A walk to Swirl How, Brim Fell and the Old Man of Coniston

At 2630ft/809m Swirl How is not the highest in the Coniston Fells but it is a splendid fell even if it is rather crowded in by other tops. On this walk it is reached by Swirl Hawes and then Prison Band, both steady climbs that keep the heart pounding a little and the legs requiring regular breaks - for enjoying the view of course. The stroll along the ridge, past Brim Fell’s fine cairn, and leading on to the Old Man is exhilarating, high, generally easy and from where there are some superb views.


Park in Coniston village car park, in the centre of the village, grid ref 303975.

1 Leave the car park, left, and turn left onto Yewdale Road. Pass the church on your left. At the junction of roads, walk right for a few steps and then cross the road and continue up the lane between the Black Bull Hotel and the tiny supermarket. Carry on to pass Coniston Museum on the your right and walk to the end of the pleasing tarmacked lane. Go on ahead up the continuing rough wide track below Mouldry Bank. Follow it as it winds right, with Church Beck and its many delightful waterfalls beside you on the left, deep in its narrow ravine. Pass Miners Bridge and beyond, part of the unobtrusive hydroelectricity scheme.


2 Carry on along the wide track, into the Coppermines Valley. Go by the miners’ cottages, away to the right (Irish Row), and keep left of the pristine-white youth hostel. At the United Utilities site, where the wide track goes off to the left, take a track to the right, which leads to a T-junction and continues left over a wooden bridge. Follow the track that winds right and then curves, left and upwards. Go past Levers Waterfall soon to reach tranquil Levers Water set in its mountainous hollow.



3 Keep to the right side of the reservoir and then begin your first really steep climb. At times the path gets lost but try keeping to the right where it is marginally drier. Eventually the path becomes more distinct as it moves away from Swirl Hause Beck. Head on up the now obvious way to reach the saddle with its large cairn ahead, and pause to enjoy the view. To the right is the path up to Wetherlam and to the left the steep path, Prison Band, leads on to Swirl How, and this is the direction you take. As you go, pause often to enjoy the views of the Helvellyn massif and the Scafells. And then you arrive at the summit of Swirl How, where you will want to pause again and if the weather is kind, enjoy your packed lunch.
4 Then head south along the splendid ridge – a bit like a gentle roller-coaster ride. It is flat at first and then descends a little, with a great view down to Levers Water to the left and to Seathwaite Tarn on the right. Ascend steadily towards Great How Crags, almost a fell top in its own right. Descend and climb again over Little How Crags to reach Levers Hause. Carry on towards the Old Man, passing Brim Fell’s well made cairn on the left and go on towards the Old Man. The path disappears here as you go on over a wide flat area. Then wind up, slighty left, to the summit of the Old Man with its shelter. Again enjoy the splendid views from the top.
5 Begin your steepish descent, in the direction of pleasing Low Water, leaving in a south-easterly direction.



Very soon the way turns east and then zig-zags north to come down to the side of the tarn. The path takes you on down through the old slate quarries, past collapsed buildings, by an arch and a tunnel. Continue on down the quarry ‘road’ until it begins to wind right (to a car park). Here look for a path going off left. Follow the latter as it curves steadily right, bringing you down through gates, with the distant youth hostel away to your left. At one point you have a choice of two paths and here it is better to take the right one which leads down to the west side of Church Beck. Cross Miners Bridge, turn right and retrace your steps to the village.




Practicals

• Start/finish: Car park in the centre of coniston village, grid ref 303975
• Distance: 7 1/2miles/12km
• Time: 5-6 hours
• Height gain: 2450ft/750m
• Terrain: Wide tracks and paths, many stony and well used. Indistinct and rather wet above Levers Water, at first.
• Refreshments: Wide choice in Coniston village

For more photos, see "A walk to Swirl How, Brim Fell and the Old Man of Coniston" on Flickr.

If you enjoyed this blog post, find more walks by Mary Welsh either by clicking through to take a look at A list of walks in the Lake District or use the search bar in the top left hand of your screen.

Please read Mary Welsh's Golden Rules for good, safe walking before setting out.

A walk to Aira Force and Gowbarrow summit

This lovely challenging walk starts from the magnificent Aira Force, which pours its water into Ullswater, about which there is a sad, romantic legend. It tells of a beautiful damsel, Lady Emma, who was betrothed to Sir Eglamore. He was a knight and often away fighting the infidel and as these absences became longer she began to sleep walk, visiting places where she and Eglamore had wandered, much in love. One night she reached the edge of the high-level gap through which tumbled Aira Force.


As she stood in her trance, Eglamore, who had unexpectedly returned from his travels, set out to find her. When he came upon her overlooking the torrent, he believed that the noise of the falling water was the reason she did not respond to his calls, and he touched her arm. She awoke and, in her distressed state, tumbled into the depths. Eglamore raced down beside the ravine to rescue her. Eventually he found her far downstream and pulled her from the water, only for her to die in his arms. He was so distraught at losing his love that he became a monk and lived in a cave above the Force. He built a little bridge across the raging beck so that no one else should topple over in the same way.

Park in the Aira Force National Trust car park, grid ref 401201. Members, don’t forget your membership card. The car park lies on the A592, 2 1/2 miles north-west of Glenridding. Buses stop at the car park. There are toilets in the car park and pleasing tearoom just above the car park.

1 From the back of car park, follow the good track into woodland and curve right into The Glade. Cross the bridge over Aira Beck. Climb the steps beyond and at the Y-junction keep to the lower path. This leads on through glorious woodland and then winds a little right, and then left, to a bridge at the foot of the fall, where you will want to use your camera.


Return along the same path and, at the Y-junction of paths, turn sharp left. Walk up a short way to take a small gate on your right onto open fell. Walk ahead on a distinct reinforced path through bracken. Ignore path going off right.
2 Go on up and pause after a few steps to see, to your right, the crenellated Lyulph’s Tower – not open to the public. It was just above this dwelling that Lady Emma lived in a castle. Carry on up, with care, the sometimes pitched path, climbing all the time along the side of Gowbarrow Park. Pause to enjoy the superb views of the lake. After a mile, always up, you reach, left of the path, a lichen-covered picturesque, very hard stone seat.


A little further on there is a stile on the right to a cairn with a superb view – also a notice to say the path down the very steep slope is closed.
3 The path soon winds away from the steep drop for a short way. Then it returns once more. Here pause to enjoy the rocky ridges dropping steeply down, colourful with heather, thyme, hawkbit and tormentil – too steep and lacking soil depth to allow bracken to get established. Eventually the path, still reinforced, begins to descend close to the edge of the steep slopes dropping towards the lake. After nearly a mile from the seat you reach, on the left, a stone ruin, marked as a shooting lodge on the map. Turn left before it.
4 A good path continues, climbing again, until the reinforcing stops and a flatter area lies ahead. The path continues on, damp in places. At one point you have the choice of paths round a huge boulder. The path then begins to climb and comes close to the north side of Gowbarrow. Keep to the path as it winds back and forth and then, ascend easily, to the summit and its cairn. Here you might wish to have a pause, your lunch, and enjoy the stunning views.


5 Before you descend, look down (west) on the short path you came up last and return down it for a few steps to then take a wider grassy path, left, heading half right, towards a long wall descending the western slopes of the fell. This is easy to walk at first but as it gets lower and steeper it has been reinforced with large rocks, over which you should take care. Pause to enjoy the view. The way continues down for over 1/2 mile, coming beside a conifer plantation on your right. Then the hard work ends when you climb a ladderstile over the wall and walk ahead along a short path to join a track.


6 Turn left and follow the way eventually moving into woodland. The track is quite good but take care where stones protrude. Carry on ahead, past High Force and walk on ahead for 3/4 mile through the lovely decidous woodland. Eventually the track takes you out of the trees, to pass through bracken. Ignore the first short path right to a stile into the woodland and carry on to take the second little path and stile. Turn left and soon pass the gate on your left, taken at the start. Carry on downhill and then steps to reach The Glade. Follow the path ahead to the car park.


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Practicals

• Distance: 5 1/2 miles/9km
• Time: 4 hours
• Height gain: 993ft/334m
• Terrain: Path to the shooting lodge is good but high and exposed in parts. A reinforced path continues uphill to the start of damp area. The descent is good at first, with one short wettish area. The final steep descent needs care but the big rocks do keep your feet dry!
• Map: OS Explorer 5

For more photos, see "A walk to Aira Force and Gowbarrow summit" on Flickr.

If you enjoyed this blog post, find more walks by Mary Welsh either by clicking through to take a look at A list of walks in the Lake District or use the search bar in the top left hand of your screen.

Please read Mary Welsh's Golden Rules for good, safe walking before setting out.

A walk to Blea Tarn, Side Pike and Lingmoor

Most Lakeland walks begin from the valley but this route lets the car take the sting out of the early climb so the hard work starts well up the slopes of the two summits visited.


1 Start from the parking area opposite Blea Tarn and cross the road that links Little Langdale and Great Langdale. Go through the gate to overlook the lovely pool. It lies in a shallow hollow that was gouged out of the bedrock by glacial ice, overflowing from one dale into the other. Pause by the shore of the tarn to enjoy the superb view of the Pikes. Tall pine and larch line the western bank of the pool and are pleasingly reflected in the silvery water. Cross the footbridge over Bleamoss Beck and turn right to stroll the recently restored track through the sweet smelling small woodland. Perhaps pause here on one of the wooden seats to enjoy this glorious corner.
2 Follow the stony path as it emerges from the trees onto the open fell, below the eastern flank of Rakerigg. Immediately ahead is the shapely Side Pike, one of the aims of this walk, and, beyond, more spectacular views of the Langdale Pikes. Go through the gate at the end of the long winding track and turn right to come to the side of the pass between the two Langdales. The views from here are stunning. Look for Crinkle Crags, Bowfell, Pike of Bliscoe, and also of the Langdale Pikes - Pike o’ Stickle, Loft Crag, Thorn Crag, Harrison and Pavey Ark. Also spend a little time looking down into the lovely valley far below, with its seemingly tiny walled fields. You might even spot a miniature man on a miniature tractor, ploughing a field.


3 Cross the road, go over the ladderstile opposite and continue ahead up the worn path. Keep with it as it winds right and carries on to a lovely grassy area. Follow the tiny cairn directing you through the outcrops, still on the path, to walk on beside, on your left, a derelict wall. Eventually the distinct path goes through a gap in the wall and continues on to the summit (1187 ft/360m).. The views from here are magnificent in all directions, including that of Blea Tarn shimmering in the distance. Ahead the crags drop sheer. Do not attempt to descend from the summit in any direction other than that taken to get there.
4 Return through the gap in the wall and continue on the path as it slants diagonally down the slopes between crags. On meeting a path coming in on your right, turn left and follow the ledge-like way round below the cliff face on your left. When your way appears blocked, take off your rucksack and squeeze through the restricted gap, passing behind the boulder and under the overhang of the cliff – perhaps regretting that extra cream bun.


5 Carry on downhill, with a wall to your left to reach a fence with a stile. Cross and continue in the same direction, climbing steadily uphill, with the wall to your left. Where it turns sharp left take the stile over a fence. Three paths go off from here. Do not take the left one. The one to your right requires a very steep scramble up by the wall; the middle one is easiest. It makes a big zigzag across the steep hill, then rejoins the path beside the wall. Follow the wall up, scrambling in one of two places. Eventually it is replaced with a fence. Carry on beside it along the knobbly ridge until you reach a high rocky outcrop with a cairn. You have reached the summit of Lingmoor, 1530ft/469m.
6 Almost immediately, after leaving the top, cross a stile over the fence. Another fence goes off at right angles to the main one here. Follow this downhill, right, on a clear cairned path, zigzagging down a scree area, until scattered larches appear beyond the wall, on your right, which has now replaced the fence, the path descending into a boggy hollow. Cross the wall at a bit of fence that was probably once a stile. Go on the clear path up the far side of the hollow and then turn along its edge, winding in and out of rocky outcrops and descending steadily.
7 Where the slope is steep the path has been pitched. It returns you to the edge of a wooded gill, and then goes through a gate gap in a wall. Continue down the stony way and then a grassy swathe through bracken to reach the road near Blea Tarn House. Turn left to return to the car park.


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Practicals

• Start/finish: The National Trust car park by Blea Tarn. Access this from Great Langdale or Little Langdale. (GR 296044). If a member of the Trust, remember to take your membership card for free parking.
• Distance: 4 miles/6.5km
• Time: 3 hours
• Height Gain: 1110ft/340m
• Terrain: Easy walking from Blea Tarn. More challenging when exploring Side Pike and Lingmoor Fell
• Map: OS Explorer 6, English Lakes south-western area.
• Refreshments: Elterwater or Skelwith Bridge

For more photos, see "A walk to Blea Tarn, Side Pike and Lingmoor" on Flickr.

If you enjoyed this blog post, find more walks by Mary Welsh either by clicking through to take a look at A list of walks in the Lake District or use the search bar in the top left hand of your screen.

Please read Mary Welsh's Golden Rules for good, safe walking before setting out.

A walk through Great Langdale with an unusual start

Charming Elterwater village lies at the entrance to Great Langdale valley. The cottages were built to house the many men, and their families, who worked the slate quarries around the village. Today, some of these cottages, with pretty gardens and roses round the doors, house visitors on holiday. Through the village flows the lively Great Langdale Beck and on its north side, once stood a gunpowder works, opened by the quarry owners in 1824. Today it is a time-share complex bringing more visitors to the village.


1. From the car park go left over Elterwater bridge and walk right, beside glorious Great Langdale Beck. Look out for the signed path, right, which takes you down to the side of the tumbling water, passing vast heaps of slate waste on your left. Continue on to cross the footbridge over the beck. Walk left past Wainwrights Inn, named after earlier builders of wooden wagons that carried the slate. A short distance along go left again on a signed track behind a walled garden. At the tarmacked road, bear right to Langdale road, which you cross and turn left. Almost immediately walk, right, up a minor road to where it bends towards the church. Here go left to a gate and a signposted footpath.


2. Stroll the path, which is completely overshadowed by a huge retaining wall, holding back vast mounds of slate waste. The path soon leads through the bottom of an enormous disused quarry, the way signed with white arrows painted on boulders. It passes great caverns, cut into massive rock faces, and continues along a lengthy ‘bank’ of slate. The way heads on, twisting and winding round crags on paths established by quarrymen. The way then ascends a winding slate ‘staircase’, which takes you up and up on to green sward, high above the quarry, where you will be amazed at the change of scene. Go ahead along a wide green sward, behind a row of cottages. Before the delightful path begins to descend to the road, climb right, beyond a stream and a large outcrop, until you reach a small waterfall.
3. Here enjoy a splendid view of the Pikes and then walk left on a narrow path through bracken, using a pecked (black dots and dashes) path seen on the OS map. Carry on over a hillock, then below a huge natural tumble of slate to reach a wall climbing the slopes. Follow the path, tucked up beside the wall, on your left, which continues traversing the fell until it turns down left. From here there is a perfect view of the Langdale Valley. In a few steps descend, half-right, to gate at the right end of a fence. Go through and follow the steepish path, parallel with the wall on your right, to reach the valley road, just before Harry Place.


4. Stride right to take the second left turn, a wide reinforced track through the lovely valley, until it decants you into a car park opposite the entrance to New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. If after your challenging walk through the quarry and over the slopes, you need a break, walk up the track to the hotel for a stop at the Walkers Café on the right. Then return to the road, walk right and very soon, left, to stroll a wide track, the Cumbria Way, that leads across the valley floor, over Great Langdale Beck and continues to a gate on the left of Side House. Beyond, turn left, walk the track to go through a gap in the wall and then a kissing gate, before starting your steady ascent of the pitched path that leads you up, and away from the beck, to a gap in the wall.
5. Step across the stream, which hurries down the steep slopes of Lingmoor, that rears up to your right. Carry on along the path, rough in places, with the wall to your left. Stroll on until you reach a signpost. Bear left to pass in front of pretty Oak Howe cottage and continue towards the river. Do not cross the footbridge but walk right along a good track, with the beck hurrying on its way, to your left. Cross the next bridge, New Bridge, constructed in 1818, and follow the track beyond. Just before the track reaches the road at Chapel Stile, follow a pleasing walled way, to pass between dwellings and go on to the tarmacked road, where you turned right almost at the outset of your walk.


6. Carry on ahead along the unmade way to wind round with the track to join the road. Walk right to pass Wainwrights and then cross the footbridge, the gate often hidden by parked cars in the lower car park of the inn. Then retrace your outward steps to Elterwater.

Practicals

• Start/Finish: National Trust car park in the centre of the village, where members can park for free, grid ref 329047. Don’t forget your membership card. If this is full, park on the common above the village, grid ref 329051, where the hard standing is free (at present) and then descend to the centre of the village (add on 1/2 mile to your walk).
• Distance: 6miles/9.5km
• Time: 3-4 hours
• Height gain: 460ft/140m
• Terrain: Exciting trail through quarry; some good tracks and paths; wonderful views (5381 and 5376). Suitable for most walkers.
• Refreshments: Walkers Café, New Dungeon Ghyll. Wainwrights Inn, Chapel Stile
• Maps: OS Explorers OL 6 and 7 Landranger 90

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For more photos, see "A walk through Great Langdage with an unusual start" on Flickr.

If you enjoyed this blog post, find more walks by Mary Welsh either by clicking through to take a look at A list of walks in the Lake District or use the search bar in the top left hand of your screen.

Please read Mary Welsh's Golden Rules for good, safe walking before setting out.