mSouthern · Birkett, Synge
3Brown Pike682 mSouthern · Birkett, Synge
4Walna Scar621 mSouth Lakeland · Outlying Fell, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall
5White Maiden613 mSouthern · Birkett, Synge, Nuttall

In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.

More about this walk

The start is the Walna Scar Road car park above Coniston. The climb past Goat's Water and the ridge from Dow Crag to Brown Pike are the same ground as The Coniston Horseshoe; this walk leaves out the Old Man of Coniston.

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

Parking

Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track) — 0.0 km from the start (straight line)

High paid car park above Coniston — Old Man, Dow Crag, Brown Pike with a head start. Fees: pay and display; cards only; RingGo ID 37321 (LDNPA, checked Aug 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

Coppermines and Old Man Car Park (paid) — 0.7 km from the start (straight line)

Nearest fells: Kitty Crag (1.7 km), Long Crag - Yewdale Fells (1.7 km), High Wythow (1.9 km). Paid parking (OSM-tagged). Gravel surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Coniston Station car park (paid) — 1.2 km from the start (straight line)

On the old station site, west of the village. Fees: pay and display; coins and cards; RingGo ID 37306 (LDNPA, checked Aug 2026).

Directions When people arrive, and what it costs →Something changed here?

If it is full: Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid) (0.6 km, 50 m up); Coniston, Ruskin Avenue (paid) (0.6 km, 52 m up); Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track) (1.4 km)

2 more places to park near the start

Coniston, by John Ruskin School (paid) — 1.4 km from the start (straight line)

Beside John Ruskin School. Access is not confirmed by any operator: no council, LDNPA or operator page lists it (read 5 Oct 2026), so check the signs. The 'The Sun Pub Walk (Coniston)' route starts 265 m away. Also serves 'North of Coniston Birketts'. Paid parking (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid) — 1.5 km from the start (straight line)

North end of the village, the larger of the two.

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at Coniston Old Station from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 33% 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.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

Buses

The 505 stops at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre. From there it is 1.8 km and 179 m of ascent to this start — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 15.4 km in all, with the walk. As timetabled from 24 October to 1 November. Towards Kendal (505): 20:24, every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

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 (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.

Toilets and refreshments

The essentials

Arrival The Walna Scar Road car park above Coniston is at the start. 6 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Cumbria extract of 24 July 2026, checked 17 October 2026)
Limitation A stony byway, then mountain paths with two fords and a steep climb to Goat's Hawse: not a pushchair route. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Cumbria extract of 24 July 2026, checked 17 October 2026)

Everything mapped near the start

At Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track), the closest parking we hold to where this route starts:

Coniston Bridge (~1414 m straight line) Coniston Ruskin Avenue Car Park (~1569 m straight line)

Distances are straight lines from the car park, not walking routes. Opening hours change; none of this is checked daily.

Water, shelter & getting away

shelter (weather shelter, mapped, not checked; 8 m off the line)

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

Hard overall — hardest: Steepness and navigation (estimated from the map, not checked on the ground); terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground

LengthModerate11.88 km round.

SteepnessHardSteepest sustained climb about 27% around the 3.7 km mark.

TerrainNot assessedThe map holds no grading for what is underfoot on this line, so we don’t guess. A rating appears once the ground is assessed.

NavigationHardCare needed in cloud — 31 path junctions near the line. Hard – estimated from the map, not checked on the ground

ExposureNot assessedNot assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. 7 mapped crag feature(s) near the line — check the airy sections. Exposure (drops, scrambling, how bad a slip would be) needs the ground, so a map estimate is not given a grade here and does not count towards the overall grade.

HandsHands for a few stepsThe last steps to Dow Crag from Goat's Hawse (km 4.6–5.2). our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet

Five independent axes, not one score. None of them was set on the ground: they 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)
1Dow Crag	4.7 km	537 m	1:51–2:27
2Buck Pike - Seathwaite Fell	5.4 km	543 m	2:00–2:39
3Brown Pike	6.2 km	554 m	2:09–2:52
4Walna Scar	6.7 km	568 m	2:17–3:02
5White Maiden	7.5 km	584 m	2:28–3:17
Finish	11.9 km	630 m	3:26–4:33

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 buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?

Buggy

Not buggy-able

Knees

Steep in places

Buggy: No mapped stiles, but the ground underfoot has not been assessed; not a buggy line on what we know.
Knees: A sustained ~23% descent over 250 m around the 8.7 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.

On the line: No barriers mapped on this line.

Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 2026-10-17. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

Walks from places nearby

Walks from Coniston — 1.4 km from this start
Walks from Tom Gill waterfalls (Glen Mary) — 4.4 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.

All routes →

Birketts by Dunnerdale Fells

19.95 km · ~1110 m · planned