Lake District questions

I know RS speaks highly of Keswick, and most of his top to do things are in Keswick -a by product of his bus trips using Keswick as a base.
I don't even agree for instance that Castlerigg is the best stone circle in the Lakes, but none of the others are hugely accessible to tour buses on what is a relatively fast paced 'Best of' tour. But such things are always subjective.

At the end of the day Coniston is only an hours drive from Keswick if you dont get stuck at the pinch points on the road from Ambleside with either camper vans or bad drivers in general.
Keswick isn't a bad base. I might at least want Grasmere so as to be the other side of Dunmail. Ideally Coniston or Hawkshead. In this case possibly even Torver would suit you.
Of all the Lake Boats Coniston Launch are my clear favourite, I've done that themed cruise and it is fantastic. I wouldn't even hesitate to go on that or suggest some one else did. Just do it.
I've never sailed myself. However if you have and the weather is favourable may be have a word with the Coniston Boating Centre. They will give expert advice.
Rio in the books is Bowness on Windermere. I've read all the literature and in my minds eye the Amazon River and Beckfoot are Windermere. Personally I have a far fetched theory that the Amazon could even be the other end of Windermere from Lakeside Pier to the Swan Inn at Newby Bridge.

Hi -

As a massive S & A fan myself I understand the appeal of getting on the lakes, although I am the world’s worst sailor, as a recent, somewhat queasy, crossing to Arran will testify. Never sailed myself but feel (erroneously) that thanks to Ransome I could give it a bash! More of a ‘Pigeon Post’ and ‘Winter Holiday’ man myself!

However I would agree with Stuart that somewhere like Coniston or Torver is a better base than Keswick. Have you read Christina Hardyment’s book ‘Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint’s Trunk’? If so, compulsory reading as it gives the possible/likely locations used in the S & A books - you’ll very likely be able to get a copy in the Lakes. Ransome used bits of Coniston and Windermere for most of the settings, ‘glueing’ half of one lake to half of the other, so to speak. Stuart also suggests Hawkshead which is fine, but for me just a tad off the beaten track you need to be on.

Plenty of gentle walking around Coniston, Ambleside and Sawrey - you are spoilt for choice really.

Hope you get fixed up with somewhere to your liking. “Better drowned than duffers. If not duffers, won’t drown”.

Ian

Although the house has been renovated, the Amazons' home is, subject to heavy demand, sometimes for weekly rental. I think it is called Lake End.

Tim is not correct, no-one knows where the Amazons home was. If Arthur Ransome didn't disclose it and the research of the Swallows and Amazons society has not produced a clear answer then we just don't know.
It is akin to people saying they have been to Helen's Farm in the Yorkshire Dales. It is harmless but not true. James Herriots books say she was a farmers daughter and they married in a Dales Church - and the TV and movie adaptations hold that theme. He had to say that for professional reasons. In reality she was born in the Cotswolds, daughter of a Solicitior, worked at a mill in Thirsk and married in Thirsk Parish Church.
The same is true here. S and A are very good novels. The Swallows are based pretty closely on the Altounyan family, friends of Ransome. The Amazons are pure fiction, what might have happened. In fact the boat Amazon belonged to the "Swallows"/Altounyan family, in fact I think technically the Collingwood family.
Wild Cat Island has some elements of Blake Holme island (Windermere) in it - an island you can't normally visit at the South end of the Lake. Hence why I associate the River Leven with the River Amazon. Beyond the two limits of navigation (Newby Bridge and Greenodd) you can see how it just might be.
Anywhere that claims otherwise is not being factual. In fact Lane Head carefully state that they were used as a location in the original movie with Mavis /" Amazon" using their boathouse. It isn't impossible the real life Altounyan family may have done exactly that

So glad to hear that the "Swallows & Amazons" cruise is good!

Yes, I've read/own "...Capt. Flint's Trunk" as well as some other things, so am coming in fully aware that Ransome took a little from here, a little from there, and a little from other elsewheres for his locations. So I'm not coming in expecting to see "the REAL Wild Cat Island" or anything. I just want to see/experience the beautiful District that he loved and that sparked his imagination, without a need to really pin anything down (at least, not any more than anyone has theorized already).

My sailing experience is mostly limited to a couple of semesters ("terms"?) in college (university) and that was...oh, over 30 years ago. So it's probably best to leave the boat handling to someone else!

Thank you for the input!

Another Ransome fan here! Love this discussion! Hoping to get to the Lakes in the not too distant future, but will be using public transportation. I was thinking using Hawkshead or Grasmere as a base, but since you have a car, you have more options. I read your other thread about driving from Scotland, so that's my only question - will driving to Grasmere or the southern district be too much for you in one day? In that case, perhaps Keswick will be easier?

To add to the Wild Cat Island debate, it is generally held that Peel Island on Coniston Water is the model for it. Certainly it has the ‘secret harbour’, so much so that some years ago somebody painted the sighting markers mentioned in the books onto the rocks to mimic the description in the books and ensure safe entry into the harbour.

As for the Amazons’ house it is widely accepted that it is an amalgam of several houses in regard to house, gardens and location. Having said that, the Octopus Lagoon and Holly Howe, where the Swallows were staying, have been identified as single locations - Holly Howe is actually Bank Ground Farm where the Altounyans (Swallows!) used to stay. It still offers accommodation - stayed there myself some years ago - and is now owned by the next generation of the Batty family.

Ian

I suppose whether the drive from Scotland is too long or not depends where you are starting from, but one thing is for sure, if you get to the turn off the M6 motorway (think Interstate) for Keswick and the northern lakes near Penrith, it’s a comparatively short, but scenic drive down to Grasmere in the scheme of things.

Ian

Because the service is not in the Lakes timetable book it is not generally known that Torver has a bus service, one of very few in the country to have a friend's group.
With a bit of planning it is a very useable service.
There are several services a day between Coniston and Ulverston.
At Ulverston there are almost hourly trains to and from Manchester Airport.
The route survived because it was originally a rail replacement service when the branch line to Torver and Coniston closed.
Also Coniston Launch have a weekly all piers ticket which is fantastic value at just £38. It is a lovely walk through the woods to Torver Pier.

So nice to find other Ransome fans here! I read all the books voraciously growing up in South Africa, and one of the things I’ve loved living in the UK has been coming across places from the books, like Pin Mill near Ipswich - I couldn’t work out why the name was so familiar to me….

I enjoy that this topic has become as much a Ransome discussion as it is about where to stay in the Lake District. :)

I discovered "Swallows & Amazons" as an adult, after reading "How the Heather Looks" by Joan Bodger, in which she and her family travel the UK (in the 1950s) to see the sources of inspiration for beloved British children's literature. Despite being American, I knew and loved a lot of the books she referenced -- "Wind in the Willows," "Winnie-the-Pooh," the works of Beatrix Potter, and many more. But I was unfamiliar with Ransome. The library had a couple of books and I was instantly in love. It took some time and searching (thanks, used book sellers on the internet!) , but I finally got them all and revisit them from time to time (and perhaps should do so again before we take our trip!).

As someone whose favorite literary genre is "British children's books," it's amazing that I haven't made a UK visit a priority before now. I'm so excited to finally be planning a visit!

OP, I am so happy for you that you are visiting the Lake District and the inspiration for the "Swallows and Amazons". You may want to reread it during your trip - one of my fondest memories is rereading "Wind in the Willows" sitting by the Thames at Cookham.