An ode to Gondola

This year on Steam Yacht Gondola we thought we’d take some time out from our day jobs, climb out of the engine room, take our hands off the tiller and turn our attention to poetry.
The Lake District is associated with many famous poets; William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey being three of the most well-known.
It’s a shame Wordsworth’s life didn’t extend 10 years longer so that he could have witnessed Gondola entering passenger service in 1860. Surely the sight of this elegant steam yacht gliding serenely across Coniston Water would have provided him with the inspiration to capture the scene in poetic form. No matter - we invited Brantwood Writer in Residence Geraldine Green to bring a lovely group of poets on board and you can now see and hear the first of many beautiful Gondola poems to inspire you.
And so, we’re calling on all passengers past and present, locals and tourists alike, to give us a helping hand and give vent to your Gondola-inspired feelings. If you’re coming on board this season, or are just wandering along Coniston shoreline taking in the views, please put pen to paper and capture your experience in a poem for us.
Win a Steam and Cream Experience
Write a poem and enter our free prize draw.
Be it allegory, blank verse, free verse, ode or sonnet, we’d love to see what you’ve written about Gondola and her Coniston Water home. So much so, that we'll enter you into our free prize draw to win a Steam and Cream experience for every poem submitted by the end of the season.
Post your poems on our facebook page , email them or tweet it to us using #gondolapoet
Closing date: 31st October 2016
Terms and Conditions
- the winner will be the writer of the first poem drawn at random on 1.11.16
- the prize is for 2 people
- the Steam and Cream experience must be booked in advance and taken anytime subject to availability before end October 2017
- Entries from NT staff not accepted
- There is no cash alternative to the prize offered
- Usual booking terms and conditions apply