大象传媒

It's amazing to think that decades after he wrote his books about the Swallows and Amazons, that Arthur Ransome should still be drawing the crowds.

But Coniston has very strong links with the author who spent many happy years in the Lake District. And one of the islands on Coniston stars in a number of his books.

So as part of my journey to some of the county's islands, I decided to join the "Swallows and Amazons" cruise run by the Coniston Launch company.

Gordon Hall

The owner and skipper, Gordon Hall, is a huge fan of Ransome's books and provides a running commentary on the author's links with the lake. He's also a member of the Arthur Ransome Society.

Although Ransome changed the names of the houses and other places he featured, his fans are pretty certain about which real places he was thinking of when he wrote the books.

This includes Peel Island which becomes Wildcat Island in the books. The day we were out on the lake, the island was swarming with children and little boats had been pulled up onto the beach in the "secret harbour". It was very easy to imagine the children in Ransome's books doing exactly the same thing!

How do we know for sure it's Wild Cat Island though? Gordon says you only have to read the description in the books to know it is. But Silver Holme on Windermere is also thought to have a bit of Wild Cat Island听 about it too!

It also features in a book written by an author I'd never heard of called W.G Collingwood who mentions the island in a novel called "Thorstein of the Mere, A Saga of the Northmen in Lakeland'. This book was one of Ransome's favourites when he was young and he and Collingwood became friends in later years.

Fir Island

The people on the cruise with me all seemed to know a lot about Ransome and the Swallows and Amazons, proof that his books still appeal to a lot of people even now.

There are two other islands on Coniston. Fir Island is actually joined to the shore unless the water is very high. It's home to a colony of cormorants and Ransome lived in a house on the opposite shore for about six years. Maybe it inspired him too!

The other island is Oak Island and as far as I know has no interesting stories to tell, unless of course, you know better!听听