Coniston

We packed up and cleaned the cottage for the next lucky visitors. Once the cars were full, we followed Nick and Barbara to Coniston. This village sits on Coniston Lake, which has been the site of some history. Back in the 1930's through the 60's, a father and son duo broke the world speed record on water at this lake. It is the longest straightest, deepest, unobstructed body of water in the Lake District, which made it the perfect choice for speed. First, in the late 30's Malcolm Campbell set the world water speed record at about 141 mph. His son, Donald, later set consecutive records in the 50's and 60's, and at one point, actually held the land and water speed records at the same time. The last time he broke the record he hit about 320 mph, piloting the Bluebird K7, after which he lost control, crashed, and died instantly. So, I guess he didn't get to celebrate that one. At the museum, we saw a replica of the K7, which looked more like rocket than boat to me.

We walked a bit near the lake and had lunch at the lakeside cafe. We did a little shopping, then parted for a night in Manchester. It was sad to leave Barbara and Nick, but we'll see them again soon, I'm sure. Anhgus dared to hitch a ride with us back to the hotel, where we were all staying near the airport. I dropped off the rental car, proud to have not hit a single curb in this one. Kim and I will pack, so we're ready to catch our flights back home tomorrow morning.Read more