Help needed

[mick]

 First of all please accept my apologies for not contributing on this forum for a few years ……….its life and stuff getting in the way  , however I really could do with some advice / help again. Due to many old injuries playing up and old age creeping in I find myself in the position of having to hang up my boots for good (for medical reasons), I have been cutting down my walks / hikes over the last few years making them smaller / easer but sadly it’s not enough and if I don’t stop soon I won’t even be able to walk to the shops. (Not that I want to walk round the shops you understand I mean who would ) so…………………….. Rather than just wimp out quietly I have decided to do one last walk to a place that I have never been and after looking at all my walking logs both before my accident and after I have decided that I want to get to the summit of the OLD MAN OF CONISTON  so if any of you have any suggestions of where to park, the easiest routes up and down, photos, blogs of your trips, things to see etc. etc.  and any other advice I would be very grateful , I am hoping to do this hike in about 5 -6 weeks’ time (busy booking up somewhere to stay at the moment). I know that I walk very slowly at the moment so I am planning to start very early in the morning , with lots of rest stops and it will take all day to get up there and back down again , likewise I am staying for a week so I can pick a good day weather wise. So any advice / help you can offer I would be extremely grateful  
Thanks   Mick  
 

[wombat]

Hi,sorry to hear you have to give up walking, i feel for you as its a decision i will have to make in the next couple of years
If you drive up the road out of Coniston to the Walna scar road (track) there is a carpark, which is a good start point and gives you a height gain as well.Hope the walk goes well for you 

[richardh1905]

Sorry to hear that you are having to hang up your boots Mick.


I think that Wombat has described the easieat start point but - be warned - it is a steep ascent.


Good luck and all the best.

[harland]

Whilst I can't help with advice the following should help with Wombat's suggestion:-

http://www.wainwrightroutes.co.uk/conistonoldman_r4.htm

[sunnydale]

Hi Mick, lovely to see you here again....but very sorry to hear you have to give up walking.    That must have been very hard news to come to terms with.


Wishing you all the best for the future and I hope you enjoy the 'Old Man'.


Tracey x

[redeye]

Sorry to hear you have to give up walking. I can't help out as I've not been up Coniston but wish you all the best and hope it goes well for you 

[pleb]

Regards from me too, though we have never met.

[April]

This is sad news from you, it must be very hard to comes to terms with.

Enjoy the Old Man, you deserve fantastic weather when you do it.

[Dovegirl]

So sorry to hear your news Mick
Very best wishes for Coniston

[mick]

 Hi, and Thank you for the good wishes, Wombat the Walna scar road (track) car park sounds like an excellent starting (and hopefully finishing point), I know that it will be a bit hard getting up there and even more important getting back down that’s why I going to take all day and pick the route as best I can, I am hoping to make it a circular route taking in as many sights and features as I can so at the moment I am busy reading / scanning all the blogs ect
The news about giving up hiking is longgggg overdue I was warned about the possibility of my mobility going years ago but point blankly refused to believe it …. sadly time has caught up with me now and so it’s time to stop so that I manage what little I have got left so I can still get on with walking the pup’s along the beach etc., and get on with …you know day to day stuff .
Any way thanks again and take care  xx (for the girls )

[pdstsp]

Sorry to hear your news - that must be a difficult thing to accept.  Another possible route would be to walk up Walna Scar Road from the car park, and take the path past Goat's Water, coming onto the Old Man via Goat's Hawse - if memory serves me right this is a less steep approach than the "tourist" path.


Whatever you decide I wish you sunshine and views!


Paul

[mick]

 Hi and thanks for the info pdstsp less steep is always good.  

[mick]

Before I disappear out of the walking scene completely there are a couple of things that I would like to say:-
Firstly thank you all for the suggestion and good wishes and a huge thank you to John (Brandywell) for giving up his time and leading me both up and down from the summit. (I had a great time thank you)
Perhaps the weather wasn’t at its best but somehow wet, grey and next to no visibility was the right mix for this walk, I really enjoyed it but did struggle on the later stages coming back down and it’s a memory that I will look back on with a touch of sadness that’s mixed in with a bit of pride.
Taken by John at the top (my last mountain)
 

[richardh1905]

All the best Mick 

[Brandywell]

Well done mate