A shortish walk of just over 3 miles on good paths which reaches a modest height of 835ft, but which provides the visiter with grander views than seen on some higher peaks, especially on a brilliantly sunny day which we were blessed with.

The walk begins near the foot of Coniston Water by the Brown Howe car park (toilets). I say by, as there is a good size layby just past the car park which offers free parking near to one of the many quarries in the area (further parking can be found half a mile up the road). A walk along the main road from here provides the only disappointment of the entire route but is thankfully short lived as once through a rock cutting we branch right onto Blawith Common and up a winding green path clearly seen ahead.

A steady climb passes good grassy viewing plaforms where you can stop to look at the panoramic views of Coniston Water before a streanm is crossed and a flatter area is reached under a thin web of power cables.

Left over crude stepping stones and boggy ground at a mini crossroads in the path leads to a steepish short climb. The path levels and then gently descends to the valley path with good views to be had. Turning right over a small wooden bridge takes us up to Beacon Tarn, where keeping left of the outlet stream the path rises behind small knolls.

The tarn appears suddenly, lying in an ice-scooped hollow amidst heather & bracken clad slopes. From here the Old Man of Coniston is seen on the Northern Horizon and provides a wonderful scenic backdrop. A word of warning here, the tarn can be very busy on holidays and weekends where familys picnic on the shores. My advice is to come out of season, or in the morning or late afternoon to take advantage of the tarn in reasonable isolation. Which makes a stop here almost unavoidable.

We walked around the left hand side, enjoying the rich blue colour of the tarn and made ourway around to the head of the lake where we crossed over the inlet stream. This soon forms into a well used path which slants diagnally right up the fellside to the summit cairn of the Beacon. Though the heather was a delicate pink in colour when we passed through, i can imagine the deep purple haze that must be seen in the late summer months when they are in full bloom. A walk to come back to on a warm late summers evening.

The path up to the summit is obvious and the effort is more than rewarded when reaching the top with a grand vista. Our stay here though was cut short by a family who came up the path that we were going to descend upon. Four young children clambered up to the large cairn to start dismantling it, or perhaps to build another one maybe. We gave the views a sad farewell and started our descent on the clear path leading down to the left from the cairn, hoping to find it intact when next we visit it.

The path down is good with a steady descent and provides a nice ending to the walk as the airy views begin to dwindle. Soon a quiet side road is reached and a short walk along it brings us back to the main road.