Heritage Open Days: free tour of the Steam Yacht Gondola
A free, special event for Heritage Open Days. Hop aboard and explore the Steam Yacht Gondola. Plus, you’ll hear about its history as one of the world's first 'package holidays' and experience a short demonstration of its manoeuvrability on the water.
- Booking advisable
The National Trust’s Gondola is a rebuilt steam-powered passenger yacht which has sailed on Coniston Water since 1860. On the evenings of 10th and 12th September, there will be a tour of the vessel where you can see the machinery spaces and opulent saloons. The crew will share with you the Gondola’s history, including the innovative way in which passengers were brought to Coniston, which involved epic journeys on one ticket combining steam train, boat and carriage trips around the Lakes. There will also be a short demonstration of the manoeuvrability of the gondola on the water.
There will be two sessions per evening of 10th and 12th September, starting at 17:30 and then at 18:30 and each session will last approx. 45 minutes.
There are limited spaces on the Gondola, so booking is preferred.
There's no guaranteed space under cover so please come appropriately dressed for the weather that day.
**Update 4 September *** Due to essential jetty work at Coniston, Gondola will sail from a new location. Our friends at Brantwood (former home of John Ruskin) will support Gondola with the use of their jetty.
If you've seen this listing previously, there has been a change of sail point (from Coniston to Brantwood) and we've moved each sailing time forward by 15 minutes. Apologies for the disruption.
Times
Prices
| Ticket type | Ticket category |
|---|---|
| All | £0.00 |
The basics
- Booking details
Call 0344 249 1895
- Suitability
Children are welcome
- Meeting point
Brantwood House, East of Lake, CONISTON, LA21 8AD Park in the Brantwood car park and follow the signs down towards the jetty/lake.
- What to bring and wear
Please wear clothing suitable for the weather as you may not be under cover.
- Accessibility
Please note that there is a ramped gangway onto the boat and one step to the entrance with a handrail. There is a PA system in use on the Gondola. Please see the Gondola's website access statement for full details. Find this on the Gondola's main webpage and scroll down to the section headed 'Access'.
- Other
Please note there are no toilets onboard and Brantwood's toilets close at 16:30. You need to be on the jetty 5 minutes before scheduled sail time. There is a steep walk down to the jetty – at least 5 mins should be allowed from the car park. Please do not arrive and park too early, unless also visiting Brantwood or the café (which we do recommend!). Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome on board on the outer decks.