Looe Island (also known as St. George's Island) is an idyllic 22 acre island which lies one mile off the south-east Cornish coast, near the seaside town of Looe. The highest point of the grassy island is 150 feet above sea level. The island is a natural haven for sea birds and also woodland birds, because, unlike most other small islands, it is partially wooded. Looe Island boats great views of the nearby coastline.
The island is open to visitors and local boatmen often take passenger boats across. Visitors are free to explore the island. However, once a year the tide usually lowers enough for Looe Island to be reached on foot, over rocky reefs and sandy causeways. But expert help and knowlegde is needed to make the journey by the quickest and safest route, and the tide can rush in very quickly.
Looe Island is currently owned by Mrs. Babs Atkins. She and her sister Evelyn had a dream of owning their own island, and in 1965 they realised that dream by buying the island and living on it full time. Miss Evelyn Atkins wrote two books about the purchase of the island and life on the island before she passed away in 1997 at the age of 87. Her sister Babs has continued to live on the island, and recently announced that after her death the island will be handed over to Cornwall's Wildlife Trust which will manage it as a Nature Reserve.
Once a haunt to smugglers and pirates, the island's known and recorded history includes a Benedictine chapel built in 1139, of which some stones are still visible. Local folklore and legend says that Joseph of Arimethea landed on the island with the child Christ. Looe Island is open in the summer, and visitors must pay a landing fee to get a passage to the island by boat. There is also a craft centre which doubles up as a shop and visitor centre.
We should all be thankful to Mrs. Atkins for the consolidating the future of this wildlife haven.
