'It really is a great place to be at weekends when the weather is good'

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It's on a remote island only accessible by ferry and with just a handful of residents - but this pub still manages to create a buzzing atmosphere that draws visitors by their droves in the summer. The tiny Piel Island is in Morecambe Bay, and the pub at its heart has just been taken over by its newest landlord.

The Ship Inn is on the island just off the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula in Barrow, Cumbria. And when Aaron Sanderson became the pub's newest landlord earlier this year he also took the crown of "King" of the 50-acre island.

Taking on the ten-year-lease for the pub also meant becoming "caretaker" of the island - and it's a role Aaron is already relishing. He's now aiming to bring a blend of live music and the pub's hospitality to a wider audience by giving the historic pub a bit of a makeover, reports Lancs Live.

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The whole island is open for wild camping, from pitching a tent in the shadows of a 14th-century stone castle ruins to sleeping under the stars yards from the pub's entrance. Or you can pitch up on the edge of the beach listening to the waves ripple and lap the shore.

Blend that with live music, plenty of cold beer on tap, spirits, wines and soft drinks on offer, too, and you get the perfect recipe for a mini Glastonbury. Since becoming king in May, Aaron has already drastically improved the pub, which the live-in landlord says was a "mess" when he first moved in but he is embracing the challenge of the project in front of him.

This includes transforming the pub's three guest rooms and kitchen, which is still out of use. Therefore, anyone coming to stay will have to provide their own food besides the bar snacks on offer.

But that hasn't deterred hundreds of visitors coming over from the mainland to have a good time so far. And with no pre-booking required and camping just £5 a night, it's ideal for a last-minute adventure if the weather is good.

"It was a right mess, the people who had it before just didn't clean it," Aaron, who has taken on a 10-year lease, told LancsLive. "They were shutting at weird times and there was just no consistency."

"It can be absolutely bouncing in here on a Saturday night and we've had acoustic acts on and music playing. People will just rock up in big groups, set up their tents and bring their own food.

"The atmosphere has been amazing and it really is a great place to be at weekends when the weather is good, it was rammed last week, you wouldn't have been able to get a seat or get the chance to talk to me for a chat like now."

Inside, the pub is decked out in nautical-themed artefacts, photographs and artwork and is remarkably cool, even without air conditioning on a swelteringly hot summer's day. The remote island is most only accessed via boat, with a small weather-dependent 12-person return ferry available in peak season for £6 return, usually running from 11am to 4pm.

You'll also find ruins of a 14th-century stone castle, plenty of scope to go fishing, rocky and sandy beaches, walking tours, guided seal watching trips and 360 degree views as far as the Fylde coast.

Aaron, 33, who is from Barrow and was formerly a submarine engineer for BAE systems, welcomes regular visitors from locals to other areas in Cumbria and Lancashire's Glasson Dock. But also says it is not unusual to have day-trippers travel the 30-minute ride via jet-skis from Blackpool or on a boat from Fleetwood.

For a limited time when the tide is out, it is also possible to drive or even walk across from the island to the jetty on Roa Island.

There's around 10 residents living on the island, including Aaron. As well as the pub, there's a row of eight characteristic old fishermen's cottages, which are mainly used as second homes for sailors.

For campers and visitors, there's toilets and cold shower facilities on the island.

Many visitors take their fishing rod as there's also bags of potential for that and crabs galore waiting under rocks, too. Enjoy the rocky and sandy beaches, which are likely to be quiet and the ideal spot to relax, breath in the sea air and listen to the waves therapeutically lap on the shore.

To check ferry crossing times you can visit the dedicated Facebook page which is updated daily and for more information on camping and what the island has to offer, click here

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