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6.42 km · ~202 m ascent · ~1.5–2 h · loop

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Moderate steepnessLoopPlanned

The Sun Pub Walk (Coniston)

6.42 km
Distance
~1.5–2 h
Typical time
~202 m
Ascent
Download GPX →Planned route · not yet walked

Key facts

Distance 6.42 km
Ascent ~202 m
Descent ~203 m
Time ~1.5–2 h
Best season Year-round. The mine tracks and village paths are rocky and can be wet, so wear boots rather than trainers.
Type Loop
Start Coniston Village
A 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.

✎️ Starts and finishes at The Sun, which sits right at the foot of the Old Man of Coniston ascent. No summits are bagged — this is the gentle version, for the view and the pub.

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

Difficulty profile

LengthEasy6.42 km — a short outing.
SteepnessModerateSteepest sustained pull about 16% around the 2.6 km mark.
TerrainModerateVillage lanes plus rocky, uneven mine tracks by Church Beck.
NavigationEasyShort and well-trodden; hard to go far wrong.
ExposureEasyLow-level throughout; no exposure to speak of.

Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.

Access & barriers

Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.

Dog
Gates only
Buggy
Not buggy-able
Knees
Gentle descent
  • Dog: Gates and kissing gates only — a dog can do the whole route.
  • Buggy: Not a pushchair route.
  • Knees: No sustained steep descent — kind on the knees.

On the line: 18 gates · 6 kissing gates

These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-09. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).

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.

Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.

OpenTopoMap
Elevation profile, shaded by steepness
Elevation profile Rises from about 44 m to 175 m over 6.4 km, with the summits marked in order. The area beneath is shaded by sustained steepness over a 250 m window, in the same four bands as the route’s steepness rating: Easy under 15%, Moderate 15 to 25%, Hard 25 to 35%, Severe above 35%. 175 m 44 m 0 km 6.4 km

Easy 99%Moderate 1%HardSevere

~202 m
Total ascent
175 m
High point
59 m
Start height

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).

This walk covers about 6.42 km with around 202 m of ascent. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.

Pacing

SummitCumulativeAscentTime (fast–steady)
Finish6.4 km202 m1:37–2:09

Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary. These use Naismith’s textbook constants (5 km/h, 600 m of ascent an hour). Measured against a pace fitted to 41 recorded Lakeland walks they run about 8% slow, and we have left them that way deliberately: a slow estimate strands nobody.

The walk, stage by stage

  1. Start → Finish (6.4 km, 202 m)

    Climb of about 202 m over 6.4 km (around 3% average).

    Starting directly from the door of The Sun Inn in Coniston, this route is a low-level, deeply historical loop exploring the industrial ruins beneath the high fells. The walk begins with a surprisingly sharp, lung-warming pull up the steep tarmac lane heading toward the Walna Scar road. Rather than continuing to the high pass, the route branches right, picking up the wide, gravel tracks that shadow Church Beck up into the dramatic, enclosed bowl of the Coppermines Valley. The terrain transitions from steep tarmac to heavily rutted, stony tracks and loose slate paths. After looping through the ruined mining infrastructure at the head of the valley, you cross the water at Miner's Bridge and descend via the ancient, rocky packhorse route of the Walna Scar road back to the pub

    Waypoints

    The Sun Inn (approx. 65m): The start and finish point, perched on the hill slightly above the main village center. Church Beck: The roaring waterway that carves down from the high fells, dominating the acoustics of the walk. Coppermines Valley Basin (approx. 260m): The turnaround point of the loop, a vast, scarred landscape of ruined mill buildings, waterwheel pits, and copper spoil heaps sitting directly beneath the towering eastern face of the Old Man of Coniston. Miner's Bridge: The stone arch crossing Church Beck, marking the transition from the ascent to the descent leg. Walna Scar Road: The deeply rutted, rocky byway used for the descent back into the village

    Decision point

    Church Beck: This is your infallible central handrail. The route essentially walks up one side of the beck and down the other. Keep the water close by and you cannot get lost. The Old Man of Coniston: The massive, looming bulk of the Old Man sits directly ahead of you on the outward leg. It provides a perfect visual anchor; as long as you are walking toward the mountain, you are heading into the valley

    Easy to get wrong

    Slippery Slate: The tracks throughout the Coppermines Valley are heavily surfaced with local slate. When wet, these flat stones offer absolutely zero friction and become treacherous slip hazards. Industrial Dangers: The valley is littered with centuries-old mining infrastructure, including sheer drop-offs near old waterwheel pits and capped (and uncapped) mine shafts off the main path. Keep strictly to the wide tracks and keep dogs under close control. Ankle-Rolling Descent: The return leg down the Walna Scar road is notorious for its loose, bowling-ball-sized rocks and deep water ruts. It requires constant concentration to avoid twisting an ankle

    If you need to get off

    Because this is a low-level, V-shaped valley loop, bailing is incredibly straightforward. If the weather closes in while you are in the upper Coppermines basin, simply turn your back to the mountains and follow the wide, unmissable gravel tracks downhill. The tracks act as a funnel, guaranteeing a safe, direct return to Coniston village. Do not attempt to escape by climbing the steep, trackless valley walls toward Wetherlam or the Old Man

Getting there & parking

Coniston, Ruskin Avenue (paid) — 0.1 km from the start (straight line)
Village car park — the full Coniston round, Old Man and Wetherlam. Fees: pay and display; cards only.
Directions Something changed here?
🚺 Coniston Bridge (~174 m straight line)🚺 Coniston Ruskin Avenue Car Park (~33 m straight line)☕ Sara's Indian☕ The Green Housekeeper☕ Steam Bistro🍺 The Yewdale Inn🍺 Crown Inn🍺 Sun Hotel Pub🏪 Coniston Gifts & Sports
Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
North end of the village, the larger of the two.
Directions Something changed here?
High Wythow car park (paid) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Long Crag - Yewdale Fells, High Wythow and Low Wythow — the 'The Sun Pub Walk (Coniston)' route starts 211 m away. Also serves 'North of Coniston Birketts'. Paid parking (OSM-tagged). OpenStreetMap records it as weekends and school holidays only (2026-07-24 extract; unconfirmed by an operator - check on arrival).
Directions Something changed here?
Long Crag car park (paid) — 0.3 km from the start (straight line)
Walking base for Long Crag - Yewdale Fells, High Wythow and Low Wythow — 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 Station car park (paid) — 0.3 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 Something changed here?
If it is full: Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid) (0.6 km); Coniston, Ruskin Avenue (paid) (0.6 km); Walna Scar Road, Coniston (paid, rough track) (1.4 km, 143 m up)

Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Every option near this start, on the parking map →

Water, shelter & getting away

🛖 map (15 m)🚌 The Crown Inn (57 m)🚌 The Crown Hotel (77 m)🚌 The Ruskin Centre (120 m)🚌 John Ruskin School (W bound) (189 m)⛺ Coniston Holly How YHA (461 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.

Buses

The 505 stops at Coniston, outside The Crown Inn, 90 m from this start. We haven’t published last buses, Sunday or winter service yet, so check the timetable before you rely on getting back.

The 505 passes this route at 0.1 km (Coniston, outside The Crown Inn, 10 m off the line). It passes again at 5.8 km.

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 travelling.

If the parking is full

If the first one is full, these do not all fill together. The 3 below sit in different places or are different kinds of parking, so a busy morning at one does not mean a busy morning at all of them.

  • Coniston, Bluebird Car & Coach Park (paid)
  • Tarn Hows (NT, paid)
  • Coniston, south-east (layby)

Worked out from the parking we hold within walking reach of this route and the other walks each place serves — two places that serve the same walks fill for the same reasons. We are not saying whether anywhere has spaces today, and we never will: this is what exists, not what is free.

Toilets and refreshments

At Coniston, Ruskin Avenue (paid), the closest parking we hold to where this route starts:

🚺 Coniston Bridge (~174 m straight line)🚺 Coniston Ruskin Avenue Car Park (~33 m straight line)☕ Sara's Indian☕ The Green Housekeeper☕ Steam Bistro🍺 The Yewdale Inn🍺 Crown Inn🍺 Sun Hotel Pub🏪 Coniston Gifts & Sports

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

Safety & conditions

  • The Coppermines tracks and Church Beck paths are rocky, uneven and slippery when wet.
  • Old mine workings and shafts lie near the paths above the village — keep to the trodden line and keep children and dogs close.
  • Church Beck rises fast in spate; take care at bridges and crossings.

Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast before you set off.

Make it easier or harder

Harder: The same start is the usual launch point for the Old Man of Coniston and the Coniston round.

Download

Download GPX

GPX track for your GPS or phone.

Places to stay near this start

Bank Ground Farm guest house

about 1.6 km from the start, in a straight line

The one property in the radius that answers the whole family arrival in its own words: cots, high chairs and stair gates on request, a cafe and restaurant on site so nobody gets back in the car, and two real 7kW chargers rather than a USB socket. It also answers honestly against you - check-in is after 4pm and breakfast is at 9am, which is late for a Coniston Old Man round, and the dog sleeps in the kennel block, not the cottage. East shore of Coniston Water, so the 1.57 km is across the lake from the village start.

Worth knowing: “Pets are more than welcome on the farm, we have purpose built five star accommodation so that you can bring the whole family along, however with the exception of assistant dogs, no pets are allowed inside the cottages and farmhouses.”

Arthur Ransome used this farm as the model for the Swallows' farmhouse, and the 1970s film of Swallows and Amazons was shot here.

  • Dogs “Pets are more than welcome on the farm, we have purpose built five star accommodation so that you can bring the whole family along, however with the exception of assistant dogs, no pets are allowed inside the cottages and farmhouses.”
  • Family rooms “The farmhouse has six en-suite bedrooms and offers bed & breakfast accommodation.”
  • Evening meal “Let our fab chefs prepare you lovely meals, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.”
  • Children “High chairs, cots and stair gates are available on request.”

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.

Appears in these collections
Dog-friendly walksEasy walks