It’s easy to see why the Lake District is one of the most popular places to visit in the UK. First of all, it’s brimming with natural beauty, with rugged mountains giving way to smooth expanses of tranquil water.
But it’s also a place full of romance which has inspired writers and artists for centuries. Tucked among the fells are villages where the pace of life is slower and pretty cottages sit harmoniously in the landscape.
Located in the heart of the national park, the village of Coniston offers just this. It’s overlooked by the imposing Old Man of Coniston, a fell which stands at over 2,600ft high and provides a stunning backdrop to the village’s picture-perfect buildings.
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The village is a charming spot with an alpine feel to it. At just over two hour’s drive from Manchester, Coniston is a great place to visit for a weekend away or to stop by if you’re passing through the Lake District.
Historically a farming village, Coniston became known for its copper and slate mines which date back to Elizabethan times. Tourism blossomed in the Victorian era, thanks to the construction of a branch of the Furness Railway which opened to passengers in 1859.
Although copper mining ceased in Coniston in the 1950s, slate is still quarried in the area using traditional methods. In recent years a restoration project, with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), has helped to conserve the area’s mining heritage. Today you can follow various walking trails which take you through the fells, past waterfalls and mining relics.
A stone’s throw away from the village is Coniston Water, the third-largest lake in the Lake District by volume. Coniston Launch runs boat trips across the water or you can enjoy a ride on the Steam Yacht Gondola, a rebuilt Victorian steam-powered yacht.
Coniston Water is probably best known for when Donald Campbell broke the water speed record on Coniston Water in 1955. However, he was killed when he attempted to achieve it again in 1867.
In 2001 hisjet-powered hydroplane Bluebird, along with the remains of Campbell’s body, was recovered from the water and Campbell was buried in the churchyard later that year. There’s a replica of Bluebird at the Lakeland Motor Museum in Backbarrow.
World records aren’t the only claim to fame Coniston Water has - the lake and the surrounding area served as inspiration for Arthur Ransome’s children’s book Swallows and Amazons. The writer and philosopher John Ruskin lived in Coniston for 30 years of his life and bought his house Brantwood on the shore of the lake, which is open to visitors today.
The village itself has a range of accommodation options, including holiday cottages and hotels. There are lots of food and drink options too, from rustic pubs to cosy tearooms.
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