Walk Summary
A tramp around the detritus of Coniston's old copper mines. Avoid the crowds with the ascent to Wetherlam along Red Dell. Join the crowds on the classic Coniston skyline walk from Swirl How to the Old Man Of Coniston. Wonderful views throughout.
Date: 18/04/2023
Length: 8.26 miles
Height Gain: 983 m
Terrain: Stone tracks, muddy tracks, stone steps, grass tracks, steep stone steps, a little very easy scrambling on Prison Band, lightly used roads
Navigation: Map, compass and gps required. High level route. The track at the end of Red Dell to Wetherlam's summit is indistinct. Bearing may be required. Other hints on the map.
Start: Coniston Village Carpark
Route: Coniston Village Carpark, Miners Bridge, Red Dell, Wetherlam, Prison Band, Swirl How, Brim Fell, Old Man Of Coniston, Miners Bridge
Map: OL6 South Western Lake District
Weather: Sunny and blue skies.
Walkers: Nun, Cabin Boy, Captain Mo
Captain's Log
Kapitan
The weather forecast was good today and so we set off on a high level walk across the Coniston Fells. Captain Mo put on his new sun hat and I noticed that the brand emblem on the front of it looked remarkably like a swastika. I asked him whether he'd bought it from a German Army Stores but he claimed that he'd acquired it from OutdoorGB.com for £15. I asked him if this was a commercial outlet for a fascist group, but he wasn't sure on that point. He obviously couldn't be Captain Mo for the day and so I reranked him to Kapitan Mo.
We parked in the centre of Coniston and followed the Church Beck path up to Miners Bridge. We made good progress since the Kapitan had adopted a far quicker goose-stepping style of walking. There was a good view of the fells that we would be tackling today: Wetherlam, Swirl How, Brim Fell and the Old Man Of Coniston. We branched off the main mine road on to the track that leads to Red Dell.
Remains Of Kennel Crag Copper Mine Works
Coniston Mine Works
Restored Mine Workings
Coppermine Valley
Copper mines had been active in the Coniston area since 1590 and there's much evidence of previous activity, including the remnants of buildings, cables, stone pillars, machinery and of course, spoil heaps. Copper mining stopped in 1914. A large water wheel is still working near the Youth Hostel. The Coniston Copper project received £455,000 from the lottery in 2016 and this was spent on the repair and stabilisation of ten different structures. It's a shame that some of that money wasn't dedicated to a few more information boards. The only one I found was near Kennel Crag where it describes a grisly incident of somebody getting caught and killed in the mining gear.
We left the mines behind as we made our way along the valley bottom of Red Dell. The track is rather moist and is littered with boulders, large and small, that have tumbled down from the crags of Black Sail's southern ridge. None of the falls look recent and so there was no need to panic. The track became rather vague, the higher up the valley we walked. The odd cairn had been created to provide encouragement. It was well worth turning around occasionally to see a tremendous view down the valley to the huge lump of the Old Man Of Coniston.
Looking Down Red Dell
Wetherlam To The Old Man
There was nobody else at the top of Wetherlam and we didn't stay long since a cold wind quickly chilled us. We dropped down from the top and found some shelter to have brunch. I shared a flask of coffee with the Cabin Boy whilst the Kapitan knocked back glasses of schnapps while nibbling from a large Bockwurst.
It really was a glorious day with sunshine and blue skies. That wind was chilly though. We soon warmed up when we started the steep climb up Prison Band to the summit of Swirl How. Despite the cold wind, a few people were walking in tee shirts and shorts. It was one of those types of days. After admiring the view from Swirl How's cairn, we headed off south along the ridge to the Old Man Of Coniston. The cross wind was so strong now that it was sometimes difficult to make progress. We eventually made it to the large cairn on the desolate plateau of Brim Fell and walked onwards to the Old Man. We thought it would be busy near the trig and so we dropped down from the ridge to gain what shelter we could for our lunch. I was interested to see that the Kapitan retrieved a bottle of Berliner Weisse from his rucksack and a tupperware container of currywurst and a few pretzels.
Prison Band Ascent To Swirl How
Brim Fell's Cairn
More Mining Detrius On The Descent
Old Man Of Coniston
The views from the Old Man Of Coniston are pretty amazing. It feels like an almost vertical drop down to the small tarn of Low Water, with the tourist path zig-zagging its way up the hillside. We could see dozens of people on the path making imperceptible progress. A cold wind was still blowing and so we started making our way down to meet them. This was definitely the tourist path. Some of the people ascending looked a little out of their depth and distinctly unhappy. One young girl was carrying a boutique shoulder bag and wearing thin soled plimsolls. Fair play to them though, they had done well to get this close to the top.
'CAN I SKIRT AROUND YOU?' I nearly jumped out of my skin. The elderly man had crept up behind me and wanted to pass me on the narrow track. I was that surprised I didn't even reply to him. I let him pass by me and I glanced back at the Kapitan and the Cabin Boy giggling.
Low Water
Return To Coniston
Once we were out of the wind it got a good deal warmer and we soon delayered to our tee shirts. The patio tables were fully occupied at the Sun Inn, and we plodded on back through the village to the carpark.
It had been a cracking day's walking helped by the superb weather. In 2019 we'd done more or less the same route in mid-May and were hit by a snow storm. Somebody had even built a small snowman and placed it on to the top of Old Man Of Coniston's trig. It just goes to show that no matter what time of year, it is best to prepare for bad weather. Despite the Kapitan displaying some teutonic tendencies (e.g. eating and drinking excessively), he still lacked some of their more useful characteristics (e.g. punctuality, hard-working and organised).
Old Man Of Coniston Descent