Old Man of Coniston
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| Old Man of Coniston | |
|---|---|
 The Old Man of Coniston and Levers Water from the Lad Stones ridge |
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| Elevation | 803 m (2634 ft) |
| Location | Lake District, England |
| Prominence | 416 m |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 97 |
| OS grid reference | SD272978 |
| Listing | Hewitt, Marilyn, Nuttall, Wainwright |
The Old Man of Coniston is a fell in the Furness Fells in the English Lake District. It is 803 m high, and lies to the west of the village of Coniston, Cumbria and the lake of the same name, Coniston Water. The fell is sometimes known by the alternate name of Coniston Old Man, or simply The Old Man. Before the 1974 revision of county boundaries in England the Old Man was the highest fell in Lancashire. The extensive view from the summit includes much of the southern Lake District, Morecambe Bay, Blackpool Tower, Winter Hill, the Lancashire coast and the Isle of Man.
It is the highest point in the Furness Fells, and the seventh most prominent mountain in England.
The area between Coniston and the Old Man is much scarred by slate quarries and copper mines. The fell is normally climbed from Coniston village via Church Beck and the mines. Alternative routes include the south ridge, which ascends the mountain from the Walna Scar Road, a track that leaves Coniston from the southwest.
The Old Man of Coniston is linked by a ridge to Swirl How; the ridge passes over the minor summit of Brim Fell.
There is also a beer brewed by the Coniston Brewery that is known as Old Man.
The Old Man of Coniston is the inspiration for Kanchenjunga, the mountain Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons climb in the Swallows and Amazons novel Swallowdale.
