Coniston Water

Coniston Water is a long, narrow lake in the Lake District of Cumbria. It lies in a deep valley shaped by glaciers during the last ice age, surrounded by volcanic and limestone rocks. The lake stretches for nearly nine kilometres and reaches depths of over fifty metres. At its northern end stands the Old Man of Coniston, the highest peak in the historic county of Lancashire. The River Crake flows from the southern end into Morecambe Bay. The lake has played a part in local history for thousands of years. Bronze Age settlements have been found along its shores, and Roman miners once worked the copper-bearing fells above. For centuries the monks of Furness Abbey controlled the waters and took fish from them. Later, the Victorian writer John Ruskin made his home at Brantwood on the eastern shore. Arthur Ransome set his famous Swallows and Amazons stories on a lake modelled on Coniston Water. Visitors today can walk beside the water or take boat trips on the lake. The steam yacht Gondola offers summer cruises, while smaller motor launches also ply the waters. Kayakers and canoeists launch from several points along the shore. The lake’s islands and surrounding fells appear in Ransome’s novels, and Peel Island is said to be the model for Wild Cat Island. In November each year, speedboat records are attempted during Records Week.