Route: leaving the car on the road beyond the Ruskin Museum (free!) and walking back into town and out past the Sun Hotel and along the Walna Scar Road beyond the end of the tarmac and on past the Old Man to the Goat Water path. At the tarn, crossing the boulders under Dow Crag to the start of Easy Gully (which is invisible until the last moment). Up this, hand over hand, to scramble onto the ridge to be hit by the wind again and then to the rocky summit of Dow Crag. Descending to the saddle to take the well made gradual diagonal path to Levers Hawse and then on, in ferocious wind, to Swirl How. Descending to Swirl Hawse and then back on the surprisingly ill defined muddy path back to Levers Water and then back to the car.
Conditions: very strong very cold wind on the tops sufficient to curtail the walk before Wetherlam.
Pub: The Black Bull, Coniston for an exquisite pint of Infinity IPA.
