Viewpoint from The Old Man of Coniston peak.

Hiking the Old Man of Coniston and the Forgotten Tarns

Where fog walks first, and silence lingers in stone

by Veer Shah | Finding Solace in the Lake District

There are places in the Lake District where the landscape moves through you more than you move through it. Where each step feels ancestral. And where the sky, the stone, and the water hold a memory deeper than your own.

The Old Man of Coniston is not the tallest peak in Cumbria, but it is perhaps the most storied.

A climb here is not merely a walk upwards. It’s a quiet return to something elemental. The path, softened by sheep-trodden grass and broken slate, draws you past old copper mines and up into the stillness.

And then, if you listen carefully, the tarns begin to whisper.

The Path of Mist and Memory

Start early. Before the chatter of day-hikers and camera clicks. Let the first light guide you out of the village of Coniston, where whitewashed homes press into the hills, and slate rooftops sleep under the dawn.

The initial climb curls through remnants of industry - the Coniston copper mines. Centuries ago, men worked this ground; now, rust and ruin remain, nestled among bracken and birch. The trail steepens as it approaches Low Water, a glacial tarn cradled like a secret just below the Old Man’s shoulder.

And then, the final ascent. Harsh underfoot. Beautiful in its bleakness. The summit — 803 metres above sea level — offers a wide breath of the Furness Fells.

But this isn’t a story about summits.

Rugged landscape hiking The Old Man of Coniston trail.

Layered Landscapes: Folklore and the Forgotten

Local legend speaks of a one-eyed herdsman who once vanished near Blind Tarn. Others say the copper miners used to avoid it, muttering about lights flickering near the shore at dusk.

Truth? Story? In the Lake District, it doesn’t matter.

The land is layered. Every tarn, trail, and tree carries more than one meaning - geological, emotional, mythic. And this route from Coniston to Goat’s Water, across the ridge to Blind Tarn and back via Levers Water, offers a kind of walking meditation.

A hike for those who seek more than elevation.

Gloomy view of Low Water at The Old Man of Coniston, Lake District

Practical Hiking Notes

  • Trailhead: Begin in Coniston village, heading toward Walna Scar Road

  • Route: Old Man of Coniston —> Goat’s Water —> Blind Tarn (off-path) —> Levers Water —> Coppermines Valley —> Coniston

  • Distance: ~11km round trip (longer if lingering near tarns)

  • Difficulty: Moderate to hard — steep inclines and off-trail segments

Essentials: OS map & compass, waterproof boots, and time — not to rush, but to linger

The Land in Print

This route and the mood it evokes is part of my full Lake District journey, published in my new book “Finding Solace in the Lake District”, now available in bookstores and online. It also features as a limited-edition photographic print, capturing the solitude of Blind Tarn in the soft light of dusk.

View the print shop here.

For More: A Walk Through Firelight and Ruin

If you’re drawn to hikes steeped in myth and shadow, I invite you to continue into the nearby Hardknott Pass and Dunnerdale Forest, where Roman ruins meet firelight folklore in deep, forgotten woods.

Read the next piece in the series here