Coniston Water
| Coniston Water | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Coniston Water from Holme Fell | ||
| Geographical location | Cumbria , England | |
| Tributaries |
Moor Gill , Church Beck , Torver Beck , Yewdale Beck Selside Beck |
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| Drain | Crake | |
| Places on the shore | Coniston | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 54 ° 20 ′ 0 " N , 3 ° 4 ′ 30" W | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 44 m ASL | |
| surface | 4.9 km² | |
| length | 8 kilometers | |
| width | 800 m | |
| Maximum depth | 56 m | |
Coniston Water is the third largest lake in the English Lake District . It is 8 km long and 800 m wide with a maximum depth of 56 m and an area of 4.9 km². It lies at an altitude of 44 m above sea level. At the northern end is the place Coniston . Its tributaries near the town of Coniston are the Yewdale Beck and the Church Beck and the Torver Beck and Selside Beck south of them . Its outflow to the south is the River Crake .
geography
Coniston Water has the typical shape of the lakes in the Lake District. It originated in the last ice age in a valley carved into the surrounding volcanic and limestone rock by glaciers .
Right on the west bank is the Old Man of Coniston , the highest mountain in this part of the Lake District.
history
During excavations, the remains of settlements from the Bronze Age were found, and during the Roman Empire copper was mined in the surrounding mountains. Further finds prove the continuation of mining activities into the Middle Ages. In the 13th and 14th centuries , Coniston was an important supplier of fish to the monks of Furness Abbey , who owned the lake and the surrounding lands. Copper was mined until the 19th century .
The Victorian artist and philosopher John Ruskin lived in Brantwood on the east bank of the lake from 1872 until his death in 1900 and is buried in the cemetery of Coniston.
Speed record
On Coniston Water, attempts were made several times in the 20th century to set speed records for racing boats . On January 14, 1939, Sir Malcolm Campbell reached 228.108 km / h on the lake in the boat Bluebird K4 . Between 1956 and 1959, his son Donald Campbell improved the record in the Bluebird K7 four times to 418.99 km / h. In another attempt on January 4, 1967, he had a fatal accident with his vehicle .
A record week has been held annually in late autumn since 2009 , during which racing drivers can set world records in all of the boat classes recognized by the UIM . The highest speed achieved in 2010 was 236.4 km / h in the racing boat class with outboard motors up to 3000 cm³.
Lady in the Lake
Coniston Water was the 1997 location for a violent crime investigation. Carol Park's body was discovered in the lake by scuba divers after it was sunk there 21 years ago by her husband who killed her with an ice ax. The case became known as "The Lady in the Lake Murder" based on the novel by Raymond Chandler "The Dead in the Lake".
Round trips
On the northern part of the lake you can take excursions on a steamboat. Gondola runs between Coniston and Brantwood during the holiday season. The boat was built in 1859 and served until 1960 when it ran aground after a storm. After an unsuccessful attempt to return the boat to service in 1970, it was completely renovated in 1980 as a tourist attraction.
