The Old Man of Coniston
The Old Man of Coniston has looked down on the town for many a year, and on a clear day offers some of the finest panoramics of the Lakes with stunning views of Lake Coniston, Windermere to the east and Blackpool and the Irish Sea to the west.
The walk up to the top of the Old Man of Coniston is not easy and is recommended only for competent walkers with the right equipment as there is quite a bit of climbing but the view from the top is well worth it. On the day we attempted the climb, there had been quite a bit of snow meaning the path up the back of the Old Man was a bit slippy, and at times you had to scramble up the path to reach the next level but it was sunny and the sky was blue so we knew it would be clear at the top.
The walk starts at the Sun Inn Hotel in Coniston with the footpath to the Old Man clearly signposted to the left of the front entrance. From here you cross a few fields following a track until you get to a gate on higher ground. At this point the track gets very rocky and there is a stream to your right. As you climb up the path, some cottages on your right hand side that were once home to Slate miners and their families and the Youth Hostel become visible and there is evidence of mining all around as the valley below the north side of the Old Man of Coniston opens up.
The path veers to the left of the valley and you begin to climb the first part of the Old Man and soon the cottages get smaller and smaller as you rise in altitude. After about a couple of miles climbing you will arrive at the remains of the entrance to the main mine shaft which has long been filled in. There are still visible signs of the buildings that were once here and some of the windings and cabling that were once used to take slate down the mountain have been left rust. You then climb further before reaching a mountain lake which is a good place to stop and get your breath back. After this you climb further and the last part of the climb was the most difficult due to the snow on the ground which was quite icy. Extra care was needed at this stage but there was only about a quarter of mile left before we were at the beacon on top of the Old Man of Coniston.
The views from the top of the Old Man of Coniston were absolutely fantastic and the photographs below don’t really do it justice. The only way to fully appreciate the beauty of this peak is to choose a clear day and see for it yourself. Once you have taken in the views, there is a path that takes down the front of the Old Man but the descent is more gradual with the last part joining a road back to the Sun Inn, where you can stop for a well deserved pint.
This entry was posted on Monday August 24th, 2009 at 9:00 AM and is filed under Things to do. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
Leave a Reply
Where Can I Go Exploring the UK and Abroad