Editing Old Man of Coniston (section)

==Geography==
[[Image:Old man of Coniston.jpg|thumb|left|
'''Old Man Coniston''' from [[Coniston Water]] lakeside]]The Coniston (or Furness) Fells form the watershed between Coniston Water in the east and the Duddon valley to the west. The range begins in the north at [[Wrynose Pass]] and runs south for around {{convert|10|mi|km}} before petering out at [[Broughton in Furness]] on the Duddon Estuary. [[Alfred Wainwright]] in his influential ''[[Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells]]'' took only the northern half of the range as Lakeland proper, consigning the lower hills southward to a supplementary work ''The Outlying Fells of Lakeland''. Later guidebook writers have chosen to include the whole range in their main volumes.<ref name="richards">{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Mark |title=Southern Fells |publisher=Collins |date=2003 |isbn=0-00-711367-6}}</ref><ref name="birkett">{{cite book |last=Birkett |first=Bill |title=Complete Lakeland Fells |publisher=Collins Willow |date=1994 |isbn=0-00-218406-0}}</ref>

The central part of the Coniston range can be likened to an inverted 'Y', with [[Brim Fell]] at the connecting point of the three arms. The main spine of the ridge runs north over Swirl How and [[Great Carrs]], and south-west to [[Dow Crag]] and the lower hills beyond. The third arm is a [[truncated spur]], running only half a mile to the summit of the Old Man before tumbling away south-eastward to the valley floor. This ridge-end position gives the fell a sense of isolation and increased stature, with steep faces on three sides.

To the west is the deep trench containing Goat's Water. This elongated [[tarn (lake)|tarn]] has a depth of about {{convert|50|ft|m|abbr=on}} and contains [[trout]] and [[Salvelinus|char]]. Enclosed by high ground, it has an outlet to the south through a field of boulders.<ref name="blair">{{cite book |last=Blair |first=Don |title=Exploring Lakeland Tarns |publisher=Lakeland Manor Press |date=2003 |isbn=0-9543904-1-5}}</ref> This is one of the headwaters of Torver Beck, which passes a disused quarry near the Tranearth climbing hut, keeping the workings topped up via an artificial but picturesque waterfall. The stream finally issues into Coniston Water south of Torver village.<ref name="richards"/>

The southern and eastern flanks of the Old Man are composed of rough ground, deeply pockmarked by slate quarries. One of these quarries, Bursting Stone, is still operating and produces an olive-green slate. Across the southern slopes runs the [[Walna Scar]] Road. This was the original trade route between Coniston village and the settlements of the Duddon Valley, and is a public [[Rights of way in England and Wales|restricted byway]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Rights of Way Order by The Planning Inspectorate 2012 |url= http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/row/documents/fps_q9495_7_26.pdf |access-date= 22 October 2013 |archive-date= 23 October 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060824/http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/row/documents/fps_q9495_7_26.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Off-roaders banned from Walna Scar Road |url= http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/cumbria/barrow_in_furness/coniston/8786458.Off_roaders_banned_from_Walna_Scar_Road/?ref=rss |newspaper=The Westmorland Gazette|date=13 January 2011 |first=Scott |last=Kirk |access-date= 22 October 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Old Man of Coniston (Lake District, UK).JPG|thumb|Start of walk up the hill]]
The first section rising steeply from Coniston is a metalled road, maintained partly to provide access to the quarry. This leads to a car park at an altitude of {{convert|740|ft|m|abbr=on}}, a popular starting point for climbs. Beyond here motor vehicles are prohibited, but the track continues to its summit at {{convert|2000|ft|m|abbr=on}}, crossing the ridge to the south of Dow Crag.

Coniston Old Man has no connecting ridges other than that to Brim Fell, but a discernible rib falls due east via Stubthwaite Crag and Crowberry Haws. Below the tourist route path, this rib climbs again to The Bell, a fine rocky top ({{convert|1,099|ft|m|abbr=on}}) with excellent views of the lake and village.<ref name="richards"/>

Nestling beneath the northern face of the Old Man, and cradled between it and Raven's Tor, is Low Water. This [[Cirque|corrie]] tarn has been dammed in the past to provide water for the quarries, but all of its water now issues via a cascade of falls into the Coppermines Valley. This area, shared with the neighbouring fells of Brim Fell and [[Wetherlam]], is heavily scarred by historic [[copper]], [[nickel]] and [[cobalt]] mining, particularly in the latter half of the 19th century.<ref name="blair"/><ref name="adams">{{cite book |last=Adams |first=John |title=Mines of the Lake District Fells |publisher=Dalesman |date=1995 |isbn=0-85206-931-6}}</ref>