Coniston Old Man
Coniston Old Man's main drag is steep and busy, but there is another way. Ronald Turnbull takes you round... well, a sort of sideways route.
The Old Man – imposing and widely revered. Or, the Old Man who can be a bit of a bore? It doesn't do to be disrespectful, and the steep and stony standard path up Coniston Old Man's eastern ridge has a fine tarn just below it, and pretty good views of the eastern crags and hollows.
How much better, though, not just to see but also to be in all those other bits. Little Arrow Moor, Prison Band, Levers Water and the Boulder Valley; the names alone make a sort of Norse poem. And they give you a way up that's pretty much pathless with some scrambling if you want it. Then come the crags of Swirl How along their tops and also back along their bottoms. (And talking of bottoms, if you happen to be named Samuel or Samantha, prepare for some crude humour from your comrades – see Point 6!) Prison Band is a rugged spur that gets your hands on the rocks here and there. And tucked at the back of lovely Levers Water, there's a hidden little surprise. You don't have to be a fan of Star Trek; if you're trekker rather than Trekkie, Point 7 marks your place to boulder go.
So reject the straight up and down, and tackle the Old Man sort of sideways. And for the elderly fellow – respect!