| Coniston Old Man - Route Three |
| Start - Little Arrow SD 290 950 | Distance - 2.8 miles | Ascent - 2,330 feet | Time - 2 hours : 15 minutes |
| Warning - The ascent of Goat Crag is classed as a Grade One Scramble. However it involves very easy scrambling which is open to wide variation and almost all difficulties can be by-passed by grass ledges and rakes. The route provides an interesting and unusual way to reach the summit but, as with all rock scrambling, care must be taken at all times |
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| The start of the walk from Little Arrow |
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| At the end of the short lane between the cottages a stile gives access to a walled footpath through the intake fields |
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| As the path reaches its highest point the view opens out across to White Maiden, Walna Scar and Brown Pike |
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| Dow Crag and Coniston Old Man from the path through the intakes |
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| Approaching the disused Banishead Quarry |
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| Buck Pike and Dow Crag from Banishead Quarry. The path continues across the common to join the Walna Scar Road |
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| Looking across Banishead Common to the distant Far Eastern Fells |
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| The path joins the Walna Scar Road at the second rock gate |
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| A few yards beyond the rock gate a large cairn indicates the start of clear path which climbs steadily towards The Cove |
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| Looking back from the start of the path to The Cove |
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| Buck Pike and Dow Crag from the path below The Cove |
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| Dow Crag from The Cove |
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| Goat Crag from The Cove. The scramble route starts at the lowest rocks in the centre of the photo, climbs towards the prominent, shadowed, block on the centre right and continues up the rough slopes of Old Man Breast on the right skyline |
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| Looking across The Cove to Brown Pike |
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| The start of the scramble up Goat Crag |
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| The beginning of the scramble is marked by a small cairn. The first craglet is about 15 feet high and can be climbed by cracks either side of its central recess, the left side is easier, continuing on over easier angled slabs above where the rock merges into the grass slope. This proves to be typical of this scramble, a succession of rock outcrops linked by short sections of grass and height is gained surprisingly quickly |
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| Looking across The Cove to Coniston Water from the start of the scramble |
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| Dow Crag from the start of the scramble |
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| Looking down to The Cove from the top of the first section |
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| The next outcrop lies above a broad grassy saddle, climbed directly to the base of the large block, centre right, then by easier ribs trending left |
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| Dow Crag from the base of the second outcrop |
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| The middle section of the scramble, the next outcrop is climbed by the smooth groove on the centre left then an easy traverse to the prominent block centre right which was very noticeable from the path along The Cove |
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| Paragliders over the south ridge of Coniston Old Man |
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| From the top of the prominent block a well defined rocky ridge leads up to eventually merge into a broad sweep of broken crags which mark the end of the most interesting part of the scramble. Near the end of the ridge bear left above a narrow grass gully onto a shattered rib to avoid the final steep face. The broken crags take the form of a giant staircase which climbs across Old Man Breast and leads easily to the grassy slopes below the summit |
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| Looking over the disused Cove Quarries to Coniston Water |
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| Looking across The Cove to the Duddon Estuary, Brown Pike on the right |
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| Looking down the grass gully to Coniston Water |
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| Dow Crag from the top of the grass gully |
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| The Scafells appear over Goat's Hawse |
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| Looking down along the line of the scramble up Goat Crag from the start of traverse over the broken crags on Old Man Breast |
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| Coniston Water and Morecambe Bay from Old Man Breast |
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| The Scafells from the broken crags on Old Man Breast |
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| Dow Crag and Goat's Water from Old Man Breast |
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| The crags eventually merge into the grass slope and the summit soon comes into view |
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| The summit cairn on Coniston Old Man |
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| The trig point and connecting ridge to Brim Fell |
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| Looking north to Brim Fell, Swirl How and Great Carrs on the main ridge of the Coniston fells |
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| Low Water and Levers Water |
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| Coniston and the head of Coniston Water |
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| Looking south-east to Coniston Water and Morecambe Bay |
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| Brown Pike and Buck Pike |
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| Dow Crag |
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| Harter Fell |
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| The Scafell group |
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