The king and I

It has its own king, a population of three and was once the landing place for an invasion of England. Dixe Wills ventures to England's most unusual tiny isle

- Dixe Wills

I still remember the first time I saw the island. It was the summer of 2008 and I was standing on the shore of neighbouring Walney Island with nature guide and former Mayor of Barrow, John Murphy. We were looking out across a pea-souper of a sea fret blanketing Morecambe Bay when suddenly a gust of wind revealed a surprising sight: a substantial castle keep that appeared to have been built upon the waves. John assured me that there was a small isle underneath the fortress, and that it was called Piel. I knew there and then that I would have to go there.

Piel Island has since become one of my favourite places in Britain, both to visit and camp on. Tucked away off the southwestern coast of Cumbria, the 21-hectare isle is not just home to a castle, but also a trim Victorian terrace of cottages built for harbour pilots and customs inspectors, and a pub. Yes, a pub. On an island with a permanent population currently numbering just three. Piel also has its own king. And it was once the landing place for an invasion of England. As tiny islands go, it certainly punches above its weight.

Located in one of the most blustery parts of the country, it can also prove challenging to get to. At low tide it's possible to walk a mile-and-a-half across from the much larger Walney Island but that's not recommended without a guide (see page 66) due to the danger posed by shifting patches of sinking sand and the possibility of the sort of sea fret I encountered there. Most visitors, therefore, arrive on the tiny 12-passenger Piel Ferry that sails from Roa Island, an islet attached to the mainland by a causeway. Unfortunately, the ferry service can be cancelled for days at a time when a gale comes raking in from the Irish Sea.