Castlerigg and Coniston: Stone and Water
24 May 2006
Location:
I went to Castlerigg Stone Circle in the morning, then to Coniston. In Coniston I took a boat to Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin.
Weather:
Reasonably warm and sunny
Instructions:
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I got to the stone circle pretty early. That was good because I had it to myself and could really soak up the atmosphere and get good shots. This is the whole circle, seen from the north-west with a snow-capped Helvellyn and other high fells in the background.
The impression is rather different with lower peaks, and even some flowering gorse in the background.
Here I've moved closer so that you only see the cluster of stones in one corner. In this shot the close-cropped vegetation on the hills in the middle-distance looks almost like the flocked surface you get on plastic hills in prefabricated model railway dioramas. It's only the rather lumpy topography that makes it obvious that this the real thing.
There were sheep grazing around the stones. Here a ewe is resting with her two lambs. There are lots of different breeds of sheep and the Lake District ewes evidently have horns.
When I had had enough of lambs and raised stones, I started my journey home via Coniston. There I took a boat on Coniston Water. The destination was Brantwood, just opposite Coniston but the boat took the long way around. I didn't mind a little cruise on the lake. It was very pretty there.
The pier can be seen here but most of the village is hidden by trees. The fell behind Coniston is of course Old Man Coniston.
This is looking north with the flag on the right. It looks very patriotic, doesn't it? Too bad I'm not British.
The National Trust runs a steam-powered yacht on Coniston Water. It's called the Gondola and runs between Coniston and Brantwood. In this photo the Gondola is about to land at Brantwood.
We overtook the Gondola, so I got a closer look at it. It's a rebuilt Victorian coal-fired Venetian gondola. The original was launched in 1859. Inside there are two compartments, one for first class and one for third.
Like many of the lakes in the Lake District, Coniston Water is a very oblong lake. It has a rough north-south orientation. This is the southern end.
Heading back north again, I spotted a red boat on the western shore. It looks rather like a toy boat, I think.
On the way back north we were treated to a profile view of Old Man Coniston. It's about 800 m high.
Here I've landed at Brantwood and the little launch is put-putting away from the pier, heading back to Coniston. It was a nice little cruise.
Turning my attention toward Brantwood, back on land this gate marks the entrance to the estate. The azaleas and rhododendrons are in full bloom.
Here are the flowers of one of the yellow azaleas. It's a lovely, pale shade of yellow with orange markings, and it was fragrant too.
Going on a tour of Brantwood and learning more about both John Ruskin and the house was very interesting.
Most of the garden was disappointing, though. It's a big property and think the Brantwood trust was struggling with it. Obviously the house is more important. But this part of the garden, right under the little outlook was doing rather well.
When I came back to the pier at Coniston, a swan family was visiting. I took the opportunity to take some photos of the little grey cygnets. And on that downy note, my final day in the Lake District ends.
