From the Cove

Dow Crag is one of the most impressive cliffs in the Lake District. Although hidden from Coniston, this fell has great presence when seen from the moorland above Torver, and it is from this direction that the mountain is best approached.

I climbed Dow Crag on the way to Coniston Old Man in May 2005. My starting-point was the Walna Scar car park, and from here I followed the eroded track of the Walna Scar Pass as far as its summit( a wild and windy col below Brown Pike). The weather had grown steadily worse throughout the ascent. By the time I reached the summit of the pass, the wind was so strong I was having difficulties standing up.

Undeterred, I climbed the short but steep rise to Brown Pike, then followed the easy ridge to Buck Pike and eventually Dow Crag itself. The weather was very unfortunate, because in clear weather there is a first-class view looking down to Blind Tarn and Goats Water far below. Equally, there was very little sense of being at the edge of a huge precipice from the summit of Dow Crag.

The highest point is marked by a proud outcrop of rock, too small to bear a cairn. This was the first Wainwright fell I climbed all the way to the top, and also my first scramble (albeit a short one). With freezing hands, wet rock, and a dangerously high wind, I did not enjoy the experience.

Unfortunately I have few photos of Dow Crag. The large one above is from an earlier trip in 2003, when we visited Goats Water without venturing onto the tops. The two below are from my more recent trip.

Looking down a gully

The summit