Enid Blyton’s Famous Five have returned to Purbeck for the first time in more than 60 years, through adventure trails launched at Studland Bay and Corfe Castle.
The trails, created in partnership with Blyton Books and the National Trust, are based on a new series of books by children’s author Chris Smith, inspired by the classic Famous Five stories.
The new Famous Five – well, four plus George from the original books – are back on Kirrin Island for the first time since 1963
Long standing links with adventures
A third trail will launch on Brownsea Island in autumn 2026 following the publication of the third book in the series, Five and the Forest of Secrets, in July.
The new attractions celebrate Purbeck’s long standing connection with the Famous Five stories, as Enid Blyton used many local landmarks as inspiration for the adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog, written between 1942 and 1963.
At Studland Bay’s Knoll Beach, families can join a free activity trail based on Five and the Smugglers Code, running daily until Sunday 31st May 2026, with nine activity stations through dunes and woodland, featuring map reading, puzzle solving and even pirate yoga among the challenges.
At Corfe Castle, visitors can take part in the Five and the Forgotten Treasure quest, which runs everyday through the summer until Sunday 6th September 2026.
Activities among the historic ruins which inspired Enid Blyton to write her adventure stories include guiding a ball through a maze, unlocking padlocks, stepping inside a mock burial chamber and hunting for hidden maps around the castle grounds.
Author Chris Smith started writing the new adventures of the Famous Five after visiting Corfe Castle
“Finding your heart and soul in Purbeck”
Author Chris Smith, who will take part in the Swanage Literary Festival later this year, said:
“Purbeck is Kirrin, and Enid Blyton imagined Corfe Castle on an island in the middle of the sea, which became Kirrin Island, but the whole of Purbeck is steeped in Blyton folklore.
“You cannot read the Famous Five without finding your heart and soul in beautiful Purbeck.
“I was one of those people who grew up reading the Famous Five adventures, I had my dad’s old paperbacks and there were TV programmes in the late 1970s which I remember vividly.
“The Famous Five were always part of my DNA and when I grew up and started writing kids’ books, that was the one story that I always wanted to tell.
“I thought really hard about how to involve more modern kids in the world of the Famous Five, more up to date but at the same time, a gateway back to those original books as well.”
Corfe Castle and Swanage Railway helped inspire the first of the new books
“All down to Swanage Railway”
Chris added:
“The first place I came to when I was lucky enough to get the contract to write the new books was Purbeck, I rented a little place near Corfe Castle and sat there plotting out the first story, Five and the Forgotten Treasure.
“The first chapter which came into my mind was all down to Swanage Railway, a picture of some kids on a steam train pulling in at Kirrin station.
“Then we would discover that one of them gets a digital camera out and you suddenly think, it’s not the 1940s any more, it’s more modern.
“I imagined three kids on the train and they became Maddie, Fran and Tom and Gilbert the dog, who become members of the new Famous Five.
“They are on their way to visit a mysterious old professor in Kirrin who turns out to be George from the original stories, now grown up and a grumpy professor just like her dad, Uncle Quintin.”
There are interactive puzzles to be solved at Corfe Castle all summer long
Purbeck sites that inspired Blyton’s books
- Corfe Castle, which heavily inspired the famous Kirrin Castle in Five on a Treasure Island and other titles
- Stoborough Heath provided the basis for Mystery Moor in the 1954 book Five Go to Mystery Moor
- Kimmeridge Bay and Clavell Tower, the inspiration for the children’s picnics and rockpool adventures in Five Fall into Adventure
- Blue Pool, described in the book Five Go Off In A Caravan as ‘an enormous blue lake that lay glittering in the August sunshine’
- Isle of Purbeck Golf Club, which Enid Blyton and her husband owned, and the area is prominently featured in Five Have a Mystery to Solve
- Brownsea Island’s nature reserve is considered the inspiration for Kirrin Island and features as Whispering Island in Five Have a Mystery to Solve.
- Swanage and its steam railway are widely recognised as the real world transit hubs that the children used to explore the area
The Old Pine near Knoll Beach is where Studland’s Famous Five adventure begins
“I had an amazing blast”
Chris Smith said:
“You will still see Enid Blyton’s name on the wall of the Isle of Purbeck Golf Club at Studland, as a former captain of the ladies’ golf team. She was absolutely in love with this area, and it shows in her stories.
“There is something about the Famous Five which really speaks to us – the adventure, the friendship, outdoor living, kids being able to go off on their bikes or a boat without grownups and having a wonderful time.
“I have gone into lots of schools and what is fantastic is that children still love the Famous Five books, they are great outdoor adventure stories that still work.
“I have had an amazing blast writing new Famous Five adventures and hopefully a new generation of kids will discover the joy of the original books as a result.”
Exciting trails for family treasure hunters inspired by the world of the Famous Five
Further information
Details about the Famous Five trails are on the National Trust website
