Explore with Amie

Barrow-in-Furness is a port town on the Furness Peninsula, just outside of the Lake District. Whilst the town itself has declined in recent years with the big names such as Debenhams and House of Fraser closing down, there is a hidden gem right on its coastline: Piel Island.

Piel Island is part of Morecambe Bay and is one of the Islands of Furness. This is a collection of islands off the Peninsula and Walney Island – the most heavily populated -, Barrow Island, Roa Island and the unpopulated islands of Chapel, Foulney and Sheep. Piel Island is one of only three islands of the bunch that are populated however, it is home to under 10 inhabitants. This includes the landlords of the pub and their family (more on the pub later) and a few others.

Getting there

Getting to Piel Island is fairly straight forward. One man has made his livelihood around ferrying people across to the small island throughout the spring/summer season from the nearby Roe island (this is connected to the mainland by road). It has quite a rudimentary set up. The Facebook page and a noticeboard beside the jetty warns when the ferry has been cancelled due to high tide and all you have to do is turn up when it is running. The passenger ferry holds up to 12 people and costs only £6 for adults and £4 for children return. It is only a short trip so don’t worry if you suffer from seasickness! Piel Ferry also host seal watching trips on a Saturday throughout the summer. Take a look at the website for yourself here.

The History of Piel Island

The history of the island is incredibly interesting. It is owned by the people of Barrow in Furness after it was gifted to them by the Duke of Buccleuch after World War 1. Initially however, the island belonged to the monks of Furness Abbey who fortified the island and built a motte-and-bailey fort (also called peel towers which some think is how the island got its name). At the time, it was the largest motte-and-bailey fort in the North West. The sandstone ruins on the island today are the remains of this fortification and came to be called Piel Castle.

In 1487, Lambert Simnel, a pretender to the throne, and his supporters arrived from Dublin to Piel Island. Simmnel and 2,000 supporters passed through Piel Island in their attempt to take the throne and become King Edward VI, as he was crowned in Ireland. In the end though, the rebellion was crushed later in the same year when they were defeated in the Battle of Stoke.

Following the dissolution on the monasteries, the island became property of the King before, as I said above, it was given to the people of Barrow.

Things to Do on the Island

Piel Island is only 26 acres so you can feasibly visit in just a few hours before hitching a ride on the ferry back to Roe Island. However, there are a couple of different things to fill your time with whilst you’re there.

First up, a visit to Piel Castle is a must. As you heard, there is a lot of history in that castle and it is now an English Heritage site which is free to enter and explore. The castle used to comprise of both an inner and outer keep and was used to fortify the island against the invasion of the Scottish, who had been raiding the nearby Furness Abbey in the early 1300s. Local legend suggest that there was once a tunnel from the castle to Furness Abbey however no signs have ever been found of its existence. It is likely just a local myth as that would be some feat of engineering but, you never know!

Nowadays the castle is in a state or ruin however, you can still have a walk around and read about the history of the structure. You can also climb through one of the old windows of the castle and take a look inside. I’m sure you’re not supposed to do this but, it is clear that many many people have as there is a clearly defined pathway through the inner walls of the keep. It is also interesting, and somewhat sad, to see the effects of coastal erosion which has been increased by the threat of climate change. There are may areas where you can see these effects on the castle walls and it is one of the major threats to the castle.

As well as that, you can have some pub grub and a drink at the Ship Inn. One of the administrative duties of the Barrow-in-Furness council is to appoint the “King” of Piel Island which is always the landlord of the Ship Inn, harking back to the history of Lambert Simnel’s time there. As I said, the landlord and their family are some of the only inhabitants on the island. However, the pub is open when the ferry is running and details can always be found on the Facebook page of the Piel Ferry. It has been known for people to head across for a meal and then come back, including for birthday parties and other celebrations.

We spent the majority of the time on the island, walking around the edge of it. You can walk the whole thing in a very short time because of its small size. There are shells, fossils and pieces of pottery to be found amongst the pebble beaches which was very cool. It’s nothing like the fossils found on the Dorset coast but is still impressive. We spent the afternoon skimming stones on the sea and also taking a look at the seabirds that sit on the spit. I believe we saw many Eider ducks as well as Lapwings. For a bird watcher, this would be a great place to visit.

You don’t need to spend a full day on Piel Island but, you’ll have a great time on a nice morning or afternoon visit of a few hours. I highly recommend taking the trip over at least once!

Have you ever been to Piel Island?

Amie x