Hiking in the Lake District with the NEW Suunto Race S
Recently I hiked Coniston Old Man, for the first time in years – it was so good to tick it off again! Having recently moved to the Lake District, this is now our nearest mountain above 800m, I’ve been wanting to climb it again since moving here earlier this year. And recently, I was lucky to be gifted a Suunto GPS watch, so this felt like a perfect opportunity to try it out.
I’d never used a GPS watch before, so I was excited to see how it shaped my experience of the walk.
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The route that I chose began at the car park that meets the Walna Scar Road at the base of the mountain, the most popular choice for walkers heading up the Old Man of Coniston. It’s a steep road up from Coniston village to get there, so it gives you a handy head start when walking in this area. Just be sure to get there early enough on weekends, as it does fill up! From the car park, it’s a straightforward path to the summit that’s easy to follow. It is however very loose in places, winding its way through the old slate quarry, so care is needed underfoot. And it’s steep – but all the more rewarding once you reach the summit!
From the top of Coniston Old Man, there is a variety of routes to either extend your hike or return to base. One really enjoyable option for a big day out, if you have the energy and time for it, is to head over the tops to Wetherlam, taking in Swirl How on your way, and then descending back to the village.
Today, however, I decided on a route that I hadn’t done before, which was to head westwards towards Dow Crag, then on to Buck Pike, and finally Brown Pike before picking up the Walna Scar Road that led back to the car park. Having not done this route before, it was great to be able to glance at the Suunto watch, check that I was on the correct footpath, and carry on walking – rather than having to take gloves off (it was cold!), take out my phone and check the route that way.
Of course, there’s still a place for paper maps, but the technology for digital GPS is increasingly reliable, and I was really impressed by the watch’s accuracy.
After Dow Crag, the terrain became quite easygoing, taking a gentle descent back to the Walna Scar Road and then to the car park to finish. This route turned out to be a fab way to make the Old Man into a circular route rather than simply going there and back, and I’d definitely recommend it. I’m sure it would be really nice in reverse too, finishing at the summit of Coniston Old Man and descending via the popular quarry track.
All in all, this was such a rewarding day out and felt like a personal milestone having moved to the Lakes (and being able to see the mountain from our garden!).
I’ve since used the Suunto watch on various outings in the hills, tracking the routes, elevation, and many other stats that I’d never even considered before..! Here are my thoughts after testing out my Suunto watch on a number of different hikes and adventures:
Battery Life: I have owned a sports tracking watch a number of years ago and gave up on using it due to the poor battery life. I found that a long day in the hills would stop tracking halfway through as my watch ran out of battery. However, with Suunto I have found the battery to last all day and be especially quick at charging again in the evening. This has given me a new found love of tracking my hikes and activities.
GPS tracking: As mentioned briefly already the GPS tracking function has allowed me to check that I am on the right track by a simple glance at my watch – used alongside an OS map/ app this has really helped my navigation on long hikes as I do like to regularly check that I am on the right route. You simply have to download the maps beforehand so that they can be used offline.
Different activities: I love that you can track walks, hikes, swimming, running, gym workouts (and many, many other activities too). Used alongside the app this helps to build a great guide and documentation of activity levels – made more accurate by also measuring heart rate levels.
The App: Alongside the watch you get access to the Suunto app which carefully organises all of your activities. Using the calendar you can look back on what you have been upto as well as a monthly summary of activities.
This really helps me to keep motivated and clearly look back on recent adventures and workouts. Of course you can also look at details stats such as elevation, duration, speed and heart rate giving a whole new insight on what I have been upto!
The app is really easy to use, and I’m now pretty hooked – it’s a piece of kit I take with me on every hike. Wishing you a happy weekend of adventures!
You can find more Suunto Race S Reviews from our OS Champions here – Suunto Race S Reviews
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