The Old Man of Coniston

A fabulous weekend for hiking saw us attempt The Old Man of Coniston in the Lake District.

I’m not sure if it was the weather or the steepness of the climb which made it our most difficult walk yet. There was some spectacular scenery as we walked past abandoned mines and spoil tips.

Just before the top of the mountain we found the tarn, Low Water.

We stopped and cooked sausages on a disposable BBQ while the children played in the water and Neil continued to the summit alone where he took the photograph below.

 During the hike I introduced the children to Kendal Mint Cake. We sucked the minty squares as we climbed the crumbly, slate-strewn paths and later as we skidded our way down again. It took us 4 hours to walk the four miles from top to bottom. When we got back to the car we were boiling hot and streaked with dust, but pretty pleased to have got as far as we did, despite not making the summit this time.