Paddling on Coniston Water

I am part of a Paddle UK team who have been exploring waterways around England and Wales to find the best places to kayak, paddle board and canoe. Many of the places we’ve visited have been near to our base in Nottingham, but to make the most of a trip to the Lake District we had to stay over for a few days.

Coniston Park Coppice is the perfect base for getting on to Coniston Water, and out to nearby lakes too.

Our Experience Freedom glamping cabin had plenty of room, and comforts, for three adults, including a double bed, and two singles on the floor above. There’s also a foldout bed in the living room. The fully equipped kitchen, including a dishwasher, oven and refrigerator, was perfect for making meals before and after a long day of paddling. 

There was also plenty of space outside of the cabin to pump up our inflatable kayak.

It's was an easy walk from the lodge down to the Coniston lake, especially if you have a transport trolley. It's an ideal way to transport a heavy kayak, or an inflated paddle board. The downhill walk to the lake takes about 10 minutes in total.

If you’re staying at the site, you could drive to the campsite’s gate, and drop your equipment off there. From the gate, we passed through a different campsite near the water’s edge. We launched our crafts close to a drystone wall, What3words location - ///pound.snail.chuck.

An alternative launch point is from Coniston Pier, What3words location - ///harmlessly.blizzard.couches, which is about one kilometer north of where we set off from.

Coniston Boating Centre charge £5 to launch from the pier, on top of a parking fee you pay on arrival. They also hire kayaks, canoes and paddle boards.

Once on the water we headed south towards Peel Island which is about 3km away. We used a Tribord 100+ inflatable kayak from Decathlon, which is comfortable for two adults, and for gliding through calm waters.

Peel Island was the inspiration for Wild Cat Island in Arthur Ransome’s famous 1930 novel, Swallows and Amazons. The island is owned by the National Trust and is popular with tourists, especially paddlers. It is only accessible by a kayak, paddle board or canoe. We had a chat with a few paddle boarders who explained how important the island was to them.

Once we paddled around the island we headed back, staying close to the eastern shore before crossing back to our starting point. You can continue a bit further north to see Brantwood House, the home of John Ruskin, a 19th century artist and philosopher. You can get out here to explore the area, What3words location -  ///greyhound.rotations.bracing. Alternatively, it’s also a different place to park, and launch your craft to explore Coniston Water.

After we returned to our start point, we headed back up to Coniston Park Coppice, had a revitalising shower, and made some lunch. The outdoor space is handy for dining, and, as we found out, hanging out your wet gear after a paddle.

Later in the day, we returned to the water’s edge, this time without our boats, and had a dip in the cool waters.

A perfect few days staying in the affordable luxury of an Experience Freedom glamping cabin.