Coniston weekender

In October '25, working with Mark at Team Walking, we had the pleasure of guiding 25 people on various hikes around the Coniston fells and the surrounding valleys.

I chose to stay at the local YHA, which I highly recommend, especially for the delicious fried breakfast in the morning. With the weather forecast predicting a mix of wind, frost, and rain, I opted for the comfort of the shared men's dorm instead of camping in a tent.

On Saturday, I led a group on a 20km hike that included the beautiful Tarn Hows, followed by a delightful stretch of the Cumbrian Way, before heading southwest to Tilberthwaite for lunch and planning the next segment. With clear but windy conditions, we decided to approach Wetherlam via Dry Cove and a mostly wind-sheltered scramble up Wetherlam Edge. There was no time to linger at the summit, so we descended over Red Gill Head Moss to Hole Rake and back into town, leaving just enough time to freshen up and head to the pub for grub and quiz.

Heavy rain hit overnight and was expected to continue throughout most of Sunday. I led a resilient group back into the fells to visit the copper mines and Levers Water, before taking a route below the ridge to Brim Fell and descending back. The ridge to the Old Man was not suitable for this day, as confirmed by overly optimistic hikers who recounted high winds and hail at the top. Not today.

It was a superb weekend with a fantastic group of people, and the Coniston fells remain one of my favorite places in the lakes.