2 Best Sights in Coniston, The Lake District

The lake came to prominence in the 1930s when Arthur Ransome made it the setting for Swallows and Amazons, one of a series of beloved novels about a group of children and their adventures. The lake is about 5 miles long, a tempting stretch that drew Donald Campbell here in 1959 to set a water-speed record of 260 mph. He was killed when trying to beat it in 1967. His body and the wreckage of Bluebird K7 were retrieved from the lake in 2001. Campbell is buried in St. Andrew's church in Coniston, and a stone memorial on the village green commemorates him.

Two miles north of Coniston on the A593, just past Beatrix Potter's beautifully situated Yew Tree Farm, is a small National Trust parking lot that leads to paths through oak woods beside the tumbling stream of Tom Gill to Tarn Hows, a celebrated Lake District beauty spot. This man-made site was created when the gill was dammed in the mid-19th century. The paths are steep in places, but two waterfalls make it well worth the effort. Walking the circular route takes two to three hours.