steam yacht gondola on coniston water

Coniston- Steam Yacht Gondola

The steam yacht gondola.

Location :  Coniston

The Steam Yacht Gondola is the oldest steam yacht in the North of England. She was built in 1859 by the Furness Railway Company as an attraction for the tourists they brought by train to  Coniston . Now fully restored, she once again provides cruises and boat trips on beautiful Coniston Water.

The restored yacht was relaunched on 25th March 1980 and, after a break of 44 years, finally re-entered public service on Coniston Water , Cumbria’s fifth largest lake.

Steam Yacht Gondola gave  Arthur Ransome the idea for Captain Flint’s houseboat in his children’s book ‘Swallows and Amazons’ , although this was eventually modelled on Esperance (now at Windermere Jetty Museum at Bowness-on-Windermere ).

Steam Yacht Gondola 2024 Cruises

The ‘heart of the lake’ cruise.

A circular cruise heading south around the lake, calling at Brantwood. Duration 1 hour. Departs Coniston 12:00 daily. Adult £17.50, child £8.75, family £43.75

The ‘North Lake’ Cruise

A circular cruise around the northern part of the lake, calling at Brantwood. Duration 1 hour. Departs Coniston 10:45 daily. Adult £17.50, child £8.75, family £43.75

The ‘Full Lake’ Cruise

The Gondola’s flagship cruise of the full circuit of Coniston Water with a short stop at Lake Bank and Brantwood. Duration 1hr and 45 minute Departs Coniston 13:45 daily. Also 15:45 peak season only. Please check website for dates and details of extra sailing. Adult £23.50, child £11.75, family £58.75

Please check timetables before travelling. Times may be subject to change during 2024 and can be weather dependent.

The image below shows the 2024 cruise routes.

Contact : Coniston Pier. Tel 01539 433950 Timetables and fares : https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/gondola

Coniston Launch also run boat trips on Coniston.

(updated 02/05/2024)

Accommodation Links:

• The Coppermines Lakes Cottages – Holiday Cottage Agency based in Coniston village

Popular pages:

• Guide to Windermere
• Guide to Keswick
• Big Guide to the Windermere Area
• South Lakes Area Menu
• Launches, Boat Trips & Ferries
• Lakes and Tarns

Grid Ref : SD 308970

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Steam Yacht Gondola

One of the best ways to experience Coniston Water is to take a cruise on the Gondola, a Victorian steam-powered yacht operated by the National Trust. The boat carries up to 86 passengers in luxuriously upholstered saloons.

A variety of cruises run from the beginning of April until the end of October. The regular cruise takes 45 minutes and explores the northern half of the lake. It departs from Coniston Pier, calling at Brantwood  and Monk Coniston, before returning to Coniston Pier.

Passengers can break their journey at any stop to explore the area. Brantwood was John Ruskin’s home from 1872 until his death in 1900. The house and its extensive gardens are now open to the public. The Jumping Jenny café is also here and serves hot meals, soups, and sandwiches.

From Monk Coniston there’s an excellent walk to Tarn Hows , one of the most picturesque sights in the Lake District. The walk there and back is 3½ miles long (or 5 miles with a circuit around Tarn Hows) and can be downloaded from the National Trust website.

More extensive cruises, covering the whole of the Coniston and lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes, are also offered.

For timetables and ticket prices visit the official National Trust website. Tickets are purchased on-board, but groups of 15 or more must book in advance. No discounts are available to National Trust members.

Coniston Pier is situated at the northern end of Coniston Water, at the end of Lake Road and next to the Coniston Boating Centre . The Coniston Launch also departs from here. There is a pay-and-display car park and a café close to the pier.

Nearby Attractions

Tourist attractions and things to do near Steam Yacht Gondola include:

• Coniston Boating Centre (0.1 miles) - Boat, canoe and kayak hire
• Ruskin Museum (0.6 miles) - Small museum exploring the area's history and heritage
• Brantwood (0.7 miles) - The finest country house in the Lake District

Map showing location of Steam Yacht Gondola.

Address and postcode Pier Cottage Coniston Cumbria United Kingdom LA21 8AJ

Visit Steam Yacht Gondola Website

Reviews and Additional Information

I’ve ridden on Gondola many times and have loved the silky smoothness. But the last time, going into the waves, there was a resonant vibration at the bow. I don’t think the captain at the stern could have sensed it. I hope in future it can be avoided.

A wonderful trip! Call at the Jumping Jenny cafe for a relaxing cup of tea – such great views of the lake from here.

I agree. The trip is very comfortable.

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Enjoy a taste of Victorian splendour on Steam Yacht Gondola

In my opinion, one of the best ways to enjoy the outstanding scenery around Coniston is from Coniston Water itself, so if you’re looking for a unique, relaxing (and dry) way to do this, a trip on board the National Trust’s Steam Yacht Gondola won’t disappoint!

It was with just seconds to spare that I made it down to the Coniston Pier jetty and onto this beautiful Victorian vessel which was waiting to set off. I don’t run with any grace, so the moral of the story is this: however long you think it will take you to get somewhere on a very hot day in the school holidays, add plenty of extra time to the extra time you’ve already allowed – otherwise you risk missing the boat! A few moments later, and we were off…

I have to admit that it’s been many years since I last visited Coniston, so for me this visit was a complete rediscovery of the area. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to do it – it was a stunning, hot August day, and those wiser than me had got there early and were already settled on Gondola’s outside seating. Having explored both the ‘sharp end’ and the ‘blunt end’ of the boat (sorry – I’ve watched the film Carry on Cruising too many times! 🙂 ) I found a perfect little standing spot to the rear of the boat which meant that I could take pictures from both sides and, as a bonus, I was in the shade!

A bit of history…

According to the National Trust, Gondola started out life when in 1859 she was commissioned by the Furness Railway and built in Liverpool. Between 1860 and 1914 she provided cruises for the wealthy tourists of the day, and these were linked to carriage and railway services as part of a grand Victorian tour. After a period of rest during the First World War, Gondola returned to service in 1919, but in 1936 she was sold and became a private houseboat at the southern end of the lake.

Sadly, Gondola was wrecked in a storm in the 1960s, and this left her partly submerged in the water until in the ’70s National Trust volunteers raised funds to restore her. She was rebuilt by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering in Barrow-in-Furness, and launched once again as a pleasure cruiser in 1980. What a history!

A look round the boat

Following my slightly flustered start, I can honestly say that Gondola had the most wonderful calming effect from the minute we started our journey. I recorded a short video, below, in which you can hear the gentle chugging of the boat, which even now is running on steam power.

When Gondola first set out in 1860 she was powered on coke from the gasworks, and these days her fuel takes the form of compressed wood and sawdust logs. For those interested in the actual running of Gondola, you can see what’s going on ‘below deck’ through an open side hatch to the rear of the vessel, and talk to the engineer.

One of the things that strikes you as you move around Gondola is the attention to detail. The 1st class saloon was apparently modelled on Queen Victoria’s private railway carriage, and the fittings and finishings throughout (look at the intricate brass edging on the outside steps) are what make a cruise on Gondola unique.

On-board commentary

A live on-board commentary, provided by the helmsman, gives you lots of interesting snippets about the lake and the features surrounding it. It focuses in particular on two of Coniston’s claims to fame:

• as the inspiration behind Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series of novels, and
• as the stretch of water on which Donald Campbell tragically died during a world water speed record attempt in Bluebird.

There are lots of other interesting facts too, particularly about the area’s industrial past. The crew have created a great balance, because the talk is informative but not overly obtrusive, so you’ve plenty of opportunities to just sit back and enjoy it all.

Swallows and Amazons

I chose to take the full lake cruise (lasting an hour and three-quarters) so that I could see and photograph the various sites that inspired Arthur Ransome, when writing his Swallows and Amazons series of novels. He confirmed that all the locations he wrote about were based on real places, but that they couldn’t all be found in the correct order on a map.

Although some features can be found on Windermere as well, it is Coniston Water in particular that Ransome used in his descriptions. Peel Island, towards the south of the lake, along with Silver Howe on Windermere, formed the basis for ‘Wild Cat Island’, the island on which the Swallows children decide to camp during their holidays. You also see the Swallows and Amazons boathouses, and on the return journey the helmsman pulls in close so that you have roughly 20 seconds to catch sight of the ‘Secret Harbour’ on Peel Island.

From taking the cruise, I now realise how vivid the sense of place is in Ransome’s first and most famous novel. (Although I have a confession to make, which is that I didn’t actually read Swallows and Amazons until very recently, as I was more of an Enid Blyton child – she did in fact write her own island adventure called The Secret Island , although I don’t know where it was based).

If you’re a keen walker, you may like to combine the Walker’s Cruise on Gondola with a walk, catching a service again later on for your return journey – visit Gondola’s profile on the National Trust website for timetable information . There’s also a jetty stop at Brantwood , the former home of John Ruskin, and another place I’d highly recommend you visit.

The first jetty we stopped at was Lake Bank Jetty at the southern tip of the lake, where you can see the original Victorian waiting room and stretch your legs for five minutes on the jetty – don’t go far though if you’re on the full cruise, unless you really do want to walk the long distance back!

This is definitely the most tranquil end of the lake, with reeds and a narrowing beyond which lies Arthur Ransome’s ‘Octopus Lagoon’ where the his fictional characters, the Swallows, go on a sailing adventure to try to overthrow the pirate Amazon sisters.

It was soon time to set off again, and on our return journey north we then stopped at Parkamoor on the east side of Coniston Water, the Brantwood jetty, and again at Monk Coniston at the most northerly point.

And now for a thought to put fear into the hardiest sailor – ‘Captain Janine’!

The crew members are all very friendly and pleased to answer any questions you have. I may have asked one too many though, as at this point something most unexpected happened: I was sent up a tiny ladder to the helm, and given the chance to steer Gondola for myself – quite something considering the only boat I’ve ever sailed was under a foot long and made Blue Peter-style at a Girl Guiding camp! (I did win a gold medal though, made of foil card and Christmas ribbon…)

Back to Gondola though, and the first instruction I received from the helmsman was to turn the wheel starboard. I was grateful a couple of seconds later when he clarified that starboard is ‘to the right’. Cue brain block and a frantic mental scramble to remember which is left and which is right… it’s like driving lessons all over again!

In all seriousness though (and in layman’s terms, for my sake!) to feel the weight of the boat gently pulling to one side when you’ve turned the wheel is really quite satisfying. I was advised that as we were now at an ideal distance from the shoreline we would continue to follow it, and that the trick is to find a single point on the horizon and line the boat up towards it.

I even got to frighten all the other passengers to the rear of the boat by pulling the rope to operate the steam whistle, a shiny, innocent-looking fixture which is a very loud, but essential part of the Gondola experience!

Talking to members of the crew confirmed what you already sense as soon as you arrive on board, which is that everyone takes great pride in running and maintaining Gondola. During the winter months the crew members carry out more heavy maintenance tasks and continued restoration too. Last winter, Gondola was treated to a new wooden wheelhouse roof to replace the previous metal one, and this has been lovingly crafted so that it looks as though it could always have been.

For the rest of the journey I sat quietly and let the helmsman carry out his various tasks, from visiting the final jetties to pick up return walkers, to giving out the last parts of the passenger commentary. With the sun starting to lower, and the view becoming steadily more hazy, the experience was so restful that I could have happily sat there all evening – Gondola also does private functions, which is where she was headed immediately after our cruise finished.

Why a lake cruise is a must on any Lake District holiday

If you’re on holiday in the Lake District, I would say that at some point during your stay a lake cruise is an absolute must. The scenery surrounding each of the Lake District’s stretches of water looks completely different from the vantage point of a boat, and there are various cruise companies operating on Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater and Coniston.

What makes a cruise on Coniston’s Gondola so special though has to be the boat itself, with its elegant features both inside and out, its history, and the fact it is still steam-powered (along with that authentic steamer smell – well, where I was standing anyway!). It’s also not a large boat, so people are friendly, and the whole experience has a great atmosphere. The northern half of the lake in particular was packed with people enjoying themselves on small boats of every shape, colour and description, and Gondola receives a lot of attention as she goes by – be prepared to receive lots of waves, and to return the gesture with a wave back!

It wasn’t until I was back on the jetty that I remembered to get a shot or two of Sidney, or ‘Sid’ as he’s affectionately known, the iconic sea serpent who sits on the front of Gondola and was replaced by a new Sidney in March this year – I can’t say I was happy with the pictures I took though. Two days later and I was back in Coniston to photograph Brantwood, so I went down to the Brantwood jetty to catch Gondola on her mid-day tour around the lake. Got you in the end, Sidney!

Gondola tour options

Gondola offers a number of day-time services, including Full Lake , Head of Lake and Walker’s Cruises – take a look at Gondola’s pages on the National Trust website for timetables and some useful walking suggestions.

And if you’re looking for something even more special, you could book one of Gondola’s on-board cream teas or picnics. For those who are more interested in what’s going on inside the boat than around it, there’s even an Engineer for a Day experience!

In partnership with other local organisations, the National Trust is also offering a Lake District Grand Victorian Circular Tour , a full day itinerary across the Lakes, complete with steam railway journey, which recreates a tour once provided by the Furness Railway Company.

If you’re planning to visit the Lake District this autumn, I have to say that the photographs I’ve seen taken on Coniston Water at this time of year are incredible, so even when the summer’s over, the enjoyment most certainly isn’t!

I’d like to say a big thank you to the Gondola crew for making me so welcome during my cruise experience. I should point out that although I always write with care, any errors in my ‘technical’ descriptions of Gondola will be my own and not those of the crew! Some of the Swallows and Amazons facts I researched separately. I also found Ivan Corlett’s blog about the maintenance of Gondola a helpful and entertaining read (I love the philosophical question, ‘is Gondola similar to Trigger’s broom from Only Fools and Horses?’ 5 February 2015), so do visit that too if you’re interested to see behind the scenes.

• Shortly after visiting the Steam Yacht Gondola, I paid another visit to Coniston to see Brantwood – you can find out more in my post about Brantwood and its fabulous grounds and gardens , and see Coniston later in the season when I returned to Coniston and Gondola in the autumn .

Have you been on board Gondola or any of the other cruises available in the Lake District? If so, it would be great to hear more about your experience. Do share your recommendations with other visitors to the blog by leaving a comment below.

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Published by Janine John

Hello, I'm Janine, and I'm exploring the Lake District in search of the area's very best hidden gems! If, like me, you love the Lakes and enjoy the simple things in life (you won't find me in the mountains on this blog, but maybe in a tearoom!), join me again to read more about my latest local finds and adventures. View all posts by Janine John

3 Comments Add yours

As we enter the last few weeks of summer, it’s great to know that there’s still plenty to look forward to – the autumn colours really are a spectacular sight in the Lakes!

i met arthur hatton who saved the gondolo in 1770s an amazing old man i had a boat at the lake oppersite his home which btoke its moorings we managed to float it to his shore and i gave him the boat he fepaired the hole and used it with battery outboard but did not use the sail i visited for a few years when he was constucting a harbour not a marina he lived like a doormouse in that mansion we did not go for few years at which time he had died a true gentelman sorry about spelling

Hello Geoff and apologies for the delay in replying to you, but thank you for your comment.

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Steam Yacht Gondola

The Victorian poet, artist and critic of steam power John Ruskin must have seen her passing his Brantwood home on the banks of Coniston every day.

Gondola was in service until 1936 when she was retired and was converted to a houseboat in 1946. She was abandoned in the 1960's. In the mid 1970's a group of National Trust enthusiasts raised the money to restore her. In 1979, the boat was given a new hull, engine, boiler and most of the superstructure. She was relaunched on 25th March 1980 is back in service as a passenger boat on Coniston Water, still powered by steam.

Gondola is one of the inspirations for Captain Flint's houseboat in Arthur Ransome's book 'Swallows and Amazons'.

Gondola operates on Coniston Water from the beginning of March until the end of October. During the cruise, commentary is provided on Coniston's history and its famous connections with water speed record breaker Donald Campbell , art critic John Ruskin and author of Swallows and Amazons, Arthur Ransome. All cruises start from Coniston pier, calling at Brantwood and Monk Coniston. Half lake cruises take place every day, with full lake themed cruises on Saturdays at 11am, and Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays at 2.30pm.

Coniston Water

Visitor Attractions in Cumbria

Museums & Attractions > North West > Cumbria

Steam Yacht – Gondola 2024

Full steam ahead for Gondola on Coniston Water by Paul Harris

Operator: National Trust

Address: Coniston Pier Lake Road Coniston Cumbria LA21 8AN

• Telephone: 01539 433 250
• Website: View website

Open Days & Times

Sailings 25 Mar-Oct. Visit website for details and advance booking.

• By Bus: Stagecoach 505
• By Rail: Foxfield (not Sun) / 10 miles
• Refreshments
• Part disabled access

Register or log in to view location maps

Some more nearby attractions you may be interested in..., acorn bank watermill 2024.

Other Sites of Interest / Wind/Water MIll

Coniston Copper Mines 2024

Other Sites of Interest / Mines / Open Access

Dent Village Museum & Heritage Centre 2024

Other Sites of Interest / Country Life

Dock Museum 2024

Transport / Maritime

Duddon Iron Furnace 2024

Other Sites of Interest / Industrial / Open Access

Eden Valley Railway 2024

Railways / Heritage Railways

Eskdale Mill 2024

Farfield Mill 2024

Gleaston water mill 2024, greenside lime kiln 2024.

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Omsk: Western Siberia's hidden gem

A city view of Omsk. Source: Dmitry Feoktistov

Omsk was founded in 1716 when a wooden fort was constructed to house a Cossack unit in the area to protect the expanding Russian frontier from Central Asian nomadic incursions. It served various administrative functions throughout the 1800s and became infamous as a place of exile and incarceration. The city was rundown when selected as a hub for the Trans-Siberian railway in the 1890s. Many international trade companies and foreign consulates relocated here and the remnants of their offices can still be found in the city today.

The mystery of Kolchak’s gold

Omsk became the headquarters of the anti-Bolshevik white army led by Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak in 1918. In late 1918 there was a revolt in the city initiated by a leftist faction (Socialist Revolutionary Party or SPs) with 500 rebel deaths at the hands of Cossacks and Czechoslovak soldiers, a major factor in convincing the SPs to join the Bolsheviks. There is a large Soviet-era monument to the uprising at the corner of Lenina street and Broz Tito street.  

Kolchak was entrusted with a large portion of the Tsarist’s gold reserves, yet amazingly lost much of it. Supposedly 250 million rubles were lost (about $8 million at the time). Legend has it that they were buried near the village of Taiga, yet numerous excavations have turned up nothing. The area still attracts the occasional fortune seeker.

Kolchak’s headquarters are located at what is today the  Omsk Regional Archives  at Broz Tito St., 3. Nothing shows how much times have changed as the imposing Kolchak statue that was unveiled in 2012 around the corner. The statue guards  Kolchak restaurant , a four-story culinary complex featuring a steak house, an Irish pub, a Central Asian café and an Italian eatery.  For more details on where and how to dig Kolchak's gold, see  Top Ten Mysterious Lost Treasures of Russia

Dostoevsky and the Tsar

At 1.15 million people Omsk dwarfs the region’s second largest city, Tara (population 28,000). The city is split by the River Irtysh into two sections (all places of interest are on the right bank) with downtown emanating from the River Om.

Most foreigners have heard of Omsk via writer Fyodor Dostoevsky who spent four years here as a prisoner (1849-1853). He spent most of his time in Omsk in squalor and chains and with no books besides the Bible, however, it left an indelible mark on his memory and influenced his future literary output. There is a statue of the writer in chains grasping a Bible at the corner of Partizanskaya and Spartakovskaya streets, where Dostoevsky undoubtedly stepped many times. A  museum dedicated to the author's time in Omsk  is located nearby at Dostoevskogo St. 1. The local university is also named for him.

A view of the Assumption Cathedral, Omsk. Source: Lori/Legion-Media

Tarskaya Street is one of the city’s oldest thoroughfares. It features a monument to victims of Stalinist repressions and the Tara gates, originally built in 1792 as one of the four entrances to the Omsk fort. Nearby stands the Assumption Cathedral, one of the largest churches in Siberia. Future Tsar Nicholas II laid the first stone here in 1891 when making his way back to St. Petersburg after his Eastern journey.

In Omsk you are never more than a few steps from the village, made clear when one exits the center to the north, where most houses are wooden and roads unpaved. Stroll along Bulatova and Rabinovicha streets, a well-preserved ensemble of wooden architecture.

Omsk’s cultural heritage 

The Pushkin State Library is worth a look with busts of Russian literary figures adorning the front side of the building. At the corner under the big “M” is one of several stations of the never completed Omsk metro. Construction began in 1992, but as of 2014 the project is again dormant due to financing problems.

One of Omsk’s most famous sons is Symbolist painter Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910). Vrubel ignored contemporary trends and focused on themes from fairy tales, demons and religious subjects and also designed a majolica frieze for the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. Omsk’s Fine Arts Museum is named for him and features a number of  his works .

Milhail Vrubel's painting 'Demon Seated in a Garden' (1890)

Over the years a number of tourists have tripped over the monument to Stepanych. This bust of a plumber rising from a sewer was the idea of Omsk’s former mayor after a trip to Slovakia in the 1990s. Stepanych has become one of the symbols of the city.

Omsk is a hockey town, with one of the major teams,  Avangard , in the KHL, Russia’s premiere professional league. Russian champions on several occasions, check out a match at Omsk Arena. But if you can’t catch a game there’s a large kiosk featuring the team’s merchandise at the airport.

Siberian   punk, jazz and the classics

While Omsk may not be on everyone’s radar musically, it does host a  musical theater  built just after the war. The building on 10 Let Oktyabrya Street is in the form of an enormous sloping grand piano.

A monument to Stepanych, Lenina Street, Omsk. Photo credit: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lisitsyn 

Perhaps Russia’s most famous punk band,  Grazhdanskaya oborona  (Civil Defence), was formed here in 1982. The band was active until 2008 when lead singer Yegor Letov died of heart failure at age 43. Letov is buried at the Staro-Vostochnoe cemetery. A sprawling graveyard with thousands of graves, fans should stop at the administration for help in locating his grave.

In Russia, Omsk is known among the younger, tech-savvy generation primarily because of the “Omsk bird,” also known as Winged Doom. The origin of what became one of Russia’s most ubiquitous memes comes from a painting by German artist Heiko  Müller. One day in 2009 an Internet user posted this painting with the line, “Welcome to Omsk,” at the top. Additional versions menace viewers stating, “Don't try to leave Omsk,” and “Omsk is closer than you think.” Like many popular memes on the Internet, this one went viral and has become something like an unofficial symbol of the city.

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