A path leads through woodland down to the lake where
there is a small slipway, a floating jetty and a boathouse,
housing up to 10 boats and canoes.
There is a bench and plenty of room for picnics and
barbecues, as you can see in the pictures.
Most boats kept at Low Water End are available for
use, although they are privately owned. They should
be used sensibly and treated them with care. Please
avoid beaching the boats. The boats must be securely
tied up when not in use and returned to the boathouse
at night.
In general, boats kept in the garage belong to members
of the family and permission should be obtained before
using them. The white rowing boat belongs to Giles
Jager and is the tender for his sailing boat. It should
not be used for extended lake trips.
You are advised to make adequate provision for life
jackets etc. as the lake is deceptively dangerous.
There are buoyancy aids of various vintages and sizes
in the boathouse, but no guarantees can be given for
their effectiveness.
Cars must not be driven further than Lake Cottage
as it damages the path. Trailers should be pushed
by hand down to the small slipway to launch and recover
boats.
Many thousands of children all around the world will
know about the exciting though fictional goings on
on this marvellous stretch of water.
Arthur Ransome author of the famous
Swallows and Amazons books, used the lake as the setting
for his characters.
More recently
Donald Campbell set a new world water
speed record on the Lake in 1955, only to lose his
life here in an attempt to regain the title 11 years
later in his boat Bluebird.
While here take a trip on the lake either on the
elegant steam yacht 'Gondola' built in 1859 and owned
by the National Trust, or on one of the more frequent
and up to date ferries that run the length of the
lake. (click here
for details of the Coniston
Launch service)
At the north west corner of the lake is the village
of Coniston with much to interest the visitor and
good places to take refreshment.
With views over Coniston Water from above the eastern
shore is Brantwood, once the home of the poet, philosopher
and painter John Ruskin. It is open to the public
and definitely worth a visit.
