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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It's not just Wainwright

Wainwright is one of the most famous "sons" of the Lake District, and rightly so.  His books have inspired millions of people around the world to visit and explore this wonderful part of England, but there are so many other worthy people with links to the area that today I have decided to write about a few of them.  The main reason I'm inspired to do this is because on Sunday we took a rather wonderful walk along Coniston Water and there are few spots with more interesting histories than this one.  We parked in a lay-by just before Beckstones and picked up the Cumbria Way, following it along the lake to Coniston town.  We planned on finding a different route back but enjoyed the stroll so much we just came back the same way.

Peel Island/ Wildcat Island

First up let's start at the south end of the lake with Arthur Ransom.  He was born in Leeds in 1884 but holidayed in Nibthwaite at the south end of Coniston.  In 1930 he published Swallows and Amazons, the first of a fabulous series of books based on real locations in and around Coniston and Winderemere.  If you never read them as a child then it's time to start, and if you did read them as a child then maybe it's time to take another look.  The first book charts the adventures of the Walker children and the Blackett children as they dispute ownership of Wildcat Island.  The book is set in 1929 and recounts an era when life was very different and the main thing the children had to worry about when crossing the road was the odd horse and cart - and of course being seen; good pirates should never be seen.  I grew up in an urban area and always longed for the freedom to roam and play in the fells - who knew it would only take me 30 odd years to make it here.

Next up as you head north towards Coniston town is Donald Campbell and his famous water speed record attempts on the lake. He is still the only man to hold both the world land and water speed records at the same time.  It's heartbreaking how close he came to succeeding during his final attempt; his boat flipped at the end of his final run killing him instantly.  Amazingly he reached speeds of over 300mph, almost unthinkable when looking at how choppy the water was on Sunday.  Each year in early November Coniston once again echos to the sound of high speed boats during the Coniston Power Boat Records week where all classes of boat whiz up and down the lake over a measured kilometre chasing records.  There are many excellent vantage points to be had along the lake and of course it wouldn't be complete without a trip to the harbour area to see the boats up close.  Due to the conditions within Coniston it wasn't until 2001 that Donald Campbell's body was recovered and buried in Coniston cemetery.  There are many references to Campbell throughout the town but perhaps one of the most well known is the Bluebird Cafe down on the lakeside.  It's newly restored now since it was flooded in 2009.  It's a lovely looking place and we admired it as we sat munching our sarnies on a bench outside.

A nice pier in honour of Ruskin

Lastly for today we're going to get literary and talk about Ruskin.  Now I have to be honest with you, my Comprehensive education wasn't and certainly didn't stretch to Ruskin so I've been reading up on him.  I've also bought one of his books in an attempt to get to grips with him properly.  John Ruskin lived in Brantwood, the large cream looking building on the far side of the lake to the town and wrote an awful lot about art and architecture during the middle of the 1800s.  I could try and bluff my way through and tell you more about him but everything I know about him I'm learning from Brantwood's home page so you'd be well advised to cut out the middle man and head straight there.  If you're visiting Coniston and want to learn all about the place then you absolutely must visit the inaccurately named Ruskin Museum.  It's tucked away off the main street but clearly signposted.  I say "inaccurately named" because there is so much more to the place than Ruskin; it's basically an entire history of the town and has some fascinating stuff in there - including Arthur Ransome's boat Mavis - the original Amazon.

So there you have it; hiking and history all coming together in one little blog.  The hike itself is a lovely easy ramble with many picnic spots along the way - perfect for those with kids or less of a head for the high fells. The other benefit of parking at Beckstones and walking to Coniston is that the parking is free.  Money saving tips too, think I'm going to quit while I'm ahead!