Mountain Scrambling in the Coniston Fells

Route: Long Crag Buttress, The Bell, Brim Fell Slabs, Brim Fell, The Old Man Of Coniston

Meet at: Outside Coniston Tourist Information Centre, Ruskin Avenue, Coniston, postcode LA21 8EH. There is a large car park next to the meeting point but it is expensive. Better to find roadside parking nearby and make your way on foot to meet us. As an environmentally conscious group, we actively encourage car sharing. Further details of car sharing arrangements from Sheffield, Manchester and elsewhere will appear in the comments section nearer the time.

The Coniston Fells encompass everything that is great about the Lake District. With an array of towering cliffs, airy ridges, delicate slabs and cascading gills, all in a stunning mountain setting, this place is a utopian playground for the dedicated scrambler. This outing will link up three of the best amenable routes in the area to make up one of the finest easy scrambling days to be had anywhere in the UK.

Long Crag Buttress is an enjoyable and entertaining scramble on perfect rough rock with the added bonus of starting right down at the roadside. The Bell is another excellent route, steep in places and tasty for the grade but very positive with good holds all the way. Brim Fell Slabs starts with delightful moves on exquisitely delicate rock before throwing up some interesting route finding challenges on more broken ground.

Topping out on the summit of Brim Fell, this is one of the most satisfying ascents you can have of any mountain in the Lake District without using ropes and gear. To add even more to the day we will then continue along the ridge to the summit of The Old Man Of Coniston, the highest point of the Coniston Fells and indeed once the highest point in Lancashire before the county boundaries were redrawn in 1974.

The full day will include a Grade 1 up scramble up Long Crag Buttress, a descent to the valley floor using an intricate network of sheep paths, a stream crossing and steady hike up the lower reaches of the Copper Mines Valley, a Grade 1/2 (between Grade 1 and 2) scrambling ascent of The Bell, followed by a Grade 2 scrambling ascent of Brim Fell Slabs to take us up to the summit of Brim Fell, then a hike along the ridge to the summit of The Old Man Of Coniston before a long leisurely descent down the valley on the way back to Coniston village.

Photos from some of the previous times we did this outing can be seen here:

https://www.meetup.com/sheffield-mountaineering-rock-climbing-meet/photos/33890742/

https://www.meetup.com/Sheffield-Mountaineering-Rock-Climbing-Meet/photos/31375704/

Difficulty: Grade 1 and Grade 2 scrambling. For more information on scrambling grades see:

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/understanding-scrambling-grades

Experience Required: Some previous climbing or scrambling experience with our group is advised.

Duration: Approx. 10 km with height gain of approx. 800 metres. Estimated time 6 to 7 hours.

Ordnance Survey Map: OL 6 The English Lakes South Western Area 1:25,000 scale.

Guidebooks: Scrambles in The Lake District Volume 1: Southern Lakes published by Cicerone Press.

As always, if everybody wants to contribute £2.00 towards our Meet Up site fees and other operating costs that will be great, thanks.