Wetherlam and Little Langdale from Coniston

The route

Head out of Coniston towards the Coppermines valley and leave the track early for the Lad Stones ridge. This is the climb that defines the day: around 550m of gain in 3km, steady rather than savage, on a good path that steps up over rocky bands. Wetherlam's summit arrives at about 4.7km. It's a broad dome with a cairn, and the view down into Little Langdale is the best thing about it.

Wetherlam Edge

The descent north-east down Wetherlam Edge to Birk Fell Hawse is steep and rocky, and you'll be using your hands in a couple of places. Take it steady here. It's short, and once you reach the hawse the path eases down into the Tilberthwaite side of the fell, past the car park at around 8km.

Little Langdale and back

From Tilberthwaite the route heads north over to Little Langdale, dropping to the valley floor near the Cathedral Cave quarry workings. It's worth a short look inside if you've not seen it. The loop turns south here, climbing gently over the low wooded ground between Little Langdale and Yewdale before dropping to the main road near Yew Tree Tarn at around 14km. The last 4km follow the valley paths down through Yewdale and back into Coniston, mostly flat and properly runnable.

Why it works

At around 18km with 900m of climb this grades Very Hard on our scale, mainly because of how much height you gain in one hit. The second half is far kinder than the first, which makes it a great route for practising a long sustained climb without committing to a full Coniston horseshoe. If the tops are in cloud, the return from Tilberthwaite is still a good run in its own right.