Coniston Water Swallows and Amazons Cruise

Explore Arthur Ransome’s world on a 90-minute Coniston Water cruise. Discover iconic Swallows & Amazons locations like Wild Cat Island. Book your adventure now.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Brantwood - Brantwood, the former home of John Ruskin, poet, artist, and social reformer. Visit the house, garden, craft gallery, and Brantwood Café. Brantwood, a historic house and vibrant centre for the arts on the shores of Coniston Water. Our RHS partner gardens are full of interest and provide an insight into the radical experiments in land management and horticulture which Ruskin began. Immerse yourself in our captivating exhibitions, showcasing a diverse range of art forms and inspiring creative expression. From thought-provoking contemporary art & traditional craftsmanship to Ruskin’s core geological collection, our exhibitions will ignite your imagination and leave you with a deeper appreciation for the arts. Indulge your taste buds at our charming cafe, nestled within the enchanting surroundings. Treat yourself to a delectable selection of refreshments while basking in the beauty of the gardens and savouring the tranquility of the Lake District.
What's Included
  • All fees and/or taxes
Additional Information

Step into the world of Arthur Ransome and enjoy our 90 minute cruise of Swallows and Amazons.

Fun for those who are familiar with the Swallows & Amazons stories. Arthur Ransome used many places around Coniston Water to populate the imaginary lake of his books. Enjoy our 90 minute cruise as we discover these places including Wild Cat Island.

Of course there is no lake exactly similar to the one that Ransome used for his children’s adventures, but he did use real locations for the places that he worked into his stories. On Coniston Water we will see Beckfoot, Holly Howe, Kanchenjunga, Wild Cat Island, the Amazons’ boathouse, and a host of other spots that Ransome used to create his fascinating world.

As soon as you board our launch, you step into the world of the Swallows and the Amazons. During the cruise we discover the various locations that Ransome used around Coniston Water in his ever-popular Swallows & Amazons series of books.

Location
Coniston Ferry Landing
Meet by the Coniston Launch sign, by the lake, near the Bluebird Café.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(12 Ratings)
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1 star
Giliahh
Sep 10, 2024
Swallows and Amazons in real life! - For Swallows and Amazons fans this is magic. All the sights and places from the books and films. The host was a real TARS and S&A aficionado asking the kids trivia questions from the books and even letting the adults answer...sometimes !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Juliehh8601uw
Aug 16, 2024
Beautiful boat ride - Beautiful boat ride. Easy to book. Great the dogs could travel too. Just enough commentary with plenty of time to soak up the views. Friendly, polite staff.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danwl6527qa
Jul 30, 2024
Loved it! - Wonderful trip through Coniston Water discovering the sights known in the Swallows and Amazons stories. Robert was a brilliant and fun guide who shared his wealth of knowledge about Arthur Ransome and his wonderful stories. We and our daughters really enjoyed this cruise!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tracye731
Jun 28, 2024
Excellent - Brilliant day riding the 3 routes in a stunning location. Guides were very informative, but they didn't give endless commentary, allowing us to enjoy the wonderful views and peaceful lake.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P
Sep 8, 2023
Excellent Cruise - My husband Tom, is an ardent fan of Arthur Ransome. Tom was delighted with the commentary from an exceptionally well informed gentleman whose book he has! The significant places were brought to life particularly Wild Cat Island. We can highly recommend this cruise. The area is completely different when seen from the water. The weather was glorious and that enhanced the experience. Thank you all.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B7408jupeteg
Sep 7, 2023
Highlight of our trip - Absolutely fantastic experience with Coniston Launch. Really comfortable cruiser, and very friendly crew. Superb knowledge of the books from our guide, and his presentation was such in Arthur Ransome's style, you felt like you were right in the books. Added to the stunning views around the lake, this was a real highlight of our trip. Can't wait to do it all again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Graham
Aug 18, 2023
Cruise on Coniston - Interesting cruise on Coniston. Crew had a very good knowledge of history on the lake. Also stopped at Brantwood house which is former home of John Ruskin and got a later boat back to Coniston pier.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Murrayd487
Aug 25, 2023
Lovely option - Lovely cruise with knowledgeable commentary who pointed out all the places of note , comfortable boat out of the weather
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stevew558
Sep 1, 2023
Good - but it wasn’t the nice wooden boat on the photos. - The boat and commentary were fine but it wasn’t the nice wooden boat as shown in the photos - so I feel a little cheated. A more accurate description on the website is needed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nancyblackett9
Jan 13, 2024
Very Disappointing - After first reading Swallows and Amazons as a boy. I waited over 70 years to take this cruise -the last of the season-and it was cancelled with very short notice. Even though the boat was at the pier and running well, they wouldn't take us. I will never forget this experience it was, as you can imagine, extremely disappointing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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