Kendal and the Lake District 2023

CONISTON WATER & STEAM YACHT GONDOLA

This morning we head to Coniston Water, steeped in history and settled since Neolithic times. The village nestles in the lee of The Old Man of Coniston - likened by Wainwright to the position of the Zermatt and the Matterhorn and is surrounded by spectacular rugged crags and foaming waterfalls. It truly illustrates the turbulent geological complexities of a valley born of violent volcanic fire and sculpted, even as ‘recently’ as 10,000 years ago, by unimaginable depths of ice.

We arrive at the lake and take the beautifully restored Steam Yacht Gondola on a circular cruise on lake Coniston like the Victorians did before us. Enjoy a guided commentary from the captain of the yacht, who will tell us about the history of the lake and what we can see. Look out for Brantwood John Ruskin’s home on the shores of the lake which we will visit later this afternoon.

We can also spot Arthur Ransome’s cottage - he used Coniston as the setting for his very popular children’s book series Swallows and Amazons, which since published in 1930 has been made into numerous series and films. Most people will of course associate the lake with Donald Campbells water Speed record attempt, which ended in tragedy. He reached speed of over 300 mph on his craft “Bluebird”.

After our cruise there will be some free time to explore the pretty village of Coniston itself, or to visit the Ruskin Museum to find out more about Coniston, Ruskin and Donald Campbell. This afternoon we will drive to Brantwood House former home of John Ruskin a visionary thinker and pioneering conservationist, who foresaw the ‘green-house effect’ more than a century ago. Ruskin also inspired the establishment of The National Trust, and the founders of the National Parks movement, he wrote extensively and was also an accomplished painter . there is time to explore the house and beautiful mountainside gardens before we return ot the hotel late afternoon.

RAVENGLASS, ESKDALE RAILWAY AND MUNCASTER CASTLE

Heading as far west as we can in the lake, our first stop is a return journey on The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, one of the oldest and longest narrow-gauge railways in England. “La’al Ratty” as it is affectionately known, meaning little railway in old Cumbrian was built in 1873. The journey itself was one of Alfred Wainwright's favourites due to the beautiful scenery and was immortalised in his guidebooks. We then continue to Muncaster Castle a jewel in the majestic western lakes setting. Inhabited for 9 centuries continually, thought to have been built on Roman remains. We have a private group lunch before having a guided tour of the castle. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore the gardens and maybe visit the Hawk and Owl Centre.

ULLSWATER & DISTILLERY

We start the day by taking the breath-taking Kirsktone pass to Glenridding on the shores of lake Ullswater, a strong contender for the most beautiful lake in England, we continue on through, Pooley bridge before stopping at one of the UK’s most important visitors centres, Rheged. Built in the UKs largest grass covered building it resembles one of the hills itself, with galleries showcasing local art a café and exhibitions where you can learn more about the lake district , it’s a fascinating place to visit,- we continue on to the lake districts most northern lake Bassenthwaite, Owned by the park authority is is a wildlife reserve, and supports a wide range of flora and fauna. Nearby we visit The Lakes distillery for a tour and a tasting of whisky, gin and vodka afterward relatively new on the scene, the distillery specialising in Whisky and Gin with the water coming from the lake district itself. We call in at the pretty historic market town of Keswick , overlooked by Skiddaw one of the highest mountains in England We return after a full day out passing Thirlmere and Grasmere lakes , skirting Windermere on our way to the hotel.

AMBLESIDE & RETURN HOME

No visit to the Lake district would be complete without a visit to Lake Windermere - we start with a visit to Ambleside, before calling in at Bowness on Windermere - before returning to the hotel in Kendal mid to late afternoon to collect cars before your departure or transfer to the train station.