Coniston Water
On Gingerguide's self-guided Lake District audio tour, Coniston Water is a stop worth about ~90 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Lake District Lake District guide
About Coniston Water
A long, quiet lake beneath the Old Man of Coniston, where Donald Campbell died chasing a speed record, John Ruskin made his home at Brantwood, and a Victorian steam yacht still sails.
Coniston Water is a lake about 8.7 km (5.4 miles) long in the southern Lake District, the third largest of the English lakes by volume, beneath the fell known as the Old Man of Coniston. Between 1956 and 1959 Donald Campbell set four world water speed records here in his jet boat Bluebird K7, and in 1967 he was killed on the lake during a further attempt after passing 320 mph.
On the eastern shore stands Brantwood, home of the Victorian critic John Ruskin from 1872 until his death in 1900, now open to visitors. Arthur Ransome set his Swallows and Amazons books around a fictional lake combining Coniston and Windermere, with 'Wild Cat Island' based on Peel Island in Coniston. The National Trust's Victorian steam yacht Gondola carries passengers on the lake in summer.
Did you know? Donald Campbell set four world water speed records on Coniston Water in the 1950s, then died here in 1967 when his jet boat Bluebird flipped at over 320 miles an hour on another attempt.
How much time do you need at Coniston Water?
Around ~90 min works well for Coniston Water — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Coniston Water?
Yes — Coniston Water made the cut as one of 13 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Lake District. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Lake District
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Coniston Water and read more:
Day 2 of the Lake District in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Coniston Water
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