HF Houses - Martin Baker

HF Houses - Monk Coniston - Leaving the Car at Home.

Getting to Monk Coniston by Public Transport

I went via Windermere. Trains go on the branch line to Windermere from Oxenholme, sometimes they come direct from Preston.

There is then a very scenic bus ride the stagecoach 505.

https://scenicbuses.co.uk/routes/the-lakes-505-coniston-hawkshead-ambleside/

Or you could get of the train at Kendal and catch the 505 bus from there. Its a long time since I've done it so I'm not sure which is best.

Monk Coniston

HF lease Monk Coniston from the National Trust, It is a grade II Listed Building. This means there can't be big holes through the walls so a lot of the rooms have these dodgy toilets.

Here is a picture I took with my film camera in 1996. As you can see the gardens have a collection of large trees listed on the website here.

The Counting House

I was most often allocated a room in the Counting House which was fine. Except one time when someone in the next room had the TV on high volume late into the night.

There is also The Barn and The Cottages.

Getting from the house to Coniston village involves a walk along the road.

Coniston Water is at the end of the garden. I seem to remember climbing over a small wall to get to the lake:

Some of the large and rare trees in the grounds:

Walking from Monk Coniston without a Car

Old Man of Coniston

There are different routes up the Old Man of Coniston via Levers Water Beck and copper mines or more direct via quarry.

Low Water and Levers Water in the background.

I find it interesting to lookout for industrial and mining heritage along the walks and to try and work out how these things were used.

I think this is below the Old Man to the south east:

Tarn Hows

Its a while since I took these pictures and I did not label them. Is it Tarn Hows?

Getting To HF Houses on Public Transport
Abingworth Hall
Dolserau Hall in Dolgellau
Longmynd Hotel in Church Stretton
Holnicote House - Selworthy
Newfield Hall - Malham
Derwent Bank - Keswick
Freshwater Bay House
Chy Morvah - St Ives
Harrington House - Bourton-on-the-Water
Nythfa House - Brecon Beacons
The Peveril of the Peak - Dovedale
Larpool Hall - Whitby
Thorns Hall - Sedbergh
Monk Coniston
Nether Grange - Alnmouth
Alitshellach - Glen Coe

Former HF Houses
Conwy (1914- 2011)
Newlands (1914- 1987)
Swanage (1947- 1995)
Isle of Arran (1925- )
Scarborough (1954- 1998)
Lulworth
Beddgelert
New Inns
Penrith
Milford-on-Sea

About This Site

Here is some information I have gathered together about getting to and walking from HF houses when leaving the car at home. On these pages I have also put some history about former HF houses I have visited.

The information here is based on my visits to HF houses over the years. It may be out of date so don't rely on anything here without checking. If you find any errors why not let others know by putting a post on the HF Holiday Fans ( unofficial) Facebook forum. I will try to quote such posts here so they don't get lost.

This is information I have discovered over the years which would have been useful to know before. Unfortunately the travel information on the HF website, for getting to houses by public transport, is poor. I think it would be better if the information on this page were on the HF website.