Swallowdale
Encyclopedia
Swallowdale is the second book in the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome
. It was published in 1931. In this book, camping in the hills and moorland
country around Ransome's Lake in the North features much more prominently and there is less sailing. A significant new character, Maria Turner, the Blacketts' Great Aunt, is introduced.
Ransome was living in the Lake District
and he drew on his experiences and memories of encounters over many years with the local farming community. Ransome had often climbed Old Man of Coniston
and in the book, this becomes the children's Kanchenjunga
. Expeditions to Kanchenjunga in the Himalaya had been much in the news while Ransome was writing the book.
Despite this, the Blacketts escape the Great Aunt whenever possible and they arrange a rendezvous. On the way there, the Swallow hits a rock and sinks. All are saved and the boat refloated but she needs repairing and so camping on the island is impossible. Fortunately there is an alternative, camping in a beautiful hidden valley, Swallowdale, (found by Titty and Roger) up on the moor
s above the lake.
The Swallows camp there and are exposed to much more of lakeland life: meeting the local farmers, seeing a hound trail, and trekking across the moors. The Amazons are only able to escape at intervals and get into trouble when they are late getting home. Eventually the Great Aunt leaves and they undertake an expedition to climb Kanchenjunga. On their way back the two younger children decide to walk back across the moors to the camp in Swallowdale while the others bring the Amazons' camping gear by boat. When a fog
descends, both parties get lost but the elders arrive safely after it lifts. The younger two are still missing. Roger sprains his ankle on the moors and spends the night with the old charcoal
burner. Titty gets a ride back to the camp with the woodsmen and next day the injured Roger is carried back to the camp.
The Swallow is finally repaired and the book ends with a race and a feast followed by a return to Wild Cat Island.
Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome was an English author and journalist, best known for writing the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. These tell of school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. Many of the books involve sailing; other common subjects...
. It was published in 1931. In this book, camping in the hills and moorland
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
country around Ransome's Lake in the North features much more prominently and there is less sailing. A significant new character, Maria Turner, the Blacketts' Great Aunt, is introduced.
Ransome was living in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
and he drew on his experiences and memories of encounters over many years with the local farming community. Ransome had often climbed Old Man of Coniston
Old Man of Coniston
The Old Man of Coniston is a fell in the Furness Fells in the English Lake District. It is high, and lies to the west of the village of Coniston and the lake of the same name, Coniston Water. The fell is sometimes known by the alternate name of Coniston Old Man, or simply The Old Man...
and in the book, this becomes the children's Kanchenjunga
Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain of the world with an elevation of and located along the India-Nepal border in the Himalayas.Kangchenjunga is also the name of the section of the Himalayas and means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over...
. Expeditions to Kanchenjunga in the Himalaya had been much in the news while Ransome was writing the book.
Plot summary
Returning to Wild Cat Island for their second summer holiday by the Lake, the Swallows find the Amazons and Captain Flint mysteriously suffering from "native trouble". It transpires that Great Aunt Maria has come to stay and she is a stickler for good behaviour and treating the Amazon pirates as young ladies who have to be home for meals.Despite this, the Blacketts escape the Great Aunt whenever possible and they arrange a rendezvous. On the way there, the Swallow hits a rock and sinks. All are saved and the boat refloated but she needs repairing and so camping on the island is impossible. Fortunately there is an alternative, camping in a beautiful hidden valley, Swallowdale, (found by Titty and Roger) up on the moor
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
s above the lake.
The Swallows camp there and are exposed to much more of lakeland life: meeting the local farmers, seeing a hound trail, and trekking across the moors. The Amazons are only able to escape at intervals and get into trouble when they are late getting home. Eventually the Great Aunt leaves and they undertake an expedition to climb Kanchenjunga. On their way back the two younger children decide to walk back across the moors to the camp in Swallowdale while the others bring the Amazons' camping gear by boat. When a fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
descends, both parties get lost but the elders arrive safely after it lifts. The younger two are still missing. Roger sprains his ankle on the moors and spends the night with the old charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
burner. Titty gets a ride back to the camp with the woodsmen and next day the injured Roger is carried back to the camp.
The Swallow is finally repaired and the book ends with a race and a feast followed by a return to Wild Cat Island.