Piel Island and Castle, Barrow-in-Furness

The Islands of Furness are situated to the south-west and east of the

Furness Furness ( ) is a peninsula and region of Cumbria in northwestern England. Together with the Cartmel Peninsula it forms North Lonsdale, historically an exclave of Lancashire. The Furness Peninsula, also known as Low Furness, is an area of vill ...

Peninsula. Within England, they are the third biggest collection of islands. They are generally quite small, though at 12.99 km²

Walney Island Walney Island, also known as the Isle of Walney, is an island off the west coast of England, at the western end of Morecambe Bay in the Irish Sea. It is part of Barrow-in-Furness, separated from the mainland by Walney Channel, which is spanned b ...

is the eighth biggest in England. Of these, only

Barrow Island Barrow Island may refer to: * Barrow Island (Western Australia), Australia * Barrow Island (Queensland), Australia * Barrow Island, Barrow-in-Furness Barrow Island is an area and electoral ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Origina ...

Roa Island Roa Island lies just over half a mile (1 km) south of the village of Rampside at the southernmost point of the Furness Peninsula in Cumbria, though formerly in the county of Lancashire north of the sands. It is located at ( OS grid ref. SD ...

and

Piel Island Piel Island lies in Morecambe Bay , around off the southern tip of the Furness peninsula in the administrative county of Cumbria, England. It is one of the Islands of Furness, three of which sit near to Piel at the mouth of Walney Channel. Th ...

are inhabited. The majority of the islands lie within the boundary of the

Borough of Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a local government district with borough status in Cumbria, England. It is named after its main town, Barrow-in-Furness. Other settlements include Dalton-in-Furness and Askam-in-Furness. It is the smallest district in the ...

, with some 15,000 residents constituting 20% of the district's population. They are the largest group of islands between

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The main islands are: *

- Population 10,651 (Settlements include Biggar,

North Scale North Scale is a village and one of only four settlements on the Isle of Walney, Cumbria, England. It is the northernmost settlement, lying a mile north of Vickerstown. History North Scale was first identified as an agricultural settlement, ow ...

, North Walney and

Vickerstown Vickerstown is an area of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, covered by the wards of Walney North and Walney South. It is an example of a model village built for workers by a company needing to expand, having been constructed in the early 20 ...

) *

- Population 2,616 * Sheep Island - Population 0 *

- Population ~100 *

- Population ~10 *

Foulney Island Foulney Island is a low-lying grass and shingle area 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south-east of Roa Island, off the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula in Cumbria, England. Foulney Island is one of the Islands of Furness in Morecambe Bay, northe ...

- Population 0 *

Chapel Island Chapel Island is a limestone outcrop that lies in the Leven estuary of Morecambe Bay in England, less than from the shoreline at Bardsea in the area known as Ulverston Sands. It is located at ( OS grid ref. SD 321759). It is one of the Islan ...

- Population 0 As well as these, the small

islets An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

of Dova Haw, also known as ''Crab Island''The islands of Furness
BBC Cumbria. 22-05-08. Accessed 12-01-10 and Headin Haw sit in Walney Channel, whilst the old Ramsey Island is now, like Barrow Island, part of the docks system. Chapel, Piel, Foulney and Sheep Islands are tidal and can be walked to at low tide, with appropriate care. Anyone wishing to walk to Piel and Chapel Islands should seek local advice as fast tides and quicksands can be extremely dangerous.No Boat Required – Exploring Tidal Islands, Peter Caton, 2011, Troubador Publishing,

References

{{Cumbria-geo-stub

See also

References