| Name: | Great How (Swirl Band) |
| Hill number: | 3864 |
| Height: | 774.6m / 2541ft |
| Parent (Ma): | 2634 The Old Man of Coniston [Coniston Old Man] |
| County/UA: | Westmorland and Furness |
| Topographical area: | EL04 Coniston-claife |
| SMC/RHB section: | 34D: Southern Cumbria |
| Nuttall/Wainwright area: | Lake District - Southern Fells |
| Catchment: | Duddon, Catchment Boundaries, Leven (Ulverston) |
| Watershed: | Morecambe Bay |
| Class: | Birkett, Synge (B,Sy) |
| Grid ref: | SD 27330 99947 |
| Summit feature: | rock |
| Drop: | 9.6m |
| Col: | 765.1m SD 2728 9998  |
| OS map sheet(s): | (1:50k) 96 97 (1:25k) OL6N |
| Survey: | obvious summit |
| Change log: | show changes for this hill entry |
| GPS data: | show GPS entries for this hill |
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N.B. Some hill summits are on private property or on land where there is no public right of way. Permission should be sought from the landowner where access to a hill summit is through private land.
Please report via the contact page any logs you see below which describe or encourage acts of trespass. Please quote the hill number and hill name.
| Logged Descriptions (logged by 653 users, only the latest 50 shown - Show all) | By | Date of Ascent |
| South along ridge from Swirl How towards Old Man of Coniston | MattD99 | 16/05/2024 |
| From Coniston to Great Langdale campsite via Wrynose pass with Burdon and Mo. | TrekClimbing | 28/04/2024 |
| 7/10 Brown Pike Buck Pike, Dow Crag, Coniston Old Man, Brim Fell Little How Crags, Great How Crags, Swirl How, Wetherlam, Lad Stones, all with LDWA Lakeland group on our group walk. Cracking sunny day and revisits to all except Lad Stones. | nickywood1 | 20/04/2024 |
| HWCSC hike 1 with Lisa | Rumbo | 15/10/2023 |
| From Coniston youth hostel. Nuttall walk 5.5 in reverse. Circuit of Walna Scar, White Maiden, Brown Pike, Buck Pike, Dow Crag, Old Man of Coniston, Brim Fell, Little How Crags, Great How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Swirl How, Black Sails, Wetherlam and Lad Stones. Blustery day in the aftermath of Storm Agnes, in/out of cloud all day with some showers but enjoyable revisit to many of the tops. Solo. | richard69 | 28/09/2023 |
| Morning lone run from camp at Levers Water. Little How Crags, Greats How crags, Grey Friar, Great Carrs and Swirl How. 5 miles 1838 ft elevation. | nell1583 | 21/05/2023 |
| Coniston loop. Wetherlam, Black Sails, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friars, Brim Fell, Old Man, Dow Crag, Walna Scar, White Pike, White Maiden. Just over 7 hours in warm sun. Great day. | Longwojo | 13/05/2023 |
| Old Man of Coniston loop: https://strava.app.link/MHS9Zp8iHzb | livvips | 10/05/2023 |
| A gruelling but rewarding 17 mile, 9.5 hour circular(ish) round ticking off 16 tops; Starting at free roadside parking just before the church at Bowmanstead, Kitty Crag-Lad Stones-Wetherlan-Black Sails-Swirl How-Great Carrs-Little Carrs-Hell Gill Pike-Grey Friar-Grey How-Little How Crags-Brim Fell-O.M.o.Coniston-Dow Crag-Buck Pike-Brown Pike and returned via Banishead Quarry. | Alfa1M | 04/05/2023 |
| From Coniston on a Kong Mini Mountain Marathon. | welshyboyo | 05/03/2023 |
| Great view point on ridge from Swirl How to Old Man | Flatfield | 19/11/2022 |
| Round of Coniston Old Man and some nearby tops from Coniston village. Followed good track / path by Church Beck to open ground then steep climb to excellent summit of The Bell. Descent NW to path then took path up Boulder Valley to Levers Water and continued on path on W side. Continued up valley and climbed up by stream and then ridge to Great How. Little How Crags, Brim Fell and Coniston Old Man before following standard descent route. | RobertP | 10/10/2022 |
| with te rest of Coniston | HardenC | 25/09/2022 |
| The classic Coniston Round, but including a few not previously climbed Birketts and Synges, and including a new ridge down off Wetherlam. Starting point at Fell Gate is now a Pay + Display car park (£8 for the day). 18 summits topped during the day, order of ascent: Walna Scar, White Pike, White Maiden, Brown Pike, Buck Pike, Dow Crag, Coniston Old Man, Brim Fell, Little How Crags, Great How, Grey Friar, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Wetherlam, Black Sails, Erin Crag, Kennel Crag, The Bell. 25.5km with 1500m ascent taking 9 hours. | silverwolf_alan | 21/09/2022 |
| Walna Scar CP - Coniston Old Man - Brim Fell - Little How Crags - Great How - Swirl How - Great Carrs - (Fairfield camp) - Grey Friar | hannah&steven | 14/04/2022 |
| Birkett 3 with Pete | Dave Geere | 30/01/2022 |
| Circular walk to take in the 7 wainwrights. With the kids. | thecoopers | 03/09/2021 |
| Great How, Little Carrs and Hell Gill Pike from Hinning Ho. | rhalstead | 22/07/2021 |
| on the way o Trevor's final Wainwright - Grey Friar | trimarc2 | 14/07/2021 |
| 20.7 miles 5935ft walk. Start at Great Langdale NT campsite followed path to Red Tarn cross Wryrose Pass to Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Swirl How, Black Sails, Wetherlam, Brim Fell, Dow Crag and The Old Man of Coniston back past Blea Tarn to Great Langdale. | stephenbuda | 19/05/2021 |
| With LF and Tony. Started at 09.15 from Three Shires Stone. Steep path up to Wet Side Edge. Short diversion to Hell Gill Pike then Little Carrs, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Great How Crags, Little How Crags, and Grey Friar. Back to memorial and retraced our route; back.at car 14.2.30. Approx 6 miles with 2,150 feet of ascent. Dull with intermittent rain (heavier later); cloudy summits. | Skip | 15/05/2021 |
| A frosty and ozone rich start at 9.00 from Wetside edge, Weather How and Fairfield. Sunny and a little hazy but all together a lovely lock down treat with the boys. | Karmakarl | 01/03/2021 |
| With: solo; Cumbria Way Day 2. From camp by Torver Beck via Goat's Hawse then to 'Old Man, Brim Fell, Little How, here then North... | Ian Baines | 13/10/2020 |
| From Little How Crags then across to Grey Friar. With Alfie. | Dangerous Dave | 06/10/2020 |
| Lovely 20km walk from Coniston with Long Crag scramble, a round of 6 Wainwrights, and a swim in Low Water on the way back down. | atreides7887 | 20/09/2020 |
| Way down with Amy | Mishmashcasson | 06/08/2020 |
| Parked at Walna Scar Road. Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Brim Fell, Dow Crag, Buck Pike, Brown Pike, Walna Scar. | PGCE | 08/06/2020 |
| Clockwise Circular from parking area near Tilberthwaite cottages. | muzza2 | 21/03/2020 |
| After doing the N peaks on the ridge & Grey Friars. Brocken Spectres along the way. | DanMaisieBex | 31/12/2019 |
| Grey, then windier, then wetter 23 Km traverse of Coniston Wainwrights with a few Birkenstock’s added towards end. | davechaffey | 30/12/2019 |
| Up from Little How Crags. Solo. | Dangerous Dave | 23/11/2019 |
| With Jonny, Nathan and Chris. Dropping a car in Tiberthwaite, we walked up Yewdale Beck and into Dry Cove Bottom. Up onto Weathelam Edge, the veiws kicked in, and the wind picked up. Nice almost scramble upto Weatherlam. Then along the Black Sails, and another fun step up to Swirl How. We then walked along the ridge to Brim Fell and the Old Man. Turning back on ourselves, we went along the Dow Crag ridge (new fav) along Buck, Brown Pike, then down and along to Walna scar and White Maiden, before dropping back into Torver for food and well needed sleep. 8hr20mins (5hr19min): 20.3km; 1437m | ByronHaywood | 14/09/2019 |
| Innway to the Lakes | PhilipChaston | 29/08/2019 |
| 6/11 From Seathwaite, up Walna Scar then Brown Pike, Buck Pike, Dow Crag, Brim Fell, Little How Crags, Great How Swirl Band, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, then down to Seathwaite tarn on delightful path and round to Long Crag - through Bracken and back down valley on Bridleway to High Tongue (High Tongue is an awful struggle in tussocks but not for too long - climb it from South rather than North and it will be shorter for you). 7 hours. | nickywood1 | 03/08/2019 |
| RAIN RELENTED TO MIST MID-MORNING SO FILLED IN MISSING BIRKETTS ON THE CONISTON RIDGE FROM WRYNOSE PASS: HELL GILL PIKE, LITTLE CARRS AND ON TO GREAT HOW. MIST CLEARED ON THE WAY BACK WITH GOOD VIEWS DOWN LITTLE LANGDALE. | BURGESS | 10/07/2019 |
| Birkett route SOUTHERN FELLS-CON 1. Start Three Shire Stone summit of wrynose pass. HELL GILL PIKE- LITTLE CARRS-GREAT CARRS-SWIRL HOW- added in GREAT HOW-LITTLE HOW - GREY FRIAR. Blustery day started with thin cloud ended clear and Sunny. Lovely views of Scafell range. | Hill Wanderer | 04/07/2019 |
| Solo circular walk started at Walna Scar Road and completed this summit along ridge walk including summits of Walna Scar, Brown Pike, Buck Pike, Dow Crag, Coniston Old Man, Brim Fell, Swirl How and Great Carrs. ( and back to Swirl How to be able to descend via The Prison and Levers Water to return to my start point. | Pootlemum | 28/06/2019 |
| Round from Coniston via Wetherlam on way to the Old Man. | NormanW | 12/04/2019 |
| With Tali | Mountain Goat | 27/02/2019 |
| Birkett`s Con 4 walk | mart0797 | 26/02/2019 |
| From Wrynose Pass up to Wetside Edge to Little Carrs,Great Carrs & onto Swirl How down over How Grags & up to Brim Fell & 'busy' The Old Man, back over Brim Fell then contour path round & up to Grey Friar the Wetside Edge & down to the Pass, v cool breeze till mid afternoon, warmer,less breezy & increasing sunshine early evening onwards.. | apricorum | 22/09/2018 |
| (Walkers with) Torun Mcmoran, Gary Dean, Dave Topliss. (Parking/start point) Ruskin Museum - Copper Mines Cottages - Hole Rake - Dry Cove Bottom - Steel Edge - Lower Hows - Wetherlam - Swirl Hawse - Prison Band - Swirl How - Great How Crags - Little How Crags - Brim Fell - Coniston Old Man - Low Water - Crowberry Haws - Miners Bridge - Ruskin Museum. | redbob | 22/09/2018 |
| Headed over from Brim Fell as part of The Old Man round. easy path to follow. with Richie | Zoe Little | 04/09/2018 |
| Down from Swirl How on lovely springy grass. | Andrew Pearson | 01/08/2018 |
| With Sue from Seathwaite. Via a very dry Seathwaite Tarn. Very misty. | Frank | 21/07/2018 |
| On a round of 7 hills from Cockley Beck. From Little How Crags, and on to Swirl How. | jonglew | 15/07/2018 |
| Gold DofE 2018 | jabailey314 | 30/06/2018 |
| From Swirl How | MrChris1980 | 01/06/2018 |
| Beautiful day (24 degrees and sunny!) Old Man of Coniston, Brim Fell, Little How Crag, Great How, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar and Little Carrs and Hell Gill Pike | Fionalevey | 30/05/2018 |
| From Swirl How | rfoster | 02/05/2018 |