20 Attractions to Explore Near Coniston Water

Brantwood is a historical house, museum and centre for the arts, also offering a wedding venue and self-catering accommodation with views over Coniston. It was the home of John Ruskin, one of the greatest figures of the Victorian age. Ruskin was a poet, an artist, a critic, a social revolutionary and a conservationist.

The Ruskin Museum opened in 1901 to celebrate the life, work, and influence of the Victorian cultural and social pundit, John Ruskin. It holds important Ruskin collections, including watercolors, drawings, sketchbooks, crystals, and personalia. The museum is a registered charity in England & Wales, constituted as The Coniston Institute and Ruskin Museum.

The Old Man of Coniston is one of the best named fell walks in the Lake District. It has an allure to hikers that goes beyond its unique title. Towering over the small town of Coniston, the fell draws the eye immediately. Starting off above the village of Coniston with views out to Coniston Water and beyond, it climbs through old quarry workings, perhaps a stop at Low Water for a breather before the last section to the summit.

Grizedale Forest is in the heart of the Lake District between Windermere and Coniston. Head for Hawkshead and climb up into the fells, enjoying the feeling of truly being off the beaten track and surrounded by forests and woodland. Popular amongst enthusiasts of outdoor pursuits the forest is brimming with opportunities for adventure, whilst those who prefer gentler activities will enjoy peaceful woodland walks and a trip to the café.

The Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead is one of the National Trust‘s more unusual properties in that it has an interesting link with Beatrix Potter herself. On display are original sketches and watercolors painted by Potter for her children's stories as well as artifacts and information relating to her life and work. The display changes annually. The 17th-century building is listed as grade II. It was at one time the law office of Potter's husband, William Heelis. Its interior remains substant

One of the beautiful spots that are most visited in Lakeland. Its sheer beauty surrounded by thick woodland and views towards Wetherlam, the Helvellyn range, and the Langdale Pikes. Tarn Hows is fed at its northern end by a series of valley and basin mires and is drained by Tom Gill which cascades down over several small waterfalls to Glen Mary bridge: named by John Ruskin who felt that Tom Gill required a more picturesque name and so gave the area the title 'Glen Mary'.

A beautiful natural 280-acre private water situated in the heart of the English Lake District with excellent facilities for boat or bank fishing. The lake has a mean depth of 6.9m, covers an area of 0.96km² and its drainage area forms part of the larger Windermere catchment. It is designated both as a Natural England Site of Special Scientific Interest and as a Ramsar Convention site on account of its diverse macrophyte community and the well developed hydrosere at the northern end of the lake.

Hill Top is a 17th-century house in Near Sawrey near Hawkshead, in the English county of Cumbria. It is an example of Lakeland's vernacular architecture with random stone walls and slate roofs. The house was once the home of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter who left it to the National Trust. It is a Grade II* listed building.

One of the extensive working mill produced literally millions of wooden bobbins vital to the Lancashire spinning and weaving industries. It is the only working bobbin mill left in the Lake District today. It is now a small Visitor Attraction with guided tours, steam weekends and a gift shop selling bobbin-related products.

Blackwell mansion is one of England’s most important surviving houses from the turn of the 20th century and is a superb example of Arts and Crafts movement architecture, with most of the original decorative interiors still intact. Almost all of Blackwell’s original features survive, along with immaculate furniture and beautiful decorative flourishes. With a peaceful, tranquil setting and tremendous views over Windermere and the Coniston Fells, the house never fails to inspire.

Blea Tarn lies high above Great Langdale on the pass to Wrynose. This walk offers a great opportunity for all to get out into the fells safely, while enjoying brilliant views of Lingmoor and Pike of Blisco and other surrounding Langdale fells. One of the picturesque location which offers immense natural beauty and also you can spend some nice time there.

Hardknott Pass is known as one of Britain's most challenging roads. This single-track road right through the middle of the Lake District National Park, in the region of Cumbria, England, it’s a heart-stopping series of sharp and narrow hairpin bends. It’s said to be the steepest road in England with a gradient of 1 in 3. The pass is often closed in winter due to ice that makes the route impassable for vehicles​​​​​​​.

Windermere Jetty Museum of Boats, Steam and Stories is a brand new major Lake District attraction. It opened its doors in spring 2019 following a £20m development of the site of the former Windermere Steamboat Museum. Its seven buildings house vessels dating back 200 years, including the SL Dolly, thought to be the oldest mechanically-powered one in the world.

The Lakes Aquarium is an aquarium in the village of Lakeside on the southern shore of Windermere. It has a plethora of strange and wonderful aquatic wildlife, as well as a small selection of land-dwelling creatures. The attraction is now owned by Spanish leisure company Parques Reunidos, who own and operate 67 parks across the world.

Brockhole on Windermere, The Lake District Visitor Centre is a visitor centre and tourist attraction managed by the Lake District National Park Authority set in 30 acres of magnificent terraced gardens and grounds stretching down to the shore of Windermere lake, with splendid views of the surrounding countryside. The centre organises a number of activities, including orienteering, kayaking and open water swimming, as well as regular exhibitions.

The Lakeland Motor Museum is a museum that houses a collection of classic cars, motorcycles, bicycles, pedal cars and motoring related items and memorabilia. Explore our fascinating collection of over 30,000 exhibits that trace the development of road transport throughout the twentieth century - cycles, motorbikes, motor cars, and automobilia.

The fort at Hardknott has established early in the second century AD: a fragmentary inscription, dating from the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, from the south gate records the garrison as the Fourth Cohort of Dalmatians, from the Balkans. One of the highest Roman forts in Britain is set amid dramatic scenery on a notoriously difficult road.

The National Trust's Fell Foot Park, is a fantastic place for active family holidays. The attractive seven hectare grounds are open throughout the year for you and your family to enjoy. It is a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of modern life and its lawns offer a place where families can relax, picnic and play in safety.

Loughrigg Fell is a superb vantage point for the surrounding fells. For one so short in stature it makes up for any lacking in height by having fantastic views all around and an interesting, complicated top. It is flourished with beautiful woodland, craggy fells, stunning views and lots of those quintessential dry stone walls. One of the nice trekking destinations with tremendous views.

Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway is a majestic, beautiful and old-fashioned steam train line offering spectacular countryside views in the Lake District. The train runs from Haverthwaite Station to the southern tip of Lake Windermere. The line was served by local passenger trains which started their journey at Ulverston on the FR's mainline from Carnforth to Barrow-in-Furness. It offers a beautiful and picturesque train journey with a cruise on the immense lake.