Wetherlam & Old Man of Coniston: route guide

Vivienne Crow alternates between rocky walking and easy scrambling on this route taking in Wetherlam and the Old Man of Coniston.

I don’t mind admitting that, while I love the feel and challenge of rock under my hands on an easy scramble, I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to exposure. Hall’s Fell, yes; Sharp Edge, no. So, when my fell-walking radar picked up on Wetherlam’s Steel Edge, I was intrigued – especially as it would indulge my insatiable appetite for ‘alternative’ routes in the well-trodden Lakes. It turned out to be straightforward – the angle of the climb is not especially steep, there are plenty of good foot and hand-holds and, if you keep to the gullies, there’s no sense of exposure. The biggest drawback was that it was so short-lived. I found that, after gaining Wetherlam’s summit, I then had to deliberately seek out more rock on Swirl How’s Prison Band to maintain the scrambling ‘high’. Needless to say, with a perfectly good path avoiding the trickiest ground, I got some funny looks! By the time I reached the main ridge though, I’d got my fix and was happy simply to stride out…

Wetherlam and the Old Man of Coniston: route description

START/FINISH: Tilberthwaite Gill car park, GR NY306010. Travelling north on A593 from Coniston, turn left for Tilberthwaite after 1.9km. The car park is on the left 1.5km up this lane | MAPS: OS Explorer OL6 (1:25k), OS Landranger 89 and 97 (1:50k), Harvey 1:25,000 Superwalker Lake District West | DISTANCE: 15.3km/9.5 miles | ASCENT: 1230m/4035ft | DURATION: 5½-6½ hours

1. NY306009: Having climbed the steps from the car park’s southern end, the path passes several quarry entrances. Keep left as a trail drops to the right and, in a further 600m, the path swings SW. Take the faint trail on the right here.

2. NY299006: Immediately after fording Crook Beck, head roughly N on a trail that, in 160m, nears a footbridge. Instead of crossing it, veer WNW, climbing beside an old mining level through the bracken. Turn right (N) on reaching a clearer path about 70m beyond the bridge but then, in just a few more metres, bear left (NW) along a lesser trail. This passes beneath some bare rock, swings W and then SW. Before long, a broad, grass-covered ramp leads directly to the base of Steel Edge’s rocky gullies. The lower gullies are scree filled, but there’s some easy scrambling in the top one. There’s nothing tricky here and no sense of exposure; in fact, it’s all over far too quickly. Before you know it, you’ve got grass underfoot for the final pull on to Wetherlam’s south ridge.

3. NY292002: Turn right along the ridge path. Wetherlam’s summit rocks provide lots of sheltered spots to rest, refuel and, hopefully, enjoy impressive views NW to Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell in the middle distance, with Scafell and Scafell Pike behind.

4. NY288011: The path to Swirl How can be difficult to find in mist, but head roughly WNW and it should materialise. It drops slightly, traversing the northern flank of Black Sails, and later descends to a large cairn at Swirl Hawse. Continue straight across to climb Prison Band. If Steel Edge didn’t satisfy your lust for scrambling, you could clamber up the rockier sections of this ridge – but the main path negotiates an easier route through any obstacles as it climbs to the summit cairn on Swirl How.

5. NY273005: Walk S along the high, broad ridge, always keeping steep ground on your left. The path later drops to Levers Hawse. As you begin climbing Brim Fell, ignore a trail to the right. Beyond the summit cairn, the clear path continues easily to the Old Man, from where you can see Morecambe Bay and, on a clear day, the Isle of Man and even the Welsh mountains.

6. SD273978: Take the clear, but loose path descending left behind the summit platform. This zig-zags down to Low Water and then swings south-east, down through disused quarry workings.

7. SD284981: Watch for a clear turning on the left near Crowberry Haws but don’t take it; instead, just before the main track then swings S, drop left on to a path continuing roughly NE. (This junction is easy to miss.) In 1.1km, cross Miners Bridge over Church Beck on the left.

8. SD294980: Turn left along the rough vehicle track for 145m and then turn right along a gently rising track. Keep right at the next fork. In another 140m, follow the main track round to the right. At the edge of disused quarry workings, turn left along an easy-to-miss path climbing beneath the slate spoil heaps.

9. SD295993: After passing to the right of a small tarn near Hole Rake, the views to the NE open out in dramatic fashion. As the path descends, it maintains enough height to avoid boggy ground in the bottom of this hanging valley. The lazily meandering Crook Beck, on your left, becomes considerably more impressive as it enters Tilberthwaite Gill near waypoint 2. Swing right here, retracing your steps to the car park.

Further information

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: None

TOURIST INFORMATION: www.lakedistrict.gov.uk, 0845 9010845