Coniston Hall on the Lake

• Good views of the marina
• Explore ‘unique’ Coniston Hall
• Easy walking on wide paths

This walk has some memories for me as it was the first one that my eldest daughter tottered along whilst on a stay in a small cottage in Coniston (possibly my favourite village). I repeated the walk recently and found it entertaining and interesting. Sadly I made the mistake of heading for the horribly commercialised water front first before locating the Cumbria Way sign and heading south. The path passes near the Coniston marina (home to seemingly 100s of sailing boats) before leading straight in to the grounds of Coniston Hall. Coniston Hall is a strange looking building, spooky to some, out of character to others with some very odd chimneys being a little unseemly. However the famous writer John Rushkin loved it. When he was living at Brantwood House on the far shore of Coniston he used to enjoy the unique lines of Coniston Hall, blending well with the wild scenery and adding a touch of romance to the area. Now the hall is the centre for a variety of tourism enterprises; the booking office for the marina, a large but fairly unobtrusive camp site, a tea shop and a working/viewable farm. I enjoyed having a bit of an explore in the woods of Park Coppice which I did enjoy; it is just a shame that some of the best waterside land is not accessible to the public, particularly that at Land’s Point.

Recommend: Excellent for wheelchair or pushchair users or even those with bikes as it makes use of the Cumbria Way bridleway.

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© Crown copyright 2010 Ordnance Survey. Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.

OS Map:	O/S 1.25,000. OL6 The English Lakes South Western Area
Start Point:	303975. There is a large car park in the centre of Coniston or roadside parking on the fringes. Unlike other Lakeland towns Coniston does not get unbearably busy in the peak. Aim for the marina but follow the sign half way down for the Cumbria Way and Torver.
Terrain:	Wheelchair/pushchair friendly on the Cumbria Way. Paths in the wood.
Eating & Drinking:	There is a tea shop in the Hall but plenty of better ones in Coniston village. Of the pubs the Black Bull is rightly famous with its own brewery but sadly is increasingly expensive. I prefer the Crown or the Sun Inn.
Similar Walks Nearby:	A walk through Grizedale Forest Tarn Hows Exploring Little Langdale
Places to Stay: