2 Best Sights in Coniston, The Lake District

The National Trust's Victorian steam yacht and the slightly more utilitarian Coniston Launch both leave from the town's spruced-up waterside satellite, a 15-minute stroll from the center. There's a parking lot, a smart café, and useful boat- and bike-hire options at the Coniston Boating Centre ( conistonboatingcentre.co.uk), run by the Lake District National Park Authority. Launched in 1859 and restored in the 1970s, the Steam Yacht runs between Coniston Pier, Brantwood, and Park-a-Moor at the south end of Coniston Water daily from late March through October (half-lake cruise £17.50). The Coniston Launch ( conistonlaunch.co.uk ) runs a direct departure to Brantwood (£10.50) and has other sightseeing routes, though it's a little less romantic. Both will get you across the lake to Brantwood, and a stop at Monk Coniston jetty, at the lake's northern tip, connects to the footpaths through the Monk Coniston Estate and the beauty spot of Tarn Hows.

The historic Yew Tree Farm is probably the most famous building in the Lake District because it was once owned by Beatrix Potter, who experimented with farming and in particular raising Herwick sheep. The biopic of Potter's life, Miss Potter, starring Renée Zellweger, was filmed on location at the farm. The Herdwick Experience (book online in advance) introduces you to the farm's friendly flock of Herdwick sheep and explains their significance to the Cumbrian landscape.