I’ve lived on the edge of The Lake District my whole life and one of my favourite things is to go and explore the area. One area I haven’t been to in YEARS is Coniston lake where you can find Brantwood.
Brantwood is an arts and crafts house on the edge of Coniston and was the home of writer, artist and social reformer John Ruskin.
At Brantwood, you’ll find the house, which also has a Turner exhibition inside, the most AMAZING gardens and a beautiful cafe/restaurant.
EXPLORING BRANTWOOD, THE LAKE DISTRICT
The house at Brantwood is a museum but kept much like a home. There are some amazing views over Coniston lake and everything inside is really well kept.
My favourite room was the old dining room which has been made into a small gallery. At the moment, the exhibition is Turner’s Venice watercolours and they are absolutely stunning. (Exhibition is on till 4th August)
As well as the house, there are also the beautiful gardens which are HUGE. We didn’t manage to see them all but we did have a good wander.
Above the main house is the Severn Studio which has another exhibition in. On my last trip there, there was the Reflections of Imagination by Daniel Cooper. If you’re a fan of lake images, then you will love this as the paintings are STUNNING and really capture Coniston.
They are all inspired by Ruskin and Coniston and the show was put to celebrate the bi-anniversary of Ruskin’s birth.
I absolutely loved the collection – there was something so magical about each image.
LUNCH OVERLOOKING CONISTON
Okay, something you need to know about me is that I love eating out and always trying new places.
So obviously I went and tried out the Terrace coffee house and restaurant. Their menu changes monthly but they offer an amazing selection of food, including some really tasty vegetarian and vegan options.
I opted for the mezze platter which included; fruity cous-cous, hummus, tzatziki, aubergine and chickpea salad and halloumi on a garlic flatbread. It was beautiful and left me very full for the whole day!
I also had a raisin and oat cookie after we’d been around the gardens. For this, we decided to sit outside and take in the beautiful view of Coniston.
The cookie was delicious and very cinnamonny (is that even a word?!?) and the view was stunning.
I don’t come to Coniston that much so to spend time around a different lake was really nice, especially as the sun was out.
If you’re looking for a day out in the Lakes, definitely add Brantwood to the list. We spent about 3 hours here but we could’ve spent so much longer looking around the gardens!
Where are your favourite places to go to in The Lakes?
