The club trip is usually on the sea but for a change the decision was to paddle on Coniston. Eight of us turned up to a very busy car park as there was a large gathering of eager wild swimmers. A beautiful morning, cool but settled, and it was a delight to paddle into the sun towards the southern end of the lake. Going up the east coast the views west to the Coniston fells were superb with some cloud topping the peaks. Autumn colours in all directions. Passing by Peel Island (known as “Wild Cat Island” in the film “Swallows and Amazons”) where we planned to stop on the return. At the northern end of the lake the benches couldn’t be ignored for a comfortable lunch break. The view was straight down the lake into the sun, with tiny waves gently lapping onto the shore. Paddling down the west side of the lake we had a look at the steam yacht gondola before heading back over to Peel Island. The “beach” offered a good landing, the kayaks were soon moored and we set off to explore the island. A nice interlude before setting off back to the launching area at Brown Howe car park. A super day with great weather, scenery and company.
