Cast and crew have set sail for the big-screen adaptation of the best-selling Arthur Ransome classic Swallows and Amazons, with principal photography getting underway in the Lake District.

Marking the feature debut of acclaimed director Philippa Lowthorpe (TV’s “The Other Boleyn Girl”, “Call the Midwife”, and “Jamaica Inn”), and adapted from a screenplay by Andrea Gibb.

Swallows and Amazons follows four children dreaming of an escape from the tedium of a summer holiday with their mother. When finally given permission to camp on their own on a remote island in the middle of a vast lake, they are overjoyed. But when they get there they discover they may not be alone…As they battle for ownership of the island, they learn the skills of survival and the value of friendship, which helps prepare them for the real danger they must face from the adult world. Steeped in the wonder of a child’s imagination and set against the breath-taking backdrop of the Lake District, this is an exhilarating adaptation of a treasured classic.

The cast includes Rafe Spall as the enigmatic ‘Captain Flint’ and also features Kelly Macdonald, Gwendoline Christie, Jessica Hynes, and Harry Enfield. The Walker and Blackett children from the beloved Ransome story will be brought to life in this big screen adaptation by a crop of young breakthrough stars.

Speaking about the cast director Philippa Lowthrope said:

“Watching the young actors learn to sail so brilliantly in our Swallow and Amazon, as we prepare for the shoot, has been a great thrill. I can’t wait to bring this world of pure adventure to life.”