At the tip of the Furness peninsula in Cumbria, Piel Island is reached by a small foot ferry from Roa Island, running roughly Easter to October when the weather allows. At low tide it’s also possible to walk out across the sands from Walney Island, a route of about a mile, but the ground includes quicksand and the tide comes in fast, so go by the ferry instead, or only with an experienced local guide who knows the channels.
Piel Castle stands in ruins on the island, a 14th-century stronghold built by the monks of Furness Abbey to guard against Scottish raiders and protect trade with Ireland; the walls and keep, cared for by English Heritage, are free to explore. Below the castle, the Ship Inn is the island’s only building still in regular use, and by long tradition its landlord is crowned King of Piel in a ceremony involving an old chair, a sword and a bottle poured over the head. The South Walney and Piel Channel Flats reserve just offshore is named after the channel between the two islands.
