Another 'please help my identify' thread - children in the lake district, hard boiled eggs and a turret room?!

[spicemonster]

I read loads of these books but I think I must have got them out of the library because no on in my family knows what I'm talking about. I've asked people over the years and they don't either so I'm hoping the Power of MN can help me out!

I read them in the mid 70s but got the impression they were written in the 30s/40s/50s? There were 3 or 4 kids, they went to the Lake District on their holidays and were pretty much left to their own devices and used to go off walking and stay overnight on the mountain (in tents/bivvys?). I remember that the youngest child always was in charge of making the hard boiled eggs because she used to forget about them and so they were great because they were properly hard boiled. Think the kids were quite posh and went to boarding school. Seem to remember a housekeeper. And possibly a turret room but that's very vague.

Any ideas? Ta

the only thing I can think of that comes close is swallows and amazons, but not sure its close enough, sorry, will think harder for you!

A very obvious suggestion is Swallows and Amazons, but I guess you'll have thought of that.

Enid Blyton has a great deal about hard boiled eggs (inc. the efficiency of catering thereby), and ham, and jam. But her books don't tend to be exact about location - so unlikely to specify Lake District. Although poshness and independence fit, of course.

No, it's definitely not S&A - have reread to check!

Is it the Mountain/Lake/Island/etc of Adventure series by Enid Blyton? I remember a parrot, Julie Anne (muddles with Julian), about 4 children?

Could be twistle. Don't remember the parrot but that's not to say there wasn't one. This has been bugging me for about 20 years!

How about this series

It's either

Famous Five
Secret Seven
or
What Twistle said - Mountain/Lake/Island of Adventure

I remember reading it, but can't remember which one it is as I read all the Enid Blyton series.

The turret sounds a bit like Lorna Hill www.ggbp.co.uk/Titles/inPrint/border-peel.html

I do remember the series you are talking about, but cannot for the life of me remember who wrote them or even the titles. Will watch with interest.

I am sure this is a series of books by Marjorie Lloyd - I have 'Fell Farm Holiday' and 'Fell Farm Christmas' but other titles include 'Fell Trek' and 'Fell Farm Campers'.
Here is the blurb from a Puffin edition of 'Fell Farm Holiday' which was first published in 1951:
'This is one of those jolly holiday stories which almost make you feel you've been there. There were five of the Brownes, two pairs of twins and young Sally, the odd man out. They nearly always spent their long holidays in the Lake District and on this occasion went without their parents. They always stayed at the same farm, high up in the hills, where they knew every animal on the place and the country round. They made a 'hide' and spent days bird watching. They did some hard climbing, camped out in the hills, and had a first-rate mixture of fun and adventure.' The twins are Katharine and Patrick, Jan and Hyacinth. They are at boarding school and there are lots of references to food...Dundee cake, porridge covered with thick cream, buttered toast and marmalade, crisply fried ham and eggs, jugs of rich creamy milk etc etc.
Ah, I've just found the boiled eggs...'Hyacinth was given the eggs to attend to, a couple for each of us. That is usually her job, because, if she goes off into a daydream and forgets all about them they are all the more successfully hard-boiled.' Glad to answer your query!

provinciallady I love you! That's definitely it - it's got to be with the hard-boiled eggs

Thank you so much and everyone for your ideas.

I really am delighted

Well done provincial lady. I remember reading those as well!

I saw the thread title - and I was so hoping I would be the first to identify the Fell Farm books - but I was beaten to it!

Do you remember Fell Farm Christmas where they went carol singing and got a parcel from India? I can remember being amazed that children could have Christmas without their parents!

I'm glad you found your book!

But also thanks for the reminder about The Secret Island, I will get it for DD - I loved it and had forgotten. She has read loads of other EB (currently on 'S7 and The Trail' iirc) but not these.

I don't think I read that one seeker but it sounds great! It looks like they're out of print but I'm really tempted to get a few. That's really sad isn't it? I can't imagine my DS is going to be very interested but you never know I guess. I'm planning on taking him walking when he's a bit older - perhaps he'll want me to go away so he can camp out overnight

MarmadukeScarlet - I also used to love The Secret Island. I read it and read it until it fell to bits.

But if you do get it for your DD be careful to make sure you get the original.

I came unstuck a few years ago when I decided my DD would love it. I was surprised to find it was out of print but then I came across something on Amazon that was described as "a novelized transcript" of the TV series. I hadn't even known that it had been made in to a TV series but decided to try that version anyway.

It was complete and unmitigate sh*te. I mean I cannot begin to describe how badly and misguidedly this story had been modernized and adapted. It was clear that whoever had re-written it had absolutley no idea whatsoever why this story worked in the first place. I could go on but I won't...

Anyway, I eventually found a second hand copy of the original story and I am glad to say that dd DID loves it and read it over and over.

Was the Secret Island the one with all the puffins, where they hid from the villains with puffins on their heads?

Littlefish - wasn't that story one of the [ ] of Adventure series - Mountain/Island/Valley/Castle of Adventure etc - with Jack, Philip, Dinah and the other one (Lucy?) and Kiki the parrot? I loved those.

Oh yes, Onlyaphase, it could have been.

I think I need to get onto Amazon and see if any of them are still available. I spent my (dysfunctional) childhood lost in those fabulous adventures.

Sea of Adventure I think, the one with the puffins. Read it last year

I still have a very old, very battered, loose-paged copy of 'The Secret Island' that I read every now and then when I need an escape. I love it when they bring the cow over!

This thread has made me feel sad.

I devoured Enid Blyton as a child and my mum passed on all my 1970s books to a cousin. I don't think my aunt has them any more.

smug I can empathise - my mother gave away all my toys and books that were in her loft and my old bedroom when I was in my late teens/early 20's.

I can remember going to my SIL house and seeing all my old marbles that I had lovingly collected (some were very unusual coloured glass etc so I knew they were mine immediately) half buired in a muddy patch in their garden. I had been looking forward to handing them on to any children I had.