Ambleside to Clappersgate

From the tourist information office at the junction of the A591 with North Road, follow the one-way system until the shops give way to Bed and Breakfast establishments and you have passed the 'Homes of football'. Take the right-hand lane (it's one way here) and turn right into Wansfell Road. This drops down to Rothay Road. Get into the left-hand lane and turn left at the bottom of the hill. It's two-way traffic here, so be careful. After a few hundred metres, turn right into the road indicating the A593 for Coniston, Hawkshead, and Langdale.

This road goes past the rugby field on the left. Keep to the left and go over the bridge that crosses the River Rothay. Just over the bridge is the turning on the right to Under Loughrigg and Rydal Steps. If your journey is to Clappersgate, keep straight on along the A593 for less than a kilometre. The Boat House is on the left and The Croft on the right and then you have reached Clappersgate. Straight on takes you to Coniston and Langdale, via Skelwith Bridge. Left, on the B5286 goes to Hawkshead, Skelwith Fold, and Tarn Hows.

Clappersgate to Holy Trinity

From Clappersgate, turn on to the B5286, which immediately crosses the River Brathay and winds past Brathay Hall, where I once spent a week on a geological field-trip with Lancaster University as an undergraduate in Environmental Sciences. After a few hundred metres, a narrow lane signed for Skelwith Fold runs alongside the river. Take this turning. There's a footbridge over the river near the parish church of Holy Trinity.

Holy Trinity to The Drunken Duck Inn

This quiet lane follows the river a little longer, but then climbs steadily towards Skelwith Fold. There are some good views, framed by trees, over towards the Langdale Pikes. At Skelwith Fold, turn left in the direction of Hawkshead. This road climbs past the caravan park then levels out somewhat. You come to a triangle of roads, with two junctions dropping away towards Skelwith Bridge. Stay on the level and keep straight ahead.

Now, make the most of the long downhill section because before long you make the climb to the Drunken Duck. Views off the left are dominated by Wansfell Pike, the other side of Ambleside. Look out elsewhere on this site for 'Trike, Wyke, and Pike' featuring Windcheetah 749, Pull Wyke, and Wansfell Pike.

The Drunken Duck to Tarn Hows

If you've come up from Skelwith Fold, you'll turn right on the road sign-posted for Coniston and Tarn Hows. Climb for about 500m, then there's a long run down for maybe 750m. Enjoy it while you can and put out of your head that you'll have to regain all of this altitude to get to Tarn Hows.

Stay on this road through Knipe Fold and continue past the Hawkshead turning to the left. Enter the area of Hawkshead Hill and climb steadily, if not painfully, trying not to let the 'Betty Fold Tea Room' make you feel just a little wimpish.

Keep faithfully along the road for Tarn Hows and Coniston until you come to the junction where Tarn Hows is indicated to the right. Take this right turn and use the energy of two bananas to drag yourself up to Tarn Hows.

Tarn Hows to Coniston Water

Follow the road round past the car park and start to drop quite dramatically, with excellent views over to the Coniston Old Man range and further round to Bowfell and the Langdales. There's a long run down to Monk Coniston where you join the road that comes over from Hawkshead. Turn right here and continue until you reach the north end of Coniston Water. Turn left for Brantwood, straight on for Coniston village.

Coniston Water to Brantwood

Follow the road along the northern end of Coniston Water, passing the ferry pick-up point for Coniston and Brantwood. You stay on this road right the way through to High Nibthwaite at the southern end of the lake.

The first place to pause is Bank Ground. This was the 'Holly Howe' of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons. More vividly than when JFK was shot, I remember exactly where I was on the day I came across Swallows and Amazons. At nine years old I had read every book in my small primary school, or so I thought. Mrs Carter directed me to a seldom used cupboard, and there inside were Swallows and Amazons, Swallowdale, and We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea. This gave me lifelong interests in: The Lake District, sailing, Arthur Ransome, and of course, reading. Thank you, Mrs Carter.

The view from here on a fine day is exceptional and one can see why Ruskin wanted to live on this side of the lake. Actually, I've noticed that most of the lakes have a busy, noisy, fast side and a quiet, slow one. I know which I prefer.

Panorama from Bank Ground

Brantwood - Home of John Ruskin

These 'Stones Of Coniston' belonged to one of the greatest minds of 19th Century England: John Ruskin. There isn't room here to describe his life and achievements, so you need to do your own research. If you're ever passing Lancaster, I can recommend a visit to the Ruskin Library on the campus of Lancaster University. The architecture itself is worth the diversion, but if you want to know more about the man, this is the other place to go.

Brantwood to High Nibthwaite

The journey south down the east side of Coniston Water is really easy. The road stays fairly close to the lake most of the way, and consequently doesn't rise and fall too much. At regular intervals there are car parks where fishermen and canoeists act out Deliverance, camping on the pebbly beach and fishing right from the shore. The named locations include: Machell's Coppice; Parkamoor; Dodgson Wood; and Rigg Wood.

Two thirds of the way down the lake is another location from Swallows and Amazons. This is Peel Island, known as Wildcat Island in the book.

Eventually you come to the small hamlet of High Nibthwaite, with its quaintly angled cottages. Pass through until you come to a junction where a narrow lane on the right is sign-posted 'Water Yeat'.

High Nibthwaite to Water Yeat

Take this lane, which curves right and down to meet the River Crake at Bouthrey Bridge. It's not exactly the River Rhône flowing out of Lake Geneva, is it?

Spritually, this is the half-way point. Once over the bridge, you're effectively travelling north up the west side of the lake. It's just a short distance to Water Yeat, a hamlet with some charming houses, and the junction with the A5084.

Water Yeat to Torver

Take the A5084 in the direction of Torver and Coniston. It's tempting to stop and play or maybe picnic at Blawith Common. Eventually, drop down to the lake shore once more and see Peel Island and the fells at the head of the lake.

Pressing on, and get some impressive views of the Coniston Old Man range before eventually reaching Torver at The Wilson Arms where the A5084 joins the A593.

Lake Panorama North of Blawith Common

Torver to Coniston Village

The journey between Torver and Coniston is fairly unremarkable. The road narrows somewhat so you have to take more care. If you want to go down to the lake, take the turning down Lake Road just before the sharp right over Church Beck. As you go over the bridge, the choices are to turn left which takes you out of Coniston fairly quickly on the A593 to Ambleside, or go straight on which leads to the B5285, back to the top of the lake and directions towards Hawkshead and Tarn Hows.

Panorama Near Torver

Coniston Village to YewTreeTarn

Taking the A593 out of Coniston the road is relatively flat, pass the impressive Yew Pike and Yewdale Fells. Coming within half a mile of Tarn Hows, turn north again and its a short climb to Yew Tree Tarn.

The photograph below was taken standing on the concrete overflow underneath the neat footbridge at the southern end of the tarn. You can see from the banks that the water level was lower than normal.

Yew Tree Tarn

Skelwith Bridge

There's much to do at Skelwith Bridge. Shop for gifts; eat lemon meringue pie; buy a ton of 8-25mm green-slate gravel; and visit Skelwith Force. It's most impressive when it's rained heavily for a week and you're there on the first dry day.

Skelwith Bridge was the base camp for my first ever ascent of Scafell Pike - the day we won the World Cup in 1966. I've maintained my interest in football all these years - at the same level.

Skelwith Bridge to Clappersgate

From Skelwith Bridge travel along the A593 to Clappersgate. The road twists and turns and is quite narrow at first, but opposite Holy Trinity church it widens out again.

If you want to avoid the traffic and you don't mind a bit of a climb, leave Skelwith Bridge by going over the bridge towards Coniston, but then go straight on down the narrow lane that winds up to Skelwith Fold. From there you drop down to Brathay Hall and Clappersgate via the Hawkshead road.

Clappersgate to Ambleside

It's a short hop from Clappersgate to Ambleside along the A593. You arrive at the bridge over the Rothay and have to go left along a one-way road. At the junction you go left into Ambleside or right to Waterhead and in the direction of Windermerse.