The range begins in the north at Wrynose Pass and runs south for around 10 miles (16 km) before petering out at Broughton in Furness on the Duddon Estuary.

[1][2] The higher northern part of the Coniston range can be likened to an inverted 'Y' with Brim Fell at the connecting point of the three arms.

[4] The ridge north from Brim Fell narrows to the depression at Levers Hawse (2,250 feet, 690 m) before climbing again over the rougher ground of Great How Crags to the summit of Swirl How.

A short high level spur juts out from the summit, ending in the shattered cliffs of Raven Tor.

[5] The valley of Levers Water Beck below Brim Fell holds part of the Coniston Coppermines, a huge complex of shafts and tunnels extending over a square mile.

The mines exploited a number of veins, the copper-bearing mineral chalcopyrite being the main ore, although some nickel, cobalt and lead were also extracted.

The Paddy End section of the mine on the lower slopes of Brim Fell was the most productive, with levels passing beneath the bed of Levers Water.

The Walna Scar Road (Byway open to all traffic)[7] gives access to Goat's Hawse from either side of the ridge and this is the easiest route from the Duddon.

Note that a right of way shown on Ordnance Survey maps descending west from Levers Hawse to Seathwaite Tarn does not exist as a path on the ground.