Monk Coniston

Overview

About Monk Coniston

Why go

Level, compacted route with wide lake views
One of the easiest ways to reach Coniston Water from the village

Heads up

Several road crossings and short roadside stretches
Linear route requires a return plan

Map & elevation

The route

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Full map

Elevation45–63 m

TrailheadMonk Coniston54.36976, -3.05454

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Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

Start at Monk Coniston Car Park, grid reference SD 316 978, on the north shore of Coniston Water. The route leaves from the lakeside side of the lot. Because the walk is linear, return on foot or arrange transport from the Coniston end.

Best time to go

The route is graded For All and takes about 1.5 hours one way at an ordinary sightseeing pace. It is a useful choice for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, prams, and anyone wanting a low-level walk, but it is not entirely traffic-free. There are road crossings, a short section where the pavement ends, and village streets where care is needed. Mobility scooters must be class 2 or 3.

Clear mornings give the best chance of seeing the fells and calm reflections on the lake. The route is especially good when you want a gentle waterside outing rather than a demanding hike. For a longer, more scenic loop with woodland, farmland, and Tarn Hows, choose the separate Monk Coniston and Tarn Hows walk instead.

Safety

Cross the main road and village roads carefully. Short sections have no pavement and traffic can be fast. The route is linear, and mobility scooters must be class 2 or 3.

8 active Lake District alerts

ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details

See all 8 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Lake District Tour Guide

Your drive to Monk Coniston, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this trailhead

Monk Coniston: A Gentle Lakeside Walk

0:00 / 0:51

“You're getting close to Monk Coniston, where a level lakeside walk offers an easy way to enjoy Coniston Water on foot.”

Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.

Hiking Monk Coniston

The routeThis is a linear, 2.

This is a linear, 2.27-mile one-way walk between the lakeshore at Monk Coniston and Coniston village. The stored distance is one way, not a loop or round trip. Plan to retrace the route or arrange transport if you do not want to walk back.

What it feels likeThe route starts beside Coniston Water, follows a compacted path, then uses pavements and a few…

The route starts beside Coniston Water, follows a compacted path, then uses pavements and a few short roadside sections as it approaches the village. Expect changing views across the lake, wooded shore, boats, and the Coniston fells, with the Old Man of Coniston providing the main mountain backdrop. The payoff is the landscape and the easy connection into the village, not a summit or a remote fell experience.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Lake District

All Lake District wildlife maps

81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map

76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map

51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map

233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.