Walney Island (Piel Island and Castle) Overnight Sea Kayak Camp 2026

Walney Island (Peel Island and Castle) Overnight Sea Kayak Camp by Ella

This was the ideal first trip camping from your Sea Kayak and is suitable for aspiring paddlers.   Most should have had around 6 months of paddling experience at the docks or on sheltered water, but in the end, most of us were fairly experienced on the sea. We intended to paddle on Saturday afternoon to Piel Island on the South end of Walney Island.  There is a campsite with toilets and running water, and a pub next door (Which does serve bar meals).  On Sunday Morning, we paddled back to Jubilee Bridge, which connects Walney Island to the mainland.

Piel Castle was built in 1327 by John Cockerham, the Abbot of the neighbouring Furness Abbey. It was constructed to protect the valuable deep-water harbour from Scottish raiders and pirates, and to serve as a fortified warehouse to help the monks bypass customs and manage trade.

With boats packed for the night, 8 paddlers set off from the west shore of Walney Island. With the weather on our side and the hot temperatures from the recent heatwave lingering, we paddle down the coast towards our evening destination. Calm seas and minimal tide gave us time to chatter and enjoy the coastline. As we neared the southern end of the island, we stopped to observe a seal colony sunbathing on the beach; however, a boat from the near off shore wind farm came speeding by, creating some large waves. We all laughed as the seals were rudely awoken and swept into the sea.

After an easy 16km paddle, we reached the island. Tents were pitched  (after recently breaking my normal tent, I had dug my old tent out of the attic), cups of tea were drunk, and the evening sunshine enjoyed. We set off to explore the castle – potentially the highlight of the trip. The more adventurous paddlers chose to explore the inner quarters, which resulted in some humorous acrobatics. But soon the pub was calling to us, and we enjoyed the rest of the evening in the pub garden.

After waking up in a puddle, I discovered that overnight the rain and wind had arrived. It was a reminder that I had, in fact, retired my old tent due to its ineffective waterproofness. But with spirits high, we packed our kit back into our boats and set off homeward. We paddle up the inner Channel on the east coast of the island, keeping close to the shore to avoid the F4 crosswinds and large shipping boats in the deeper water. With some tidal assistance, we covered 7km in just over an hour, making it back to the cars in time to enjoy a nice cafe breakfast.

Ella