The Old Man of Coniston, English Lake District

One of our main goals for our week in the Lake District was to walk up to the top of the Old Man of Coniston (@802m or 2,631ft).  We were staying in the village of Hawkshead, which is only a few miles away, so it just had to be done.

On our way there we stopped off at the northern end of Coniston Water to take a few pictures, as the scene was so calm and peaceful.  It’s easy to see why Sir Donald Campbell chose Coniston Water for his water speed record attempt on 4th January 1967.   Almost unbelievably, even today, he averaged 297.6 mph on his first run, before his ill-fated return pass.  Read more about Sir Donald Campbell here.

We continued through Coniston village and up to the parking area on the Walna Scar Road.  There were only a handful of cars and we weren’t to know that it would become probably one of the busiest days on the Old Man ever.  Thankfully we chose to ascend via one of the less well trodden routes alongside Goat’s Water.  However, at the summit there must have been at least 50 people and 100 or more either ascending or descending the main path below.  We therefore didn’t get a ‘selfie’ at the top, but I hope I’ve avoided a few of these ‘extras’ in the pictures below.
(Note to self: Never go to the English Lake District during Half Term again!)

On the way back to our cottage, we stopped off at Tarn Hows to take advantage of the late evening sunshine.

 

10 thoughts on “The Old Man of Coniston, English Lake District

  1. I’ll be in England for 6 months next year, and I do plan to visit the Lake District. This seems like a worthy stop in my trip. Thanks also for sharing the information about Donald Campbell. Always something new to learn!

    Liked by 1 person

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