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Coniston Old Man: Friday 18th December 2015

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The Old Man of Coniston is one of the most popular summits in the Lake District, and you can see why, with its wonderful panorama from the summit stretching from the Yorkshire Dales across Morecambe Bay to the Scafell range. The other summits should not be missed either, Dow Crag, Swirl How and Wetherlam are all great summits.

Availability: Fully Booked

£22.00
Difficulty: Moderate / Hard
  A long walk over rough ground
Distance: 13km / 8 miles approx.
Ascent: 1000m / 3300ft approx.
Time: 6 hours
Start Time: 9am
Maximum Group Size: 10
Minimum Group Size: 1

 

"The Coniston Fells are predominantly Lakeland, with lofty ridges, steep and craggy declivities, lovely waterfalls and lonely tarns and the general scenic charm so typical of the district."
A. Wainwright

 

The Old Man Of Coniston is one of the most famous and popular mountains in the Lake District and until 1974 was the highest peak in Lancashire, when Cumbria was formed.

Another popular connection is the link between the Coniston Old Man and Arthur Ransome's Swallows And Amazons books, where The Old Man of Coniston was known by the children as Kanchenjunga.

Let our experienced instructors show you some of the history of this area of the Lakes and take you on a wonderful guided fell walk around the Coniston Fells.

 

Summits included on this route:
   
Dow Crag (Optional)
778 metres/2552 feet
The Old Man of Coniston
803 metres/2635 feet
Brim Fell
796 metres/2612 feet
Swirl How
802 metres/2631 feet
Wetherlam
762 metres/2500 feet

 

The Old Man of Coniston is the inspiration for Kanchenjunga, the mountain Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons climb in the Swallows and Amazons novel Swallowdale.

It is a commonly held belief among locals that Coniston Old Man belongs to the oldest man who is a resident of the village of Coniston, although there is no legal basis to this.

 

From Coniston Village we climb via the Coppermines Valley to ascend via the old mine tracks to the summit of The Old Man Of Coniston, the highest of the Coniston Fells, with impressive views over Coniston below. From here we will continue over Brim Fell to the summit of Swirl How where we will have wonderful views over the Little Langdale Valley before continuing on to the summit of Wetherlam, a wonderful summit where we will then pick a route down to Coniston Village.
A variation to this route is available upon request to take in the summit of Dow Crag, this will be climbed on the ascent of The Old Man, the subsequent route from the summit of the Old Man of Coniston can then be shortened to make a more manageable walk.

Each participant will be required to bring suitable equipment for their chosen event, please see Kit List tab above.

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