A perfect day in Coniston

Welcome to my new occasional series of blogs: "A perfect day in..." featuring all sorts of fabulous places around Cumbria and how to make the most of them on a quick visit.  First up, Coniston, because we had a fabulous day there last week and I'm terribly fond of the place.

Arriving in style

Let's assume you're driving up for the day, in which case follow the signs from the Greenodd roundabout (A5092 then A5084); for me this is the best way to get the finest first view of the lake.  You'll know when you're there, it looks like this... (for Swallows and Amazons fans the island visible on the far side of the lake is reputed to be Wild Cat Island).

Not a bad way to start...

From there continue on towards Coniston, and, if you fancy a cheeky bonus tarn, park in the car park opposite the Land Rover dealer.  Follow the footpath up behind there for 10 minutes and you'll find this place:

Kelly Hall Tarn

Morning

Right, now time to head to the village where there are a good number of interesting local shops to explore and a couple of must visit places to check out.  First of all The Ruskin Museum will give you all the background you need on the place.  Don't be fooled by the name, it actually covers all of the local history, including Donald Campbell, and is a fabulous place to visit. The harbour is also worth a look as St Andrew's Church in the middle of the village.

If you have time there is also a gorgeous walk along the lake shores where you can pause to admire the scenery or indulge in some good old fashioned stone skimming contests with the kids.

Lunch

For the perfect lunch with the very best views of the lake either drive, or take the launch, over to Brantwood where The Terrace Coffee Shop & Restaurant has everything covered.  Spectacular views, fab food, colossal sausage rolls and utterly sinful cakes.

View from The Terrace

Afternoon

After all of that gorgeous food it would be a shame to go racing off so take a tour of the house.  If, like me, you know very little about Ruskin, there's plenty to learn and if the weather is sunny the gardens are spectacular. You can always nip back to The Terrace for a fortifying cuppa, or a G&T made with one of Cumbria's awesome local gins (so long as you're not the driver!)

Brantwood

Evening

After a hearty lunch you'll not want much for your tea so a beach picnic as the sunsets will be what you're after.  There are several iconic jetties around Coniston so, as you make your way south along the eastern side of the lake, look for the lay-bys and small car parks.  From there you can grab a jacket, a flask of tea and a sarnie from the car, and huddle up on the shingle to watch the sun go down.  Perfect.

Where should I go next?  If you've got a holiday planned let me know in the comments below and I'll sort out another itinerary just for you!

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Lake District Submarine Tours

Today sees the start of a brand new and hugely exciting Cumbrian attraction – submarine tours of the lakes.  Research undertaken during the recent extensions of the National Park boundaries revealed that the huge caverns which exist under the Yorkshire Dales actually extend out and under the lakes and fells of Cumbria.  It’s thought these caves have existed since the last ice age but were previously undetected having been filled with stones and gravel.  The floods from Storm Desmond flushed through the cave network, opening it up for the first time in many thousands of years.

The first submarine will set off just before lunchtime today.  The HMS Guzundamountins, which has been refitted locally, will leave from the Lakeside Pier at the south of Windermere at 11:59.  The new venture is providing a welcome boost for the town and offers the opportunity for Trident submarines to be put to good use when the navy don’t need them for a while.

The cruise will head north along the lake before turning left passing under the Grizedale forest and emerging into Coniston Water.  (See map)  The submarine will surface for a tour along the lake and make a short stop for boarding at the boating centre, it will then resubmerge at the head of the lake, surface briefly in Esthwaite and dive again to reappear and drop people off in Bowness.

From Bowness it will continue north towards Ambleside.  As it nears Low Wood Bay it will go down for its longest dive to pass through a very deep underground system of tunnels that extend the whole way to Ullswater and emerge from the rocks beneath Place Fell.  From there it’s a just a short ride to Pooley Bridge at the north end of the lake.

It’s anticipated that the new attraction will prove quite a draw for tourists and an essential boost for the county.  Windermere Lake Cruises are spearheading the venture and working in close partnership with Yeah Low Submarines.  Their CEO, Ms Ayprul Fewell says, “It was surprisingly easy to get permission to do this – I mean who doesn’t want to see a Trident Submarine cruising along Windermere?”

Other Lake District campaigning organisations  were equally laid back commenting “We don’t see how this is a problem – it’s underwater most of the time anyway – we’ve just asked them to ensure that all their weapons systems are disarmed as we’d hate to lose any of the steamers to an over excited toddler pressing the wrong button.”

A spokesperson for Windermere Lake Cruises says “The new attraction is not recommended for those with claustrophobia or strong feelings about nuclear defence vessels.  We hope people will enjoy this new opportunity to explore the lakes, though we should remind people that there aren’t many windows on a submarine.”

Those wishing to book a submarine cruise, or a more traditional lake cruise, can do so by visiting the Windermere Lake Cruises website where you will also find some spectacular photos of the trial runs.  (Trust me, you REALLY want to click that link!)

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12 Months, 12 Pics

Each year I write a review of the year and each year I waffle on far too much - so this year I'm keeping it simple: 12 months, 12 pics.  As I write this storm Frank is battering Cumbria again and we're looking forward to a drier new year when we can hopefully help to do something to repair the damage Frank and his friends have done to Cumbria's image - but, for now - a quick photographic review of 2012.

January

Book writing meant lots of research and many days spent in libraries - but we also got out and about a bit too.  We revisited Smardale Gill, one of my favourite spots and one of the chapters in our book.  Coincidence? You decide.

View from bench next to Smardale Gill viaduct

February

I loved this walk even though it didn't turn out quite as planned.  Our aim had been to walk up The Band and then on to Crinkle Crags, but towards the top of The Band the most almighty wind hit so we beat a retreat back down and we took a nice long soupy break on this nice, and rather sheltered, bench.

Langdale Pikes from The Band

March

I found myself with an entire day on my hands so decided to take myself off up Black Combe.  Absolutely love this fell and the weather was perfect.  I ditched the car too and took the train around the coast to Silecroft - perfect.

Black Combe

April

There were so many fab places we went in April and so many pics to choose from, but this is definitely my favourite.  Most of the snow had gone but there were a few small patches on the top of Stoney Cove Pike so we walked past them like the mature adults we are...

Incoming!

May

May half term and our nephews came to visit.  There are many fantastic tourist attractions in Cumbria that are perfect for kids, but there's not much that can beat 2 hours on the shores of Coniston Water skimming stones.

June

June was one of the busiest months I've ever had and in amongst it all we took part in the inaugural ride of the Morecambe Bay Cycleway - 4 days kicking off at Sandy Gap on Walney Island and ending at Glasson Dock.  The weather was perfect and so were all of the views.

July

Much as we adore Cumbria we also like to explore further afield.  Throughout most of July and August we were in Scotland.  We began by hiking up Ben Nevis which is definitely further than it looks...

Ben Nevis

August

We drove the north coast of Scotland in our camper van from Skye to Inverness and had an absolute ball.  Sometimes the views that stay with you aren't necessarily the most stunning but the ones that somehow connect with you.  We saw some spectacular sights, but this was definitely my favourite camping spot - the beautiful Tarbat Ness where we had our very own lighthouse keeping us company.

September

Back home and time for a fabulous late summer stroll up one of our nearest fells.  Whitbarrow Scar sits alongside the main A590 but even on the sunniest days of summer you generally have the place to yourself.  It punches well above its weight when it comes to views too - Morecambe Bay sweeping away to the south and rows of fells lining up to the north.  Be sure to pack a picnic!

October

In October my mum came to visit and we were offered the opportunity to try out some off roading mobility scooters.  At 80 my mum may not be so good on her legs any more, but her sense of adventure is clearly undiminished.  So that's where I get it from...

November

After a minor delay our very first book was released on 1st Nov.  It is a whole new adventure for us and it's been thrilling watching it sell.  At the moment we're out of stock, as are our distributors which is, I suppose, good news and bad news all at the same time.  We're hugely indebted to the local press and radio stations for all of their support.

December

I spent a lot of time in December blogging about the #LakeDistrictBid - but when I wasn't doing that I was busy making reindeer at Spooniversity.  Odd sounding but we meet once a month in Brown Robin Nature reserve to learn about woodland management, wildlife and traditional woodworking techniques. 

And that, as they say, is that.  2015 kept us plenty busy and 2016 is looking to be even busier, but before then a couple of restful days with the family and maybe the odd drink or 2...

We both wish you all a peaceful and Happy New Year!

#LakeDistrictBid Advent Calendar Day 3 - Because of the Lakes

It's not called the Lake District for nothing - oh no - we've got lakes, plenty of 'em, and right now the glorious Cumbrian weather is keeping them well topped up.  A few folks have been asking why we need World Heritage Site Status - well here are the answers direct from the Lake District National Park Authority.

As we researched our book we understood more and more how often this landscape has been, and continues to be, under threat and how spectacularly difficult it is to balance the needs of the farmers, the ecologists, the tourist industry and the local population.

And why do we want to protect it?  Well, here are 15 wonderfully watery reasons.

Wast Water (with hiker!)

Bassenthwaite lake

Buttermere

Coniston Water

Elterwater

Ennerdale Water

Grasmere

Haweswater

Thirlmere

Ullswater

Windermere

Derwentwater

Crummock Water

Loweswater 

Rydal Water

Please click HERE to register your support for the bid.
Click HERE to go back to Day 1.