***

The Old Man of Coniston, from Coniston village

The Old Man of Coniston stands over the village of Coniston and can be seen from many of its streets. It is barely 3.0km (1.9 miles) from the village centre, but is over 600m of climbing!

The area around Coniston, particularly on the slopes of The Old Man, were once a hive of heavy industry. Mining for slate and copper saw an aerial tramway high above the village to transport the ore down into the valley for processing. Left over spoil heaps and ruins still cover the fellsides. Despite that, in no way could it really be said to ruin a walk here; this is history.

Coniston is closely associated with two people. John Ruskin, lived at Brantwood on the eastern bank of Coniston Water which is now owned by the National Trust. And Donald Campbell, who died on Coniston Water whilst trying to set a new water speed record on 4th January 1967. The Ruskin Museum in Coniston house the remains of Bluebird K7 in a dedicated wing built specially called of course the Bluebird Wing which was opened in 2008. If you have time you could visit the museum on the way back from the walk.

This walk starts at the Tourist Information Centre, next to the Lake District National Park Authority pay and display car park. The sports centre also allow all day parking for a small fee.