A damp Coniston Water

Coniston Water may lack some of the other Lakes grandeur but it is a place I have come to love over recent years. Granted it doesn't have the breathtaking view down Borrowdale which Derwentwater has, the view you get of Ullswater and St Sunday Crag from the slopes of Gowbarrow, or the most majestic view of all. The view of Yewbarrow, Kirk Fell, Great Gable, The Scafells and The Screes lined up perfectly at the head of Wast Water but Coniston Water has its own attributes.

From Brown How you get a feel for the sheer size of the lake, the high hills of Lakeland can just be made out in the far distance. There is Grizedale Forest on the far bank of the lake, there is the slate mining and quarrying industry in the Tilberthwaite area and last but not least the copper mining activities which have ravaged most of the Coniston Fells. These areas may not be the most beautiful but they are packed with interest and history.

It is also a lake for families, young and old. There is none of what I call "Lakeland snobbery" in the Coniston area. Everyone can have fun there. I was down at Brown Howe a few weeks ago and there were youngsters out in canoes, people in wetsuits swimming the lake and then people like me who were just relaxing and enjoying the moment. Plus there are footpaths galore for the ramblers, both low and high.

There is also an historical connection with Coniston Water itself. As everyone knows, it was where Sir Donald Campbell made his attempts to break the water speed record and was the place he lost his life in 1967. My favourite views of the Lake are of the small bays around Pier Cottage which is where Sir Donald started all his record attempts from and is now the home of the famous Gondola Steamboat.

I have photographed this area in all sorts of weather but these few shots below were taken on a wet and miserable day just a few weeks ago and they are by far my favourites. I was lucky to get a small window when the Lake was both calm and the reflections perfect. Shortly after I took these, the heavens opened and all thoughts of photography were gone.

As in life, you have to take your opportunities whenever you can!