Terrain Overview
Walk Overview
An absolutely wonderful walk with amazing views from Goats Water and beyond.
A well defined path to follow which has in recent years been stepped to assist with
the steeper parts of the climb. A very compact summit that if weather conditions
permit provides a wonderful spot to sit for a while and enjoy amazing views.
The car park at Walna Scar and the start of the walk. At the time of writing this it was
£8 for nine hours. This is a popular spot so arriving early is essential
We set off down the Walna Scar track from the Southern end of the car park
Looking at Coniston Old Man from the track
The track meanders round Little Arrow Moor
There are two areas along this track where a little rock handling is required
but nothing too strenuous
Further down the track and worth noting the path veering off right. It is at this point
where you need to turn off and head towards Goats Water
Heading up to Goats Water
A big cairn ... and also a massive pile of stones
The second scrambly bit
Looking back down the Walna Scar track
Fairly soon after the second scrambly bit you get a close up of the imposing
North face of Dow Crag
Goats Water from the track which leads to the water`s edge. There are some fairly
big boulders along the way that need to be negotiated, so if you are with a dog you
may need to carry them over these parts
Dow Crag buttresses
At the Western edge of Goats Water there is a 400 foot climb to reach the ridgeline
between Coniston Old Man and Dow Crag. At the top of the ridge turn left.
Thankfully the path is stepped to assist the climb. This is the steepest part of the walk
Looking back towards Goats Water from the ridge path
The North Tower of Dow Crag which is the actual summit
At the top of the path now and the views start to open up. Here the Scafells
From the top of the ridge, turn left and climb up the scree path which is well cairned.
The loose scree can be avoided by keeping to the grass on either side
The summit approach
At various points the path to the summit skirts the steep drop of the North gulley
Team shot on the summit of Dow Crag. Click here for a 360 degree view
Despite troughing a humungously large dinner, Spud is always on the look out for more
Looking back to Coniston Water
The massively popular summit of Coniston Old Man. Just how AW sketched
it in Book Four in 1960
Looking along the ridgeline of Brim Fell, Swirl How and Great Carrs
Looking towards Harter Fell from the summit
Close up on the Scafell massif. We stayed on the summit for around an hour
just taking in the marvellous views all round
We eventually return to Coniston and meet up with two Fell walking legends ...
Angie & Dave Walsh with Fudge their Working Cocker Spaniel. You can
see more of their Fell walking marathons here
