Post It from Coniston Park Coppice CC site, Cumbria, England. Sunday 15th September, 2013.

We followed the Club’s instructions after leaving Hawes and headed for Ingleton which meant I got to see the Ribblehead viaduct. This iconic image has been with me all my life from television and magazine pictures/advertisements but this was the first time I had seen it for myself. I was able to pull up just off the edge of the road and capture the photo for the album but sorry I forgot to take a photo of a size I could include with this story.

 There were many smaller camper vans further down the valley at the foot of the viaduct and walkers galore. Once into the Lake District National Park we noticed just how quickly the roads became narrower as we neared our destination. Once again I followed the Club’s directions and approached from the south along the A5084 and found the road to be so narrow in parts that I thought I had gone the wrong way. I later learned that to have come from the north would have been much worse but I saw lorries and coaches heading north towards Ambleside during our stay so perhaps it is just more difficult that way if towing a caravan. However our subsequent days travelling the area on cycle and by bus showed us just how narrow some of these roads were and one had to take extra care when driving the motorhome or towing a caravan.

We arrived at the site in heavy rain and made our way to find a suitable pitch. The whole site is, as the name suggests, in a coppice so the only views were of trees but at least we were not looking out directly at other campers. Most places were under the trees and we eventually chose a pitch right down at the very bottom of the site as close to the lake as possible so we could take the path to Coniston rather than take the road. The full site has quite a large decline for those less nimble on their toes and it is a 10 minute brisk walk from the bottom to the reception.

We ventured into Coniston and found it to be a small but pleasant village with pretty views of the lake and Old Man of Coniston, which stands at 803 meters. There were ample places to eat and some small shops selling a variety of goods from walking clothing and equipment to fancy goods. You could buy groceries but the selection was limited. The Spar at the BP garage was very good value if you wanted lunch or coffee to eat outside whilst enjoying the views from the park just around the corner on the road to the pier.

Friday was a dry day though so after doing some chores in the morning we spent the afternoon cycling along the lakeside paths where bikes were permitted and then took the bridleway up to Monk Coniston, it was very enjoyable and good to be out on the bikes again. The views down Coniston Water were delightful. In the village there was the Donald Campbell museum to commemorate the gentleman’s speed record and ultimate death on the lake.

The Wi-Fi at the site was not accessing the network in the area we were pitched so trying to get weather reports etc. was problematic for us. I finally managed to get internet access at the Tourist Information office and discovered that Saturday was the only day forecast to be a good and dry. I really do despair at the internet provision on Club sites in this day and age. I could connect to the Wi-Fi system  without problem but there was no access to the internet, how silly is that, come on Club get it sorted. The Wardens said it was supposed to be all fixed by June but they are still awaiting AirAngel to come and sort it.

I suppose staying in the Lakes is all about getting wet but I must admit I prefer to be dry unless sailing so we had a long think about it and decided to leave on Sunday, one day early, as it was forecast for heavy rain all day and make our way across the border to Garlieston where we would at least have a good view from the van if it was raining heavy, and no trees to drop those huge droplets on us! We had also decided to drive north through Ambleside and onto Keswick rather than negotiating Kirkstone Pass on the more direct route to Penrith and the M6

The weather forecast also said it was to be a good dry and sunny day on the Saturday and true to its word we awoke to the sun shining and a lovely day, not too hot for travelling and we set off to visit Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top House at Near Sawrey which involved a cycle ride into Coniston, then a Stagecoach bus to Hawkshead followed by a ‘Mountain Goat’ mini bus to the house. Total cost was £24.40 return for the two of us in bus fares but for those with a concessionary bus pass it was all free!

The house was well worth the visit and we are glad we made the effort to get there. We then visited the Beatrix Potter gallery in Hawkshead where we could view the many original sketches left by Beatrix with her properties to the National Trust. After lunch we shopped in Hawkshead before catching the bus back to Coniston but since we had bought a day ticket we decided to travel to Ambleside then Windermere before retracing the whole rout back. At least we would get to see some of this truly spectacular countryside and the views down Lake Windermere were worth it alone.

Our day out was good and we saw first-hand just how busy the Lakes become on a weekend, lots of walkers, many staying in tents, descended on Friday and quite a lot of the hotels and guest houses had ‘No Vacancies’ signs posted. Lots of people sailing, canoeing and kayaking on Coniston Water and larger craft and yachts were in abundance on Lake Windermere. We had enjoyed our short stay and the Club site was good with excellent facilities and very pleasant wardens. We would have preferred it to have been a little closer to Coniston than the 40 minute walk and with more things to do in the village. The only disappointment about the site was the lack of internet access.

PP. The drive north was better I thought, and two caravans went that way to Ambleside with us, but the rain was very heavy and the winds strong and gusting at times. We arrived in full sun at Garlieston, Scotland and I had internet access so I could post this story.

Regards, Roy