Lisa Drewe has a passion for islands.

The former civil servant now devotes her time to tracking down as many as she can. So it's no surprise to learn she has also explored the Isle of Sheppey.

What she found is in a new book called Island Blagging, a guide to adventures on the islands of England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (Vertebrate Publishing, £20).

Sheppey gets its own chapter as part of her discovery of Kent. She writes it is "full of surprises, secret wild places and a strong community spirit."

The southern half is a "medley of marshland" comprising Elmley Island and the Isle of Harty with the north a mixture of industrial landscape, long beaches, a sprawling commercial port - and holiday camps.

She says: "It is loved by traditional holidaymakers and birdwatchers alike and offers plenty of adventure, escape and quirky things to do."

She highlights the Eastchurch aviation museum at Standford Hill open prison which celebrates the pioneering work of the Short Brothers and the creation of the Aero Club of Great Britain which led to the foundation of the Royal Air Force.

Blue Town's Criterion Theatre music hall gets a honourable mention along with the Island's many links to Lord Nelson and his mistress Lady Hamilton.

Lisa, who naturally lives on an island herself, the Isle of Skye with her husband Charlie and a spaniel called Goose, has also delved into Queenborough's varied history reminding readers that it remains the only English town since 1066 to be conquered by a foreign power, namely the dastardly Dutch.

The "delightful" Admiral's Arm micropub is singled out for praise along with the Edith May Thames sailing barge and the infamous wreck of the Richard Montgomery bomb ship lying off the coast of Sheerness.

The author visits the 900-year-old St Thomas the Apostle church at Harty, which still has no mains power, and calls in at Sheppey's famous "gnome factory".

"Whelans is now the largest concrete ornament manufacturer in the UK," she says. "Whatever you are looking for, from concrete frogs and lanterns to windmills, full-scale naked Romans and five-tier water fountains, you'll find it here."

Lisa, who chairs the Wale and Dolphin Conservation charity, also mentions The Lillies, Fowley Island, Flanders Mare, Horse Sands, Deadmans Island, Burntwick Island, Hoo Island and Darnet Island in her Kent perambulations.

She said: "Sheppey is a giant jigsaw puzzle of maritime history, incredible wildlife, industry and ever-changing seascapes united and bought to life by its welcoming islanders who simply love this place."

She has cycled around the Island, named one of the 10 best places to visit in 2022 by Time Out, four times.

In all, almost 300 islands are featured in her book.

For more details visit www.islandeering.com