Cool Places
Coniston Boating Centre
Coniston Water LA21 8EW
For old-fashioned fooling about on the water, it's Coniston every time, with traditional wooden rowing boats plus Wayfarer dinghies, sit-on kayaks and Canadian canoes available from the National Park's boating centre. The mountain views are magnificent and you'll relish the atmosphere on one of the quieter lakes – the only other traffic are the solar-powered launches and the National Trust's vintage steam yacht Gondola – where you can play all day at Swallows and Amazons, which Arthur Ransome set right here on Coniston Water. You can rent a bike down here too, and the lake and boating centre is just half a mile or so from Coniston village.
