The long lake where Donald Campbell chased the water speed record, and the water Arthur Ransome turned into Swallows and Amazons country
Coniston Water is a long, straight lake — the third largest in the Lake District — running north to south under the bulk of the Old Man of Coniston, the fell that rises steeply above the western shore. It is known for two very different things. This is where Donald Campbell was killed in January 1967, when his jet boat Bluebird flipped at over 300 mph during an attempt on the world water speed record; a memorial to him stands in the village. It is also the lake Arthur Ransome knew as a boy and later reworked into the setting for Swallows and Amazons, with Peel Island usually taken as the model for Wild Cat Island.
The village of Coniston sits at the northern end, and the Ruskin Museum there covers both stories along with the wider local history. You can get out on the water aboard the Steam Yacht Gondola, a restored Victorian launch run by the National Trust, or take one of the other cruise boats. Over on the eastern shore is Brantwood, the home of the writer and critic John Ruskin, with gardens above the lake. Behind it the trails of Grizedale Forest climb into the hills.
Car parks and boat piers are dotted around the village and the northern end of the lake.
