Swallows and Amazons characters in Arthur Ransome books According to Ransome, every place in his book can be found in the Lake District, but he took different locations and placed them in different ways: the lake is a fictionalised version of Windermere but the surrounding countryside more closely resembles that around Coniston. Wild Cat Island, the location of the island camp, has elements from Peel Island in Coniston and Blake Holme (or Blakeholme) in Windermere. Holly Howe, the farmhouse where the Swallows stay, is based on Bank Ground Farm, which exists to this day. It was featured in the 1974 film. Reviewing the
Swallows and Amazons (1974 film) named "Swallow", they meet the Blackett children (Nancy and Peggy) who sail a dinghy named "Amazon". The Walkers camp on an island in the lake while the Blacketts live in their house nearby. However, they soon realise this has been the territory of the two other girls who sail the "Amazon", and the scene is set for serious rivalry. Eventually they make friends and agree to join forces against a common enemy – the Blacketts' Uncle Jim whom they call "Captain Flint" (after the character in "Treasure Island"). Uncle Jim, normally an ally of his nieces, has withdrawn from their