WITH the new film due to hit cinemas this weekend it will no doubt draw crowds from all over the Furness peninsula.
Not just is the story loved by people of all ages, it also includes some stunning views of the Lake District that were filmed during 2015.
The directors of the new film wanted it to be as authentic as possible and filmed the majority of the scenes on Coniston Water and Derwent Water.
The beauty of the Lakes is evident even in the trailer, which can be viewed here:
Whether you are from Barrow, Dalton, Millom or the Lakes most families will have visited the East side of Coniston for a family barbecue or to enjoy one of our rare sunny Cumbrian summer evenings with friends. Chances are that many people will have swum out to the island in the middle of Coniston which inspired Arthur Ransome's Wild Cat Island.
So just how much inspiration was taken from the Furness area?
The idea for Captain Flint’s famous houseboat was discovered thanks to a postcard drawing. The historic Gondola which runs daily sailings across Coniston Water was Ransome's original inspiration for the boat. The vintage craft still lets people hop aboard to get close up views of Wild Cat Island and try to spot the ‘Secret Harbour’, Holly Howe and the great Kanchenjunga.
The has also been owned privately by a Barrow man shortly after the end of the Second World War. Until the late 1960s, herself spent time as a private houseboat after local Barrow man Fred McCaddum bought and anchored her at Water Park on Coniston Water.
Arthur Ransome owned a number of boats over the years, many of which are now either in private ownership or have sadly passed out of our knowledge. However, , which he bought in 1928 off the coast of Barrow at Walney Island is one of the few boats that can still be seen by the public. , with her centre-board, is believed to have partly inspired the fictional dinghy and is on display at Coniston’s Ruskin Museum.
Arthur Ransome lived in a house on the east shore of the lake with his wife, Evgenia and both are buried at St Paul’s Church in Rusland in between both Coniston Water and Windermere.
Rampsholme Island, situated in the middle of Derwent Water and used in the filming of the new movie, was given to the National Trust in 1929. This is of course the year in which is set and from that year onwards, families could picnic out there, build dens, and experience the magic of playing on an island for themselves.
Ransome said that all the places in his stories really exist and tenant farm Boon Crag at Coniston has doubled as Holly Howe in the new film. Holly Howe was the farm where the Swallows stayed and locals can see it on foot from a walk around Tarn Hows. If walkers start by sailing on from Coniston Pier and disembark at Monk Coniston with its impressive walled gardens before joining the flat circular loop around Tarn Hows. When you swing back down on the way back down to Coniston Water, you’ll go right past the working farm with its beautiful views of the lake.
If you are planning to go an watch the film for its opening weekend then you could make a themed weekend of it. A special Cruise and guided walk will take place on Sunday August 21 from 11am and a few weeks later on Sunday September 4 from 11am. Sailors simply need to embark on the 11am cruise to the tranquil far southern end of Coniston Water and then set of on the walking trail back towards Coniston village.
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