By Tab Hauser
Senior Writer

To enjoy the scenic English countryside, consider a Lake District visit. The Lake District is England’s largest park at 585,000 acres located in Northwest England. Inside the park boundaries lie 16 lakes set amongst the old-weathered Cumbrian Mountains. Mixed in with the scenery are pretty rolling hills, pastures separated by picture-perfect old stone walls, and several stroll-worthy villages.

In the Lake District, you can participate in various regional attractions, go on scenic drives, or find a quiet place to relax with a good book or be with your thoughts.

It is the perfect “get out of London” escape if you need a break from the big city while visiting England. The Lake District is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site

To see most of the Lake District you would need a couple of weeks or rush about for a week.  Our leisurely four days took in some of the highlights, focusing on places near Coniston where we used the Coniston Inn as our base.

Our goal was to visit a couple of lakes, ride the Lake District’s historic steam-powered boat and train, and do a ramble (as hikes are sometimes called) No visit here would be complete without bending the elbow at a pub in a historic village.

Floating Victorian Treasure

With the word “Lake” in Lake District, our first attraction was on Coniston Water.

This is the fifth largest lake in England, five miles long.  The highlight here is the 1859 Steam Yacht Gondola operated by the National Trust.

The Gondola is 84 feet long and operated by a steam-powered locomotive engine. She is called the perfect unity of a Venetian gondola and an English steam yacht.   The Gondola is one of the first steel hull ships to use a propeller versus a paddle wheel and may be the oldest vessel of this type still floating.

The first-class saloon cabin is copied from the interior of Queen Victoria’s royal rail carriage. It is complete with gilded Corinthian capitals on mahogany columns surrounding each window. There are carved mahogany moldings and a mahogany vaulted ceiling. The upholstery aboard is red, while the Queen’s would have been blue.

There are detailed carvings around the boat with a twin-tailed sea serpent on the bow.  Rather than use coal as was originally used, the Gondola burns a cleaner type of recycled wood while traveling about 10 miles per hour.  The crew is very proud of her and is happy to answer any questions that are not part of the narrative tour.

The full lake tour takes one hour and forty minutes.  There is a shorter one-hour cruise.  We recommend making a stop at Brantwood (see below) and reboarding when your visit is finished.  Bookings can be made at this link.

Brantwood Mansion, Museum and Gardens

Taking a commanding view of Coniston Water is Brantwood. This is a historic 250-acre estate built at the end of the 18th century.

It is the former home of John Ruskin, a famous writer, artist, and social reformer. The mansion has several rooms open for a self-guided tour.

Much of it is filled with original furniture that was donated back to the property over the years.  This mansion/museum is dedicated to Mr Ruskin’s life featuring some of his art and writings.

A highlight of visiting Brantwood is the grounds.  There are eight unique gardens connected by trails. They are divided into the lower and upper gardens.  The lower gardens are where you can arrive in Victorian style via the SY Gondola.  The property offers guests rooms, lunch, and tea with a beautiful overlook.

Lake District Ramble

Taking a hike is a must-do when in the Lake District.  We chose the Walna Scar to Coppermine hike because of its ease and vast scenery. This ramble gives you beautiful views at every step.  You can do this hike the easy way, which is mostly flat to downhill if you hitch a ride from town to the Walna Scar parking lot.

If you drive to the top, you will need to walk up a steep narrow road at the end of your hike to get your car. Taking the easy method had us finish in a leisurely two hours. Wear sturdy shoes.

By following the arrows in the Google Map above you won’t get lost.

From the Walna Scar parking lot take in the views of the rounded mountains, Coniston Water, and the pastures of sheep or cows with the long stone walls.

You can see the first part of the hike from the parking lot looking north. Take the path about 20 minutes until the first right (#2) and go through the gate.

From the gate, it is downhill with more mountain views, a waterfall, and the mine to your left.

At the bottom of the hill (#3) you will reach the road.  At this point, you can go left (to #4) to see the restored mill or go right, down the easy road to Coniston.  For something more challenging, consider the Old Man Coniston hike to its summit at 2632 feet.   For regional hiking information click

John Ruskin Museum

 A good way to end your hike in Coniston is to stop at the John Ruskin Museum. This small museum is part natural history museum of Coniston, part tributes to Donald Campell and John Ruskin. Mr. Campell died on Coniston Water in 1967 attempting to break the 300-mph water speed record.

A room is dedicated to his life with the center attraction, his restored Bluebird K7 that was lifted from the bottom of the lake after 34 years. The John Ruskin Gallery has some of his drawings, watercolors, sketchbooks,  crystals, and minerals from his geological collection. Allow about an hour for your visit.

Train to the Boat

A fun Lake District experience should include a ride on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway to connect to Windemere Lake Cruises.

Our train was pulled by the 1942 steam-powered locomotive named Princess. Attached to Princess were several comfortable restored 1950s-era carriages.

After a pleasant, narrated ride through the Levin Valley, it stopped at Lakeside dock on Lake Windemere.  This is England’s largest lake at 11 miles long.

At Lakeside, train guests can opt to connect for the waiting 142-foot MV Swan to cruise Windemere.

The Swan had plenty of seating room, drinks, and snacks and offered a smooth ride.

During the cruise, guests were treated to a narrated tour pointing out the history of this 1938 boat, the mansions on the shores, and things about the region.

The Swan stopped in Ambleside where there was time for a stroll around the dock and a lunch side water. (There was not enough time to visit the village a mile away, which we did the next day).

After lunch, the boat continued up the lake and then returned to Lakeside to board the awaiting train.  A more relaxing day with this combination of attractions cannot be had.  https://www.lakesiderailway.co.uk/

Lakeland Motor Museum

A short walk from Haverthwaite Station is the Lakeland Motor Museum. It is said they have the best collection of automotive memorabilia in England.  There is a fine collection of mostly English and European cars and motorcycles.

To get a look at some of the countryside outside Coniston we drove north to the lakefront town of Keswick with a stop in Ambleside. Driving directly takes only one hour and covers some beautiful scenery.

I recommend a stop in Ambleside where you should park near Church Street and Lake Road and walk a loop around this busy attractive town.

For a treat stop at the Ye Old Friars chocolate shop. (Ambleside is a “chocolate happy” place with four stores within blocks of each other)

Keswick

Our drive continued north past the pretty village of Grasmere, two lakes, and the scenic mountains until we reached Keswick.  Keswick is an old English market town dating back to the 13th century. It is a cultural and shopping hub for this area of the Lake District.

Your first stop should be on the pedestrian main street at the bell tower.  This is the village information center. Here you can get a map and information about the area.

Keswick features water activities, a theatre by the lake, a pencil museum, and hiking trails. The pedestrian shopping area has old stone buildings full of boutiques, pubs, food shops, and stores.  The walk to the lake from the visitor’s center takes 10 minutes. At the lake, stroll at least another 20 minutes south to take in the views.

Coniston

Coniston was our hub for four days. It is a typical Lake District village having a population of about 1000 people.

It is a five-minute walk to the lake and marina where you can board the SY Gondola mentioned above.  There are sports stores geared for hikers and campers, shops, restaurants, pubs, and museums.

Food

Food in the towns in the Lake District seems to concentrate on pubs with “Ye ole” sounding traditional names. Many of them have similar menus and while good, seem to taste about the same. One standout was the Manor Inn in the tiny hamlet of Oxen Park. We enjoyed their steak and ale pie, pork chops, and attentive service.

For lunch in Coniston, we recommend the Green House Keeper Café. We shared their large open-face rarebit. This is a blend of three cheeses, red onion, mustard, and Worcester sauce on grilled sourdough bread. Their cakes under the counter our tempting.

Lodging

The Coniston Inn is located an easy 10-minute walk from the village and a two-minute walk to their lakeshore property. It is an attractive-looking structure with 45 rooms.

There are family rooms with bunk beds. Service was attentive and helpful when asking questions about the region (Thank you, Ollie).

For Americans reading this, air conditioning is not the norm for hotels in this region. If you come during a hot summer week as we did, request a second-floor room as our third-floor room was a bit warm.

All rooms have fans. The Coniston Inn has a large bar with friendly bartenders. The breakfast that was part of our package was very good. Guests can eat or take drinks outside on the covered lawn.

For those who want to self-cater, consider The Coppermines Lakes Cottages. They have approximately 90 cottages of different sizes in the Coniston region that can sleep two to twenty two people. This is a good way to lodge in the Lake District if you are staying for a while and wish to have more room and do some of your cooking.   www.coppermines.co.uk/

Driving

What makes the Lake District driving interesting is that many of the roads are narrow.

More than once, we had to stop at a turn to allow a bus to go through.

On the back roads to Oxen Park, the two-lane road is almost half a lane short in width with hedges on both sides. The rule here is to drive slowly.