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Coniston

Beatrix Potter, John Ruskin, Arthur Ransome, Sir Donald Campbell - all of them have strong connections with Coniston Water, the third largest and one of the most beautiful of the central Cumbrianlakes. Beatrix Potter lived at Sawrey near Windermere, but she also owned the vast Monk Coniston estate at the head of Coniston Water. On her death, she bequeathed it to the National Trust, a body she had helped to establish and to which she devoted much of her time and fortune.

John Ruskin came to Coniston in 1872, moving into a house he had nevr seen. Brantwood, on the eastern side of the lake, is open to the public and enjoys superb views across the water to the great crumpled hill of the Old Man of Coniston, 800 metres high. From its summit there are even more extensive vistas over Scotland, the Isle of Manand, on a clear day, as far as Snowdonia.

Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazon has delighted generations with its tales of children's adventures set in and around the Lake District. As a child he spent his summer holidas near Nibthwaite at the southern end of the lake and recalled that he was always "half-drowned in tears" when he had to leave. Later he bought a house overlookingConiston Water and many locations in his books can still be recognised today.

Sir Donald Campbell's associations with the lake were both glorious and tragic. In 1955 he broke the world water speed record here; 12 years later, when he was attempting to beat his own record, his boat, Bluebird, struck a log while travelling at 320mph. In March 2001, his widow was present as the tailfin of the boat was at last hauled up o the surface. For 34 years the 15-foot rear section had lain on a bed of silt, 140 feet down and right in the middle of the lake. Sir Donald's body was later recovered and was buried on 12 September 2001 in the village cemetery - an event that was comparatively little covered by the media, who were obviously more concerned with the tragic events in New York and Washington the day before.

Nowadays, boats on Coniston Water are restricted to a 10mph limit, which is an ideal speed if you're travelling in the wonderful old steamship, the Gondola. So called because of its high prow that enabled it to come in close to shore to pick up passengers, Gondola was commissioned by Sir James Ramsden, General Manager of the Furness Railway Company and first Mayor of Barrow, and was launched on Coniston Water in 1859. She was retired in 1936 but found a new career as a houseboat in 1945. Abandoned after a storm in the 1960s, she was saved by a group of National Trust enthusiasts and restored and rebuilt by Vickers Shipbuilding. Coniston Launch also offers lake cruises in its two timber launches, and at the boating centre craft of every kind are available to rent.

Coniston village was once an important copper mining centre with the ore being mined from the Old Man of Coniston and some of the surrounding hills. Mined from the days of the Romans, the industry's heyday in Coniston was in the 18th and 19th centuries but, with the discovery of more accessible deposits elsewhere, the industry went into decline and the village returned to pre-boom peacefulness. At 2631 feet, the Old Man of Coniston is a considerable climb, but many make the effort and the summit can often be bustling with fell walkers enjoying the glorious views.

Coniston's most famous inhabitant was John Ruskin, the 19th-century author, artist, critic, social commentator and one of the first conservationists. He lies buried in Coniston churchyard and the Ruskin Museum nearby contains many of his studies, pictures, letters, photographs and personal belongings, as well as his collection of geological specimens. Here, too, is his funeral pall made of Ruskin lace embroidered with wild flowers. The lace was so called because Ruskin had encouraged the revival of flax hand-spinning in the area. Lae pieces made to his own designs and based on the sumptuous ruffs worn by sitters in portraits by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese were attached to plain linen to make decorative cushions, table covers and bedspreads - many of these are on display. The museum also possesses Arthur Ransome's boat Mavis (Amazon) and a new extension is currently being built to house Donald Campbell's iconic boat, Bluebird. It is expected to open in late 2009 and about a year later the restored Bluebird will be installed.

From the jetty at Coniston, a short ferry trip takes visitors to John Ruskin's home, Brantwood, which occupies a beautiful setting on the eastern shores of Coniston Water. It was his home from 1872 until his death in 1900. When he arrived for the first time he described the house, which he had bought for £1500 without ever seeing it, as "a mere shed". He spent the next 20 years extending the house, by adding another 12 rooms and laying out the gardens. The view from the Turret Room he had built was, Ruskin declared, "the best in all England". Sadly, Ruskin's later years were blighted by mental illness: "He was," said a biographer, "at times quite mad."

Visitors today can wander around rooms filled with Ruskin's watercolours, paintings by Turner (who was one of his heroes), see his study, which is lined with wallpaper he designed himself, and watch a 20-minute video that provides a useful introduction to his life and works. There's also a well-stocked bookshop, a craft shop, an excellent tearoom, restaurant and 250 acres of grounds with well-marked nature trails and where a theatre season is held during the summer.