The Old Man of Coniston: How High It Is, How Long to Climb, and the Quarries

The Old Man of Coniston rises directly above Coniston village, bringing high fell country close to the shore of Coniston Water. At 802.4 metres, it combines a broad summit outlook with a landscape visibly shaped by slate quarrying. Walkers come for the height and the views, but the tarns, neighbouring ridges and traces of working life give this familiar fell its particular character.

A fell above the village and lake

The Old Man stands west of Coniston village, with Coniston Water stretching south through the landscape below. Its position near the southern edge of the high fells gives the summit an unusually varied outlook: rugged mountain country to the north, the lake and wooded lower ground to the east, and Morecambe Bay in clear conditions. A substantial cairn and an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar mark the summit.

The fell has more than one face. Above the village, its eastern slopes carry the scars of quarrying, with Low Water held in a rocky hollow beneath the summit. To the west, Goat’s Water occupies the deep valley between the Old Man and Dow Crag. Across that tarn, Dow Crag’s buttresses provide a striking contrast to the Old Man’s broader upper slopes.

Slate, copper and a working landscape

This is not a landscape untouched by people. Slate quarrying has left spoil heaps, ruined buildings and remnants of transport equipment high on the eastern flank. These remains are among the fell’s most recognisable features, setting it apart from summits whose industrial history is less immediately visible. They record the practical business of extracting and moving stone in steep, exposed terrain.

The wider Coniston fells also have a long association with copper mining, particularly in the Coppermines Valley below Wetherlam. Slate and copper belong to distinct parts of that working history, rather than one single industry. Around the Old Man, the quarry remains make that history tangible, although old workings and structures should be treated with caution rather than explored casually.

The Old Man among the Southern Fells

Alfred Wainwright included the Old Man in The Southern Fells, the fourth volume of his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. At 802.4 metres, or 2,633 feet, it ranks 32nd among the 214 Wainwrights. It is a prominent member of the Coniston group, with a broad high-level connection northwards to Brim Fell and onward towards Swirl How.

Dow Crag, Swirl How and Great Carrs help place the summit within a larger gathering of ridges, tarns and crags. The Old Man can be appreciated as an individual fell, but its connection to this wider high ground is a large part of its appeal. Its accessibility from Coniston does not remove the need for mountain judgement: exposed ground, poor visibility and changing weather remain important considerations.

Where the Old Man of Coniston stands

Summit at grid reference SD272978 · open full map

The real Old Man of Coniston

Walking the Old Man of Coniston

We make artwork, not route guides — these are the guides we'd point a friend to:

• Guide links to be curated.

Weather on the Old Man of Coniston

Conditions estimated at summit height (802 m) via Open-Meteo. For a walker's forecast, use the Mountain Weather Information Service.

The Old Man of Coniston on your wall

Our AI Art Personas have painted this landscape, drawing on the Old Man’s distinctive profile, rocky tarns and quarry-marked slopes. A print or canvas offers a way to keep those familiar forms close, whether Coniston is part of everyday life or somewhere you return to on foot.

Own “Old Man of Coniston Sunlit Ridge” — our painting of the Old Man of Coniston → or browse all Fells & Mountains artwork

Neighbouring Wainwrights in The Southern Fells

• Brim Fell 796 m
• Dow Crag 778 m
• Swirl How 802 m
• Great Carrs 785 m

Part of our guide to all 214 Wainwrights — see the full index.