Of course Lake Windermere is a tourist hot spot for a reason, but if you’re looking for a laid-back family day at the lakes, Consiton Water is even better! All of the amenities, none of the crowds – the village of Coniston was our favourite place for adventure on our most recent trip, and we had never really heard of it… until now!
Getting Out On The Water
We aren’t exactly a family of adrenaline junkies, but our son was really keen to get have an ‘adventure’, so we thought we would give tandem kayaking a go. Really, this is how we discovered Coniston in the first place. I opened up the web browser and searched “Lake District Kayak Hire“. Of course, the first results are around Lake Windermere, particularly the Fell Foot area, however we know how busy these places get, particularly on fair weather days in August. So I dug deeper, and stumbled across Coniston Boating Centre. After researching the location, rules of hire and reading a few reviews, I knew this was the ideal spot for us. They have a range of water craft available to hire, including motor boats, rowing boats and paddle boards, but being as there was just the 3 of us and one six-year-old non-swimmer, we decided to hire 2 kayaks. The two kayaks with paddles and buoyancy aids for 2 hours set us back a total of £61.50, which for peak summer season, I didn’t think was a bad deal. We also used discount code BOATEARLY10 which gave us 10% off as our hire started before 11:30.
Beach Day (Without The Waves)
Paddling, building rock sculptures or simply reading a book in the sunshine… there is plenty of space for everyone to set up a base and let the kids roam free (safely of course). The main launch area for boats is not the ideal spot for dipping your toes in, but just 100 meters either side of this, you will find shallow shorelines and open spaces crying out for your picnic blanket. Speaking of which…
Hungry? You’ll be spoilt for choice!
Of course you could bring a picnic, but with a cafe like this on the water’s edge, and several other options in the village centre, you need not worry! The Bluebird Cafe by the lake is just perfect – it’s bright, clean, well-maintained, has both indoor and outdoor seating, a fantastic menu and even more tempting cakes in the counter. Table service or takeaway is available, they cater for kids and dietary needs, and well-behaved dogs are also welcome. There is an ice-cream window outside which also serves thick milkshakes and hot beverages. They also sell bags of duck food, again providing another opportunity to make memories with the family (who doesn’t love feeding the ducks)?!
Lakeside Walks
Owing to its rural location, the established walking paths from Coniston are like something out of a story book. Lush green fields of sheep, the sun reflecting off the water, hills creating an idyllic backdrop for all of natures beauty. Many of the paths are well-trodden, and we saw many families and dog walkers making use of them without too much difficulty.
Coniston Village
Admittedly, we had other plans scheduled for late afternoon, so we didn’t get to explore the rest of the village, however we did drive through it and would have loved to have spent more time here. If you aren’t planning on doing any water sports, I would recommend parking in the village centre instead, affording you the opportunity to arrive later and explore more of the heart of the community too. The Yew Dale Inn is a picturesque pub if ever I saw one, and The Crown Inn is a traditional British pub, serving hearty meals and local beers – just what you need after a day of exploring! There is also a small museum for those interested in former resident John Ruskin and other local history, plus a vintage shop, village store and traditional butchers.
Useful Information
Parking
One of the great advantages of this place is its well managed crowds, but this is likely owing to the limited amount of parking near the water’s edge. We arrived at around 10am and the car park was half empty, but by 11:30, people we doing laps of the car parks waiting for a space. There is also parking in the village centre at Ruskin Avenue, however my advice would still to be arrive early for the best spots! Car parking ranges from £5 for 2 hours at the Boating Centre, up to £10 all day at Ruskin Avenue. The best value parking is at Coniston Sports and Social Centre in the village – a comparative bargain at £6 all day. Personally, I’d budget for all day, park where I plan to spend the most time and take my time exploring without clock-watching constraints!
Toilets
You will never be too far from one – of course they are available in the cafes and pubs, but there are also public toilets at the main Coniston Water car park (by the boating centre) and the main village car park (Ruskin Avenue) too.
Play Area
There is a small playground on Lake Road making it an ideal stop on the walk between the lakeside and village centre – perfect for burning off that post-icecream sugar rush!
Location
Coniston village sits at the north end of Coniston Water and at the foot of the Old Man of Coniston, which is a renowned fell and an established hiking destination. Around 8 miles from Ambleside and 12 miles from Windermere, its within reasonable driving distance from many popular tourist hubs in Cumbia.
For SatNav directions, use either of the following locations:
Coniston Boating Centre (and lakeside car park)
Address: Coniston Boating Centre, Lake Road, Coniston, LA21 8EW
What3Words: pushed.meanders.really
Coniston Village (Ruskin Avenue car park)
Address: 1 Ruskin Ave Coniston, Cumbria, LA21 8EH
What3Words: stirs.loud.penny
If visiting without a car, the Stagecoach 505 bus runs between Coniston and Kendal via Hawkshead Ambleside. For more information, visit the Stagecoach website.
Top Tips
- Bring towels, wet shoes and a change of clothes, especially if you have water craft hire! We got very soggy bottoms in the kayaks as they were the open-top kind. Also, wet shoes are handy as the shoreline is very stony and you will need to self-launch any kayaks from the water’s edge.
- Pre-book your watercraft so not to be disappointed.
- Use discount code BOATEARLY10 for 10% off your water sports hire with Coniston Boating Centre starting before 11:30.
- There are small traditional wooden changing huts on the waters edge near the kayak hire area. These are less busy than the public toilets and arguably more practical too.
Gallery
Useful Links
Coniston Information Centre: lakedistrict.gov.uk
Coniston Water Boating Centre: conistonboatingcentre.co.uk
Ruskin Museum: ruskinmuseum.com
Stagecoach (local bus): stagecoachbus.com
Steam Yacht Gondola: nationaltrust.org.uk
Tarn Hows and Coniston National Trust: nationaltrust.org.uk
The Crown Inn: crowninnconiston.co.uk
The Yewdale Inn: yewdaleinn.com
Visit Lake District: visitlakedistrict.com
In Summary
If you’re after a relaxed day by the water with all of the conveniences you need and none of the crowds, a visit to Coniston is perfect for you!
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