St. Herbert’s Island in the Derwentwater, the landscape of Beatrix Potter
St. Herbert’s Island, a.k.a. Owl Island
This week I read a collection of 22 Beatrix Potter stories*, and while the Lake District is easily recognizable in Miss Potter’s charming illustrations, I was completely surprised to be able to find among my own pictures of Derwentwater the very Owl Island that the squirrels in The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin* sail out to on their rafts to gather nuts for winter. The shoreline around Derwent Bay and the Lingholm Estate where Beatrix spent several summer holidays is not much changed, and there’s something lovely about looking out at and being inspired by the same landscape as such a brilliant artist.
I’m not sure what kind of bird I captured there, but it would be amazing if it was Mr. Owl himself.
St. Herbert’s Island is named for the man who brought Christianity to the area in 685 A.D. He used the island as a hermitage, and in later years others visited it as a place of pilgrimage. This is the largest of the islands in Derwentwater, and it was used as a filming location in Arthur Ransome’s classic book turned films, Swallows and Amazons. If I’d known that at the time I would have definitely made it a priority to rent a boat with my family and have our own adventure on Owl/Wildcat/St. Herbert’s Island. That will be a high priority for another trip; I also think The Derwentwater Walk would be a great way to spend a day in this scenery that inspired so many writers.
I can picture a scurry of red squirrels in these woods. Can’t you?
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