Paddle the Lake District’s Coniston Water, the third longest natural lake in England. The delightful trail takes in views of the famous fell, the Old Man of Coniston, and the island which features in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.
Distance: 5.2 miles (8.3km)
Time: 2 hours
Sat Nav: LA21 8LA (Coniston Park Coppice) / LA21 8EW (Coniston Pier)
What3Words: ///pound.snail.chuck (Our launch point) ///harmlessly.blizzard.couches (Coniston Pier)
Find out more about Coniston Water on PaddlePoints >>
To make the most of a trip to the Lake District we stayed over a few days.
Coniston Park Coppice Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite, near to Coniston Water, was a perfect base.
Our Experience Freedom glamping cabin had plenty of room, and comforts, for three adults, including a double bed, and two singles on the floor above.
There’s also a foldout bed in the living room. The cabin comes with a kitchen, and a bathroom with a shower cubicle.
The outdoor space is handy for dining, and, as we found out, hanging out your wet gear after a paddle.
Paddle UK members get £25 off an Experience Freedom holiday.
It was easy to walk from the lodge down to the lake, especially if you have a Decathlon transport trolley.
It’s an ideal way to transport a heavy kayak, or a paddle board.
The downhill walk to the lake takes about 10 minutes in total.
If you’re staying at the site, you could drive to the campsite’s gate, and drop your equipment off.
From the gate, pass through the Coniston Camping Hoathwaite site near the water’s edge.
We launched from a launch point close to a drystone wall (///pound.snail.chuck).
An alternative launch point is from Coniston Pier (///harmlessly.blizzard.couches), which is about one kilometer north of where we set off from.
Coniston Boating Centre charge £5 to launch from the pier, on top of a parking fee you pay on arrival.
They also hire kayaks, canoes and paddle boards.
Once on the water we headed south towards Peel Island which is about 3km away.
We used a Tribord 100+ inflatable kayak from Decathlon, which is comfortable for two adults, and for gliding through calm waters.
Peel Island was the inspiration for Wild Cat Island in Arthur Ransome’s famous 1930 novel, Swallows and Amazons.
The island is owned by the National Trust and is popular with tourists, especially paddlers.
It is only accessible by a kayak, paddle board or canoe.
We had a chat with a few paddle boarders who explained how important the island was to them.
Once we paddled around the island we headed back, staying close to the eastern shore before crossing back to our starting point.
You can continue a bit further north to see Brantwood House, the home of John Ruskin, a 19th century artist and philosopher.
You can get out here to explore the area (///greyhound.rotations.bracing).
Alternatively, it’s also a different place to park, and launch your craft to explore the lake.
After we returned to our start point, we headed back up to the campsite, got changed, and visited the Bluebird Cafe (///amplifier.engine.field) for lunch.
The Coniston Boating Centre is next door, and from there you can hire paddle boards, canoes and kayaks.
Find out more about Coniston Water on PaddlePoints >>
