Name of walk	Coniston Old Man with Sue
Date of walk	2025-01-26

I wanted to get up in the snow before the sunshine melted it all, so Sue and I drove to Torver for a walk up to Coniston Old Man. Being over 800m (2635ft) the summit still had snow. We parked in the roadside spaces at the bottom of the track. I always enjoy this route as it is quiet, most people start from either Coniston or the Fell Gate car park. We only met one cyclist on our route to the summit! There and back is about seven miles. Today’s weather was perfect.

We met some friendly ponies on our route up from Torver.

Sunshine on Dow Crag and Coniston Old Man.

We pass through the old slate quarries.

Banishead Quarry. We head up to The Cove.

We take the path that leads to Goats Water and then take a right once the climbing hut comes onto view. It is the small rectangle on the left below the spoil heaps. We aim to gain the ridge and join up with the Little Arrow Moor path.

Dow Crag.

It is a steep grassy ascent up to the ridge. We stop and look down on the mountain hut, and across at Brown Pike, Buck Pike and Dow Crag. Blind Tarn is in the corrie.

We are now on the path, looking over to Coniston Water.

Lake Windermere and Coniston Village. Little bits of snow are now starting to appear as we gain height.

We stop for a coffee here looking out to the Duddon Estuary and down on to the Walna Scar path up towards Brown Pike.

Sue's photo of me as we skirt the ever increasing passages of snow.

Sue taking photos with Coniston Water behind her.

In a closer shot there are views out to Heysham Power Station.

Sue's photo of the final trudge to the viewing platform.

There is one lone man on the summit cairn.

View from the platform. It had taken us three and a half hours to reach the summit, but we had stoppped and chatted en route and stopped for coffee break too.

I take a closer photo to include the OS column and the route to Brim Fell. The Scafell range to the left of Brim Fell.

View down on Low Water, with Levers Water just above it. Wetherlam central with the Helvellyn range just above to the left.

Sue on the cairn.

We go and have a look across at Dow Crag

Buck Pike and Dow Crag.

View back, the other walker is getting ready to set off and offers to take our photo.

He takes our photo and I do the same for him.

There are people coming up from the route to Low Water.

Panorama of the view. Left click to enlarge, click again to return.

We have the summit all to ourselves. I zoom in and take a photo of the lone walker who took our photo on his way to Brim Fell. Esk Pike and Bowfell to the right. Scafell Pike and Great End to the left.

Looking across Black Sails and Weatherlam to Great Dodd, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Grisedale Hause, Fairfield, Great Rigg and Hart Crag.

View from the platform to Coniston Water and the Duddon Estuary. We spent about 25 minutes on the summit then headed back down, stopping at the same place for a coffee break.

The walk took us six hours and ten minutes. An excellent day!

Jo.