Coniston Boating Centre on Coniston Water

Coniston Water Explore and Visit

Coniston Water and Coniston village

Coniston Water is about five miles long and half a mile wide. Above its western shore, the mountain of the Old Man of Coniston towers above the lake and the village. The lake is half a mile down from the village, where you can hire boats and bikes from Coniston Boating Centre. There are shops, pubs and places to eat in the village, a range of guest houses, B&Bs and holiday cottages in Coniston and nearby.

Boat hire and boat cruises on Coniston Water

Coniston Boating Centre on Coniston Water

Coniston Boating Centre

Have family days out on Coniston water. Book boat hire; motorboats, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, electric bikes and more. Our staff will help you make the most of your adventure, Bluebird Café has delicious food and drinks.

Coniston Launch - photo of boat

Coniston Launch

The Coniston Launch has various cruises around the lake. It sails from Coniston Boating Centre, with stops at Brantwood and other jetties around the lake. Sails all year round, but not every day, November to February.

Steam yacht gondola on Coniston Water

Steam Yacht Gondola

Steam down the lake on the rebuilt Victorian Yacht, run by the National Trust. Sails from spring into autumn until the end of October.

Map of Coniston Water

Map and guide to Coniston Water

Our printable map of Coniston Water shows you where to park, where to hire boats, footpaths and cycle routes, where to catch a boat trip from, and of course where to hire your boats and bikes at Coniston Boating Centre.

Places to visit around Coniston

Hawkshead

This pretty village's cobbled lanes are best explored by foot. There are many pubs, shops and cafes. You can see Wordsworth's schoolboy signature carved in a desk at Hawkshead Grammar School. The Beatrix Potter Gallery occupies rooms once used by the solicitor William Heelis, Potter's husband.

Esthwaite Water

This small lake, just two miles long, near Hawkshead is privately owned. However there is a footpath to the lake from the road just south of Hawkshead which follows the shore for a short time. There is also a small public access area by the lakeshore just before Sawrey.

Brantwood house with view over Coniston Water

Brantwood House

The home of John Ruskin, the house, gardens and estate host many of Ruskin's treasures, along with contemporary exhibitions, concerts, courses and special events.

Ruskin Museum

Ruskin Museum in Coniston Village

The museum, in the centre of Coniston village, tells the story of Coniston from the first Stone Age fell-walkers, who made and traded stone axes, to the Jet Era when the 1950s speed ace Donald Campbell used Coniston Water as Bluebird K7’s race-track.

Coniston Copper Mines

See the remains of Coniston Copper Mines.With insights into the geology, how the copper mining industry developed, and the miners and their families who earned their livelihoods from it, it gives a great glimpse into Coniston's past. Download a self-guided trail

Walking routes near Coniston

Free guided walks near Coniston

Book your place on our free guided walks near Coniston and Hawkshead

Miles without Stiles routes, easy access routes

The Greenwood Trails

A collection of walks in Rusland, an area that stretches between Winderemere and Coniston Water to the south of Grizedale forest.

Getting to Coniston

There are regular buses to Coniston from Ambleside and Hawkshead (service 505, Stagecoach) and from Ulverston and Barrow (Service X112, Blueworks Travel) For more details and links to timetables see Travel and Transport.

Bike hire around Coniston

  • You can hire bikes at Hawkshead and Coniston Boating Centre, with cycle routes between the two and to Ambleside, Langdale and  Western shore of Windermere. Hire bikes