Author Arthur Ransome lived on the shores of Coniston Water and Swallows and Amazons follows the innocent adventures of a gang of children as they camp, fish and mess about in dinghies on a lake described only as 'that great lake in the North' believed to be an amalgamation of Windermere and Coniston.

With the Lake District only on our doorstep here in Lancashire it's tempting to keep it for day visits only and yet holidaying there, if only for a few days, lets you explore and enjoy it thoroughly.

We stopped for a long weekend in one of The Coppermines Cottages located in and around Coniston village.

This three-storey Victorian stone cottage is the end of a terrace of four and sleeps up to 10 in its four spacious bedrooms. Recently refurbished, there is a large kitchen with dining area (and huge table that would easily seat 10), a sitting room with squishy sofas and open fire, and bedrooms that are all en suite with either showers or baths.
We were only a party of four but the cottage is roomy enough not to feel too overcrowded even when filled to capacity. There is a tiny cottage garden out front (shared with the rest of the terrace cottages) and the majestic view of the Old Man to the rear.

The only difficulty was parking.

Each cottage is allocated a space but unfortunately when we arrived they were all taken up and we were forced to park along the lane.

If you can't be bothered cooking then eating out in Coniston is no trouble. It might only be made up of two streets but there is a grand total of five pubs, several cafes and a restaurant from which to choose.

After a gloriously sunny Friday evening spent exploring and wandering down to the Lake we awoke bright and early on Saturday ready for an arranged sailing lesson (yes, we really were going to recreate Swallows and Amazons - while valiantly attempting to not fall in) only to be greeted by leaden skies.

As we walked to the boathouse the drizzle came on, fast turning into a downpour.

Dinghy sailing, as total beginners, was out, so we took a motorboat (with a roofed cabin) instead. We tootled down the five and a half miles of the lake at considerably slower speeds than Donald Campbell.

In 1967 he averaged 297.6mph in Bluebird K7, travelling even faster on the return run before the fateful crash. He was killed instantly although it wasn't until 2001 that his body was able to be recovered.
Through the misty rain we looked out for Peel Island - Wildcat Island in Ransome's book - where the adventurers set up camp.

By the afternoon the rain was still persisting down.

Typical Lakeland climate and an ideal chance to explore the Lake Aquarium at Lakeside at the very southern end of Windermere.

New this year is the Virtual Dive Bell that allows visitors to (virtually) voyage to the bottom of an African lake and come face to face with sharks, crocs and scariest of all, hippos.

Don't be fooled by cuddly looks - those things are vicious.

After a good night's sleep we packed up a picnic, donned hiking gear and walked from the kitchen door, through a farm and on to the track that leads up the Old Man, the fell that became Kanchenjunga in the book Swallowdale, one of the sequels to Swallows and Amazons.

The Old Man isn't the highest in the Lakes, at 2635ft it only comes in at number 30, but it's one of the most famous. And as you approach the summit it's jolly steep too. But the glorious views of the surrounding fells and across Morecambe Bay make the huffing and puffing worthwhile.
Monday morning and it was time to leave.

Screamingly achey knees meant another walk was out of the question but sunny weather suggested a trip on the steam yacht Gondola along Coniston Water, stopping off en route to explore Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin.

Gondola docks at Brantwood on its circle of the lake and passengers may disembark and catch it again later to return to Coniston Pier.

Ruskin lived at this beautiful house surrounded by magical gardens from 1872 until 1900.

I recommend watching the DVD that describes his life and work in order to fully enjoy the house and to understand what a remarkable man he was. His writing on social reform promoted free State education, social security, a health service for all, a minimum wage, rent control, public ownership of transport and a European trading community.
Truly a man ahead of his time.

The house contains many of Ruskin's drawings and paintings and much of his furniture is on display.
And the views across the lake, particularly from the dining room are tremendous.

Much of the 250 acre estate maybe viewed from a three mile circular nature walk through the glorious gardens and woodland that provides a fascinating insight into the natural history of the Lake District.

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