A lovely, gentle walk, climbing up alongside the waterfalls of Church Beck to the quarry at the end of the Coppermines valley, returning via the saddle with beautiful views of Coniston village and the lake. You can end the walk with a well-deserved pint in one of the cosy village pubs. A great walk to start your holiday or to do with children.
Calculated time: 1h50[?] 
Distance : 2.64mi
Vertical gain : 682ft
Vertical drop : 673ft
Highest point : 807ft
Lowest point : 197ft 
Difficulty : Average
Back to starting point : Yes
Walking
Area : Lake District 
Location : Coniston (Cumbria)
Starting point : N 54.368979° / W 3.0758° 
(D) Starting out at the Yewdale Inn in Coniston, with your back to the pub, cross the bridge over the beck and take the lane immediately to your right, leading uphill to the Sun Inn.
(1) Immediately after the Sun Inn, turn right up the small lane, which leads past some farm buildings and turns into a wide dirt track, taking you out into the hillside. Continue along the track over a small bridge at Mealy Gill and past the hydroelectric plant on your right. The track continues steeply uphill alongside the river, with beautiful views of the rock pools and waterfalls. After a kissing gate, the track becomes more stony and then comes out at a bridge over the beck.
(2) Turn right and cross over the bridge, then turn immediately left to continue along the track on the other side of the river up into the Coppermines valley. Continue up the track for about a kilometre, and when you reach the youth hostel at the end of the valley, bear left past the front of the youth hostel (which is based in the old copper mines manager's building) and continue on about 300 metres to reach the quarry on the right.
(3) Here you will be able to see all the old tracks, wagons, and machinery once used in the copper mines, whose history goes back over 400 years.
(4) Retrace your steps back past the youth hostel, then after another 300 metres, when you reach a row of old houses on your left, turn left over the stream toward the houses, and then turn immediately right in front of the houses to take the footpath running past. At the next fork, turn left and begin winding uphill, then at the following three forks bear right until you reach the top of saddle, where you will have beautiful views over Coniston village, the lake, and beyond.
(5) From here, you can continue down over the front of the saddle to head back towards the village. There isn't a marked footpath down the front of the saddle, but the route is well-worn, so you should be able to follow a grassy path down. Keep bearing slightly right as you head down, and any trail you take will end up joining the road back into Coniston.
(6)Turn left along the road back down into the village, ignoring any lanes off to either side, and you will end up back in the village centre for a well-deserved drink in the pub.(A)
Waypoints :
D/A : mi 0 - alt. 197ft - Yewdale Inn, Coniston
1 : mi 0.12 - alt. 256ft - Turn right just after the Sun Inn
2 : mi 0.61 - alt. 528ft - Turn left after the bridge
3 : mi 1.19 - alt. 692ft - The copper mines
4 : mi 1.52 - alt. 620ft - Cross stream and turn right in front of houses
5 : mi 1.95 - alt. 804ft - The Saddle
6 : mi 2.16 - alt. 407ft - Left down the lane
D/A : mi 2.64 - alt. 197ft - Yewdale Inn, Coniston
A lovely gentle walk to start your holiday. This is also a good low-level walk when the weather is cloudy, as the Saddle often still offers good views, while the higher mountains are in the cloud.
In very wet weather, the path down the front of the Saddle can become sodden, so once you have enjoyed the views from the top of the Saddle, you may prefer to retrace your steps as far as (2) and then continue along the track to (6)
There are public toilets on your left, just after the bridge over the Church Beck in Coniston village.
There are several lovely pubs and cafés in Coniston Village.
Visorando and this author cannot be held responsible in the case of accidents or problems occuring on this walk.
The old copper mines, whose history goes back over 400 years.
More information about the copper mines can be found here or at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston.
Global average : 4.39/5
Number of opinions : 9
Description quality : 4.33/5
Routemap quality : 4.5/5
Walk interest : 4.33/5
Global average : 4.67 / 5
Date of walk
: 14/10/19
Description quality
: Very good
Routemap quality
: Very good
Walk interest
: Good
Great views. Enjoyed by our group of walkers. We
Global average : 4.67 / 5
Date of walk
: 14/09/19
Description quality
: Very good
Routemap quality
: Good
Walk interest
: Very good
A very pleasant and interesting walk. The instructions were excellent - very detailed. The walk makes you feel that you are really in the mountains, even though there is a a track road at the head of the valley. It is not too strenuous but as others have noted, the descent is quite steep. It was dry when we walked, but I could see this being challenging when wet.
My wife does not do much walking, and this was the steepest that she had attempted for some years. I helped her down most of the way - and she did it! And felt very proud.
The views are marvellous - both of the Old Man of Coniston and also over the lake and town.
Global average : 4 / 5
Date of walk
: 25/09/19
Description quality
: Good
Routemap quality
: Very good
Walk interest
: Average
A nice walk with historical interest. As noted below, the 'path' down from the saddle is very steep and could be treacherously slippery when wet.
Global average : 4.67 / 5
Date of walk
: 25/07/19
Description quality
: Very good
Routemap quality
: Good
Walk interest
: Very good
Sorry to hear you found this walk too steep. Personally, it was one of my favourite walks as a child! 
Global average : 2.5 / 5
Date of walk
: 27/09/18
Description quality
: Disappointing
Routemap quality
: N/A
Walk interest
: Average
I agree with the previous poster than the unofficial path down the saddle is incredibly steep and dangerous, even on a dry sunny day. Definitely not suitable for children. I turned back.
The area is rather bleak and industrial with slag heaps. The view from the saddle is fantastic.
Global average : 4 / 5
Date of walk
: 29/09/18
Description quality
: Average
Routemap quality
: Good
Walk interest
: Very good
I found this walk started off really well, it was easy to find the beginning of it, and led up the side of a few waterfalls. However the ascent was quite steep, and then once reaching the saddle, the descent down the front of it was incredibly steep and quite precarious in places. I did enjoy the walk, but would probably have rated it somewhere more on the moderate scale rather than suggesting it was an average walk.
Global average : 5 / 5
Date of walk
: 10/09/18
Description quality
: Very good
Routemap quality
: Very good
Walk interest
: Very good
An excellent walk with beautiful views - well recommended
Global average : 4.33 / 5
Date of walk
: 20/08/18
Description quality
: Very good
Routemap quality
: Good
Walk interest
: Good
Nice views and gentle walk
Global average : 5 / 5
Date of walk
: 11/05/18
Description quality
: Very good
Routemap quality
: Very good
Walk interest
: Very good
Arrived in the lakes in time for an evening stroll and this was perfect to get a little taster for our bigger walk the next day. Really enjoyed it.
16.9mi
+2405ft
-2234ft
9h50
Average
Starting point in Coniston (Cumbria) - Cumbria The YHA is a great institution and I guess most fell walkers have stayed at a hostel at some time in their lives. Funny how they were created "to help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside, particularly by providing hostels or other simple accommodation for them on their travels". Here's a collection of routes starting or finishing at a YHA in The Lakes. Along the way are 1 Wainwright, 5 tarns, 1 pub and a ferry.
17.72mi
+4810ft
-4764ft
12h20
Difficult
Starting point in Coniston (Cumbria) - Cumbria The YHA is a great institution and I guess most fell walkers have stayed at a hostel at some time in their lives. Funny how they were created "to help all, especially young people of limited means, to greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside, particularly by providing hostels or other simple accommodation for them on their travels". Here's a collection of routes starting or finishing at a YHA in The Lakes. Along the way are 6 Wainwrights, 3 tarns, and 1 pub.
7.91mi
+2064ft
-2205ft
5h25
Average
Starting point in Coniston (Cumbria) - Cumbria A pleasant hike, to the west of Ambleside, across hills overlooking Windermere and Coniston Lakes.
8.09mi
+2661ft
-2664ft
6h00
Average
Starting point in Coniston (Cumbria) - Cumbria A fabulous circular walk starting from the Tilberthwaite Valley. Best done in this direction so as to enjoy the ascent of Wetherlam Edge, great views in all directions and much interest on the walk.
1.63mi
+144ft
-148ft
0h50
Easy
Starting point in Hawkshead - Cumbria A gentle walk in a beautiful setting, enjoyable in any weather. The walk is accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs and is not too long for little legs.
16.43mi
+1965ft
-1880ft
9h15
Easy
Starting point in Hawkshead - Cumbria The YHA is a great institution and I guess most fell walkers have stayed at a hostel at some time in their lives. Funny how they were created "to help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside, particularly by providing hostels or other simple accommodation for them on their travels". Here's a collection of routes starting or finishing at a YHA in The Lakes. Along the way are 2 Wainwrights, 1 ferry and 2 lakes.
8.6mi
+2690ft
-2690ft
6h20
Difficult
Starting point in Ulpha - Cumbria A lovely walk taking in the excellent and interesting Crinkle Crags and with great views down Great Langdale, over to the Scafell group and south down the Duddon Valley. The start up Little Stand and the descent from Ore Gap are without the heavily trodden paths now common in the Lake District.
There are a few small parking spaces near Cockley Beck heading west towards Hardknott Pass. Please park sensibly so other walkers and climbers and get in too.
4.22mi
+945ft
-938ft
2h45
Easy
Starting point in Lakes - Cumbria This is a short walk with a lot of interest. Despite it not tackling any of the major Lakeland summits the views over Loughrigg Tarn are excellent and the panorama from Loughrigg Fell is one of the best. The descent through the arboretum of High Close and Low Wood maintains the interest. This is a great walk for a half day, perhaps when it has rained and then has started to brighten up.
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The GPS track and description are the property of the author.
