Hiking Around

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Old Man of Coniston - Route

Distance: 7½ miles / 12 kilometers

Time: 3 hours 40 minutes

Grade: Moderate/Difficult

Map: OS Explorer OL7 - The Lake District: South-Eastern area

Start Point: Coniston Tourist Information Centre, Ruskin Avenue near Saint Andrews Parish Church.

Grid Reference: SD 303 975

Nearest Post Code: LA21 8EH

Serial Distance Grid Reference Description
01 0.0 miles SD 301 974 Starting at the pay and display car park at the information centre, pass through the yard of the Parish Church of Saint Andrew and turn left along the main road, B5285 and cross over Church Beck on the A593.
02 0.25 miles SD 300 975 After crossing the bridge over Church Beck turn right, the steep road passes The Sun Inn turn right at the finger post. Continue along the path to Miners Bridge, a footbridge on the right.
03 0.5 miles SD 294 980 DO NOT cross the footbridge, (this will be encountered on the return journey). Continue along the path following the western bank of Church Beck.
04 0.65 miles SD 293 981 After about 250 yards, the path bears west away from the beck.
06 1.25 miles SD 284 980 At a meeting of paths, a path joins from the left and another from the right, (this leads to Gill Cove Crag over Levers Water reservoir). Ignore these and continue ahead through the ruins of the old mine works.
07 1.75 miles SD 275 981 After leaving the ruins of the old mine works, the path wiggles its way gently up the hill to Low Water Tarn.
08 2.25 miles SD 272 977 From Low Water Tarn, the path zigzags up the hill ascending steeply to the summit of the Old Man of Coniston where there is a trig point.
09 2.5 miles SD 271 979 Follow the path along the ridge to a fork junction, keep right. (The left path leads to Goats Water Tarn, well worth a wee excursion, it only adds about 0.5 miles to the route).
10 3.25 miles SD 270 994 After 0.25 miles or so, a track appears on the right - follow this path as an alternative, heading southerly to Crowberry Haws to join up with serial 5 above.
11 SD 272 999 3.75 miles Continue straight ahead heading north east, to a fork junction at Great How Crags, take the left fork, turning half left to head north west.
12 4.0 miles NY 272 005 Continue to a T-Junction at Swirl How, marked by a cairn and turn right.
13 4.25 miles NY 278 007 Continue along this path to a path on the right.
14 5.0 miles SD 280 995 Follow this path heading south to the eastern shore of Levers Water reservoir.
15 6.25 miles SD 289 986 Follow the path all the way to the youth hostel.
16 6.75 SD 294 980 Continue passed the youth hostel and the waterfall to the Minder Bridge (encountered at serial 3 above).
17 7.5 miles SD 301 974 Cross over the bridge and follow the path back in to Coniston and to the car park from where the walk started.