Coniston Water

Coniston is about eight kilometres long and unusually straight, which is why it was chosen for water speed record attempts: Malcolm Campbell set records here in the 1930s and his son Donald set four between 1956 and 1959, then was killed on the lake in January 1967 when Bluebird lifted and somersaulted at over three hundred miles per hour. The wreck and his body were recovered in 2001 and he is buried in Coniston. The steam yacht Gondola, built in 1859 for the Furness Railway and restored by the National Trust, runs passenger trips under steam. John Ruskin lived at Brantwood on the eastern shore from 1872 until his death, and the house is open with his collections. Arthur Ransome used the lake and its islands for Swallows and Amazons.

What you actually see

• The steam yacht Gondola - an 1859 vessel restored and running under steam.
• Brantwood - Ruskin's house and collections on the eastern shore.
• The speed record water - the straight reach used for record attempts from the 1930s.
• Peel Island - the island Ransome used as Wild Cat Island.

When to go

April to October for boats and Brantwood; Gondola sails on a seasonal timetable and cancels in wind. The Old Man of Coniston above the village is climbed year-round but is exposed in winter.

Honest expectations

Coniston village parking is limited and charged. Gondola has a small capacity and books out in summer. The eastern shore road is narrow and slow. The Campbell story is treated respectfully locally and the museum handles it as history rather than spectacle.

Nearby

Hawkshead and Tarn Hows lie east; the Old Man of Coniston rises directly above.