Peel Island, Cumbria with of woodland, in 1932. Peel Island is considered to be one of the origins of the fictional Wild Cat Island in the 1930 book "Swallows and Amazons" and its sequels, by Arthur Ransome. Taqui Altounyan, sister of Roger Altounyan and inspiration for one of the characters in "Swallows and Amazons", described Peel Island in her semi-biographical novel "In Aleppo Once" as "like a green tuffet, sitting in the water, the trees covering the rocks". The island also features in W. G. Collingwood's novel "Thorstein of the Mere, A Saga of the Northmen in Lakeland". Ransome, at the age of
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 Uncle Jim, normally an ally of his nieces, has withdrawn from their