"Coniston and Coniston Water" a Coniston Travel Page by nickandchris

Coniston is a small, rural farming village situated at the northern end of Coniston Water in the Lake District, in south Cumbria. Copper mining in the 18th and 19th centuries and later, slate mining, were it's chief forms of employment. Nowadays, tourism plays a major role, with walking and lake activities it's main attractions. A small amount of slate quarrying still goes on today.

Coniston Old Man towers over the village, rising to 2635 feet, and is a popular hiking route, taking in redundant copper mines and following gushing mountain streams.

Coniston Water stretches from Coniston village in the north, to Water Yeat in the south and flows into the sea of Morecambe Bay at Greenodd. It was originally used to transport the slate and ore mined locally above Coniston but today it is purely a pleasureground.

Coniston's claims to fame include the artist and poet John Ruskin, who bought the beautiful mansion, Brantwood, on Coniston's eastern shore and lived in for his last 30 years. Today, the house belongs to the national Trust and is open to the public.

Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record on Coniston Water, travelling at over 300 mph in 1955. In 1969 he attempted to better this, only to lose control, flip over and sink. Campbell died instantly and his boat and body have only recently been found and recovered from the lake, in 2001.

The Lady in the Lake is a local news story about a lady from Barrow-in-Furness who disappeared in 1976 and whose body was only discovered on the lake bed in 1997. Her husband was convicted of her murder in 2004 but his family believe in his innocence and are fighting for justice.

Coniston has four pubs, some trditional shops, (as well as ye old gifte type) plenty of B&B's, campsites close by and a YHA.

It even has it's own brewery, Coniston brewery Company and the local brew is Bluebird Bitter.

It's popular all year round with walkers and sight-seeers but extremely busy in summer and accommodation must be pre-booked to guarantee you a bed.

We only live about 15 miles from Coniston but only tend to visit the quieter, eastern side of the lake in summer and wouldn't bother trying to park anywhere near the village in high season.