UK Mountains Expedition Report

Peaks climbed : Wetherlam (762m), Black Sails (745m), Swirl How (802m), Great Carrs (785m), Grey Friar (770m), Brim Fell (796m), The Old Man (803m), Dow Crag (778m), Walna Scar (621m)

Total Distance : 23km, Total Ascent : 1,315m

From Coniston village, there is a really nice loop that takes in all bar one of the Coniston Group of mountains. That was the plan, it very nearly succeeded.

Leaving Coniston past the Museum I was soon on the cinder road which led to Coniston Coppermines YHA. My path would soon veer off to the right onto very steep ground which led relentlessly upwards in the direction of Wetherlam(762m) some considerable distance away. The path never really lets up and it is uphill for more than two hours before it eases somewhat. On the way I could see the YHA and the mines and did wonder whether that might have been a better route but the same height had to be gained, my path was okay so I continued. It had been raining right from the start and with the low clouds I lost sight of everything within about 20 minutes and would not have a decent view all day. Wetherlam is a long slog, but once on the top, walking over to Black Sails(745m) seemed relatively quick, although the summit itself is somewhat off the main path, easy to miss in the poor visibility.

Back on the main track, the next objective was Swirl How, the second highest and by far the most difficult summit to reach, requiring some rock climbing skills to actually stand on the top. Pausing only briefly I was soon scrambling down and heading off to Great Carrs(785m) which arrived within a few minutes and caught me by surprise at its proximity to Swirl How. Again, no view and not much of a summit, so I checked my bearings and headed off, passing the aircraft crash memorial just down from the summmit. Grey Friar(770m) is an out-and-back peak with little choice but to do it, although the corner can be cut on the return leg.

Brim Fell(796m) was the next stop which is most of the way to The Old Man(803m) and quite a long stretch. With the lack of visibility it seemed even further but I knew once I'd climbed it, there was not much further to the highest of the day. On the summit of The Old Man, I found some shelter from the wind and rain and quickly ate my lunch. It was still very cold and the rain had not stopped all day, needless to say, I was soaked. After lunch I decided to put my mittens on as well as my fingers were cold in my sodden Rab gloves. This soon warmed me up and helped to dry out the gloves a little.

Dow Crag(778m) is around the ridge that towers above Goats Water, unfortunately I couldn't see it so simply followed the path around and onto the summit. From here, it feels like it's on the way home as the path drops down to the Walna Scar road, but there are two final peaks to climb. I was feeling really tired at this point, the rain, if anything, was getting worse and the visibility still non-existent, and I was now a little concerned that I would finish in the dark, so I decided I would do Walna Scar(621m) and leave White Maiden for another day. On reflection I could have done it as the descent was long, but not difficult. Walna Scar is barely worth the trouble, but it's on the list so has to be done, even though it's a small cairn and nothing else.

That done, I retraced my steps onto the Walna Scar Road and began the three mile walk back down to Coniston. Lack of views made progress seem very slow but eventually I arrived at the car park and the final 3/4 mile down to the village, the day done.

Peaks climbed : White Maiden (610m)

Total Distance : 14km, Total Ascent : 550m

The one main peak missed on the Coniston Loop needed to be done. Leaving the car just North of the tiny hamlet of Seathwaite I crossed a couple of fields and onto the Walna Scar road, the one I had finished on yesterday. A signpost showing Coniston 4.5 miles gave me confidence that I was heading in the right direction. It is a long climb up and is uphill for the entire walk to the summits.

Being a reasonably wide track, navigation is easy. Once on the crest, turn right for Walna Scar again, then a further ten minutes along the path, head off slightly left and uphill to the summit of White Maiden(610m). Another unimpressive summit and given that the rain was heavy, the wind strong and I was already soaked through again, I didn't pause other than to take a quick photo before heading back down the way I had come up, then onward past Seathwaite along the road to my pick up point.

Peaks climbed : Harter Fell (653m)

Total Distance : 13km, Total Ascent : 745m

Seathwaite was the start and finish point for this walk. There is a short road walk before heading into the countryside. Crossing the Tarn Beck was via the narrow bridge and into a small woodland before crossing the main River Duddon via an even thinner bridge and heading out on a good track past the farm. From here, the path climbed quite steeply up following the line of Rake Beck and through the woodland to emerge into open countryside around Wallowbarrow Crag.

The path heads over open ground and is always good, being owned and presumably maintained by the Forestry Commission. Eventually a small hamlet is reached and the path heads left to follow Grassguards Gill becoming a thin and at times, muddy track. This eventually leads through a forest and pops out onto open ground.

There is a small path marked on the map which I eventually located and followed it upwards on even steeper ground. I was now on Harter Fell and the steepness would continue for another 200 metres or so of vertical ascent until the summit rocks appear. There is a final scramble onto the main summit, although the Trig point shown on the map is not on the highest point, the true summit is obvious and I stayed a while for photos and to admire the view.

It was quite cold so we didn't linger long and started down on our route back which would take a different way back. After a few minutes we found a small rock which was out of the wind and in the sunshine so decided to stop for drinks and food. That done, we headed down on very steep and uneven ground which didn't relent until we got to the Forest track near Birks Farm.

Some good walking followed on good tracks back to Grassguards where we followed the thin track downhill. The path was okay to start, if a little thin, then it entered a woodland and with the autumn leaves, the path disappeared but I knew I had to head downhill and slightly right towards the stream where I would reach the bridge crossing. All good. In my mind, all I now had to do was to follow the river path back to the thin bridge and it was all done. Well, this, so called path, headed up and down over every knoll and rise, then deteriorated into a very rocky path which went on for a mile or so. It was an exhausting end to the days walking but eventually I arrived at the bridge which I crossed and retraced my steps up to the road, along to Seathwaite and into the pub for a well earned coffee and lunch.

It was a great day out to conquer the final peak in the Coniston group and I couldn't help reflecting on how much better the weather and views had been than the last time where the weather was just dreadful!