Now for some unknown reason, it always rains whenever we visit Coniston, and this day was no exception. Fortunately, it was just the occasional session of light drizzle rather than the torrential downpour of our last visit. Not bad enough to put us off anyhow.
Lunch at the Green Housekeeper Cafe, another little gem. Free wifi and a sideline business in ecological household products. I especially liked the vintage cup and saucer I got with my tea.
After a quick look around the shops in Coniston and the emergency purchase of gloves for the girls (the good weather we had enjoyed so far was beginning to turn a lot cooler and there were grumbles and shivers from the girls), we headed off for the lakeside.
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Gorgeous old rowing boats on Coniston
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Coniston is a lovely lake. Every bit as nice as Windermere, albeit on a smaller scale, but it's much less commercialised here and a bit more simple. I like it a lot and was really looking forward to our trip on the Steam Gondola
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The Steam Gondola steaming to the pier
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The trip was brilliant and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. The crew are very friendly and informative and real enthusiasts. There weren't very many passengers on our cruise around the lake so all the children on board were able to clamber up with the captain to steer the boat and (the most fun of all) toot the steam horn a few times.
Very exciting for them all. The captain gave an interesting commentary with lots of information about the Campbell family, Arthur Ransome (Swallows and Amazons), the various poets and artists that have lived in the area (Ruskin etc) and the history of the boat, the lake and Coniston. It was a really good trip.
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| Peel Island - aka Wild Cat Island in the Swallows and Amazons |
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| Ice Creams on the lake shore |
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| Water walking - human sized hamster balls that float. Not so much walking going on but lots of falling over! |
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