Peel Island is one of the three natural islands on Coniston Lake, in Coniston, Cumbria. A popular tourist destination, it now belongs to the National Trust.
Peel Island, is considered to be the inspiration for Wild Cat Island in the 1930 book Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome. Taqui Altounyan, who became the inspiration for one of the characters in Swallows and Amazons, after meeting the author at a family picnic on the island at the age of 8, described Peel Island as "like a green tuffet, sitting in the water, the trees covering the rocks.” Renowned for its popularity in literature, the island also features in W. G. Collingwood's novel “Thorstein of the Mere”.
The site has long been popular with swimmers, as the island can be reached from the eastern side via a short swim, quite easily. Even children can make the journey.
For those of you who don’t want to get your feathers wet, you can always hire a boat or canoe from Coniston Boating Centre, to make your way across the lake. It is a pleasant experience paddling around the perimeter of the island, and you can get the best views of the peaceful surrounding landscape, this way.
If you're planning to spend the day at Coniston, there are lots of great picnic sites by the lake, to boot.