From near Tarn Hows

Coniston Old Man is the first fell I learned to call by name, having read Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books to death as a child. In the novels, the mountain that the children named Kanchenjunga is actually the Old Man, in a slightly fictionalised Lakeland setting. Arthur Ransome's books provided the first seeds of inspiration that would later propell me into the hills.

For hill-goers who frequent Coniston, the Old Man is a familiar and uplifting sight, casting its welcoming shadow over the village and providing both revenue for the locals, in the form of tourists, and a worthy hike for those who enjoy walking in the area. On my first solo Lakeland trip in May 2005, Coniston was, for me, the natural choice for a first base camp, and had I not changed my route at the last minute, the Old Man would have been the first summit for me to climb. As it happened, I climbed Dow Crag first, linking the Old Man in via a ridge-walk over Goats Hause.

The day started cold and miserable, with constant rain, and a freezing wind blasting out of the north. The previous night had been spent huddled in my tiny tent wondering if it would still be there the next morning. Still, I was determined to enjoy climbing this fell I had always wanted to climb, and despite dire weather forecasts, I set out. In those days I knew little about hiking equipment, and although my choice of boots was sound (Brasher Hillmasters), my waterproof coat turned out, well, not to be.

But I'm known for my stubbornness. Despite the fact that I was already soaked through by the time I reached the Walna Scar car park, I carried on going up the Pass towards the col between Walna Scar and Brown Pike. By the time I reached the col I had been above the cloud base for almost an hour, and the wind had increased to gale-force, giving a wind-chill of well below zero. I was beginning to wonder if this had been such a great idea after all.

I reached Dow Crag safely (see the Dow Crag file for more info), and ploughed on towards the Old Man. Although I was cold and wet, I was feeling fit from several weeks of long-distance walking, and I was finding the going much easier than I had expected. I reached the summit of the Old Man very quickly.

The sense of achievement that struck me when I had those final rocks underfoot was amazing. Despite everything, here I was, at the summit of Coniston Old Man ... I had done something I'd dreamed about doing for years. And it made all the discomfort and doubt worthwhile.

The weather got considerably worse on the descent, and the night that followed was probably the worst in my entire life ... but that's another story!

From Coniston Water	From Beacon Fell
The summit on a quiet day	Low Water from the quarries path
From the lake	From near Tarn Hows