Coniston Fells Circular Walk | Wetherlam, Swirl How, Old Man of Coniston + More (7 Wainwrights)
If you’re after a proper big day out in the Lake District, this Coniston Fells circular walk is a belter. We ticked off seven Wainwrights in this 13.5 mile walk – starting with Wetherlam, looping over Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Brim Fell, the Old Man of Coniston and finishing on Dow Crag. It’s a full-on ridge walk with cracking views, a bit of everything terrain-wise and enough elevation to make your legs earn their post-walk pint!
As always, I’ve included the full route, map and GPX file below if you fancy giving it a go.
Our walk also includes a visit to the Coniston Coppermines waterfall. This has a little pool at the bottom which means it’s hotspot for wild swimmers and Instagram photos, but I couldn’t see a safe way down to it so didn’t get too close. The walk starts from the Walna Scar car park and heads north along the well made track to Crowberry Haws. Here we turned right and started to descend (sorry!) down into the Coppermines Valley, to Miners Bridge which crosses Church Beck. We turned left and headed back up to the mine cottages. The path forks – if you want to visit the waterfalls and not have to drop down off the top path to climb back up, take the bottom path which runs past the cottages. We took the top path, and had to climb down to the waterfalls and then back up again to continue. Be sensible – take the bottom path!
We followed the path up to an old mine building and then followed the switchback path down the hillside to Red Dell Beck. The beck runs steeply down through the rocks so there are some pretty stunning waterfalls. As mentioned above, I couldn’t see a safe way down to the pool at the bottom of them, so didn’t go down.
Rather then climbing back up to the path, we walked up the side of the beck to rejoin the path, then crossed the bridge over the beck. After a short distance we passed the 19th Century wheelpit for a waterwheel which winched ore out of Thriddle Shaft. Passing the wheelpit, we followed the course of the stream up to the valley head, passing through the boulder fields and climbing steadily all the way. There is a path shown on the map but it’s faint to non existent on the ground. After around 1.1 miles we crossed Red Dell Beck and hiked north-east through a scree section to the summit of Wetherlam. This is a real leg burner! Wetherlam (763m) is the most easterly of the Coniston Fells and is the first Wainwright peak on this circuit. The summit is broad and rocky, with no trig point – just a cairn marking the top. On a clear day, you’ll get views over Coniston Water, Little Langdale, and across to the Helvellyn range.
From the summit we set off east, heading to Swirl Hawse and then following the well defined path on to the Prison Band, a scramble section which leads up to the summit of Swirl How. You’ll need your hands for this bit!
Swirl How (802m) is the highest point on the ridge and has a small cairn at the summit. It’s a brilliant spot for views – you’ll get a full sweep from the Scafells to the north-west, across the Duddon Valley and down to Coniston Water. This Coniston Fells walk is brilliant for views on almost every peak! We carried on east, passing the Top of Broad Slack and the WW2 Halifax bomber memorial, a poignant place with some wreckage still visible. Following the path north we soon came to Great Carrs, our third Wainwright of the day.
Great Carrs (785m) lies just a short detour off the main ridge from Swirl How. The summit itself is grassy with a cairn and offers fantastic views back over the ridge and towards the Langdale Pikes.
From Great Carrs we set off east, dropping down the hillside slightly and following the well-defined path up to Grey Friar (773m).
Grey Friar is a bit of a loner, tucked away slightly west of the main ridge. It’s well worth the detour – the summit has a cairn and offers one of the best panoramic viewpoints in the Coniston Fells. You’ll get a stunning angle on the Scafell range from here, especially in the afternoon light.
We retraced our steps back down Grey Friar, and where all the paths start to fork off, we took the bottom right hand path leading to Levers Hawse. The path starts to climb gently and we passed numerous stone cairns before reaching the summit of Brim Fell (796m). Often overshadowed by its better-known neighbour, the Old Man, Brim Fell is more of a shoulder than a distinct peak – but it’s a Wainwright nonetheless. There’s a cairn on a broad, grassy summit, and the views are surprisingly good, especially across to Levers Water and back towards Swirl How.
Passing the summit cairn and continuing south, the route climbs steadily to the the highest point of the day and a classic in its own right, The Old Man of Coniston (803m). There’s a trig point and cairn at the summit and it’s usually the busiest part of the walk. On a clear day, you can see across Morecambe Bay, down to Coniston Water and out to the Isle of Man. This is the second time we visited, and the second time I didn’t see those views! The mist cleared enough for us to see Levers Water this time though.
From the summit of the Old Man, we retraced our steps back down to where the path forks, and we went left down to Goat’s Hawse. We followed the ridge with Goat’s Water down in the valley below, and climbed up to the summit of Dow Crag (778m)
Dow Crag is a personal favourite – dramatic cliffs on the eastern side, a rocky summit and fewer crowds than the Old Man. There’s no trig point, but the cairn sits right above the crags, making it one of the most dramatic viewpoints in the Lakes. You can look straight down into Goat’s Water and across to the Scafells on a clear day.
We continued south, passing Buck Pike and Brown Pike, before rejoining the Walna Scar Road. This track descends to Torver Bridge and runs all the way back to the car park.
This Coniston Fells walk is a brilliant route if you’re keen to tick off multiple Wainwrights in one go – 7 to be exact – without it feeling like a box-ticking exercise. The views are some of the best in the Lakes, with ridge walks, rocky summits and big panoramas from start to finish. It’s a proper mountain day with plenty of variety, and once you’re past the Old Man, you’ll likely have most of the fells to yourself!
Walk Map (Opens in OS Maps): Coniston Fells Circular (Wetherlam, Swirl How, Old Man of Coniston, Dow Crag) – 7 Wainwrights
Parking: We parked in Walna Scar car park. This is accessed through a gate which is to be kept closed to stop the sheep getting out. LA21 8HQ | W3W: mountains.waxes.daunted. This is a pay and display car park and fills up quickly, especially on weekends and bank holidays, so get there early.
Facilities: There is sometimes an ice cream van in the car park, but that’s it – no other facilities. Remember to leave no trace and take all your rubbish away with you.
Walk Time: 7-8 hours
Difficulty: ▲▲▲
Distance: 13.6 miles (21.8km)
Trig Points Bagged: Old Man of Coniston
Wainwrights Bagged: Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Brim Fell, the Old Man of Coniston and Dow Crag
