Dow Crag is located in Wainwright's Southern Fells, near Coniston and is one of the Coniston Fells. The word 'crag' in its name is particularly apt given the rocky eastern face of this Wainwright fell, which is popular with rock climbers. The most southerly of all of the 214 fells included in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, it is commonly climbed together with Coniston Old Man and Brim Fell, or other Coniston Fells like Walna Scar - which is included in The Outlying Fells of Lakeland, another of Alfred Wainwright's famous Lake District guides.

Directly climbing Dow Crag is often carried out from Walna Scar Road before reaching Goat's Water, from where the expanse of rock that is Dow Crag can be seen well in all its glory. After that two routes are available, a steep, rugged and thrilling path taking the South Rake, or a gentler path that goes by way of Goat's Hause. Once at the summit, the best views can be had to the south and west to the coast and Black Combe, while the Isle of Man and Snowdonia can be seen on extremely clear days.

Dow Crag stands to the east of Deathward Tarn, and an interesting way of completing a number of fells from a Wainwright tick list in a single day is to take a walk called the Seathwaite Tarn round. From Walna Scar road, the path visits Brown Pike and Buck Pike, before coming to Dow Crag, the first of the Wainwright's on the route. After Dow Crag, a good path is followed to the larger Coniston Old Man, before visiting more peaks on your Wainwright Maps in Brim Fell, Swirl How, Great Carrs and Grey Friar. The round ends at the starting point having completed 6 Wainwright fells in the day, leaving only a modest 198 left to do!

Further reading on Dow Crag walks and others in the area can be found in Book Four, The Southern Fells of Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.

Dow Crag from Coniston Old Man - Photograph by Stewart Smith Photography