Booking fee
The booking fee includes the costs of booking your tickets such as charges for payment processing. It also covers the provision of our customer care center for processing your order, and all charges imposed by our suppliers.
* This tour requires at least one of the following per booking: Adult, Senior
You get to see:
• Wray Castle where Beatrix spent her 16th birthday and first discovered the Lake District where she was to later make her home.
• Hill Top, the house which Beatrix bought from the money she made from the publication of Peter Rabbit.
• Esthwaite Water where Beatrix fished from her boat.
• Hawkshead village
• Beatrix Potter Gallery to see the original illustrations by Beatrix, including the famous copy she made of the Peter Rabbit letter.
• Tarn Hows bought by Beatrix and regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the Lake District.
• Yewdale Valley where Beatrix owned farms and land including Yew Tree Farm used in the film Miss Potter.
• Armitt Library & Museum to see Beatrix's stunningly detailed mycology illustrations and other artefacts
See more
Relaxed and friendly small-group tour of no more than 7 guests
Comfortable minivans with air-conditioning, WiFi and charging points for most mobile devices
Regular photo / refreshment / comfort stops
Professional Guides share their expertise of all the fascinating facts and stories in English
Entry into Hill Top (Beatrix Potter's house) is included in the price
Entry into The Armitt Museum is included in the price
Departure and return to convenient, centrally located meeting points
All entrance fees for locations on the itinerary are included
Entry into The Beatrix Potter Gallery is included in the price
We do stop for lunch but the cost of the food and drink is not included
Departure Point
Traveler pickup is offered
We pickup from most hotels in the WIndermere or Keswick area
Wray Castle, Ambleside, United Kingdom Your first stop is at Wray Castle and takes you back in time to when Beatrix Potter was a teenager on holiday in 1882. The usual holiday home, rented for the summer in Scotland, was unavailable and so Beatrix persuaded her parents to take Wray Castle on the shores of Lake Windermere for the summer. It was here that Beatrix spent her 16th birthday, met Canon Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley, one of the three founding members of The National Trust, and started her lifelong love of the area. This was where it all began for her. Your guide will explain the significance of Wray Castle in Beatrix's life and the people that she met there. 20 minutes
Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's House, Hawkshead, United Kingdom After admiring the beauty of the Lakeland fells, tumbling to the lake shore across the sweeping vista of the grounds of the castle we now move on to your next destination via the steep and twisty, narrow Lakeland roads set in the charming pastoral landscape, to Beatrix Potter's home in Near Sawrey.
On arrival, your guide will take you on a walking tour of the village pointing out all of the places that Beatrix knew and used in her illustrations for the famous books. At the end of the village you will arrive at Hill Top, a 17th century farmhouse which was the home of Beatrix Potter. Your entry to Hill Top and Gardens is included in your tour. Beatrix wrote many of her famous children's stories in this little house. Characters such as Tom Kitten, Samuel Whiskers and Jemima Puddleduck were all created here, and the books contain many pictures based on the house and garden. You will have plenty of time to visit the house, gardens and gift shop before moving on to your next destination. Entry to Hill Top is included. 80 minutes
Esthwaite water trout fishery, Hawkshead, United Kingdom A scenic drive will take you past the beautiful Esthwaite Water, so admired by both William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. It was probably a combination of Moss Eccles Tarn with its water lillies, and Esthwaite Water that served as the inspiration for the home of her tale of a frog who lives in a "slippy-sloppy" house at the edge of a pond in The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher.
Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead, United Kingdom Moving on through the sublime countryside, you arrive for an early lunch in Hawkshead, "the prettiest village in the Lake District". Your guide will take you on a short guided walk around the village and then take you into the the Beatrix Potter Gallery where you will be able to see original Beatrix Potter manuscripts and illustrations. You will then have time for lunch and to explore the village at your own pace. Entry to the Beatrix Potter Gallery is included in the price of this tour. 110 minutes
Hawkshead Grammar School Museum, Hawkshead, United Kingdom The Grammar School is one place you may wish to visit during your time in Hawkshead Village. 10 minutes
Tarn Hows, Coniston, United Kingdom After lunch, a short drive up Hawkshead Hill leads us on to the next destination of your tour, the beautiful Tarn Hows. The land and farms around were part of the considerable Monk Coniston Estate which was bought by Beatrix Potter and eventually sold or bequeathed to The National Trust so that the landscape and its unique way of life would be preserved forever. Your guide will point out features of interest and explain more about the life of Beatrix Potter as a farmer and conservationist. You will have an opportunity to take a short walk to the Tarn before we drive along a steep, spectacular and narrow road, deep into the Yewdale Valley. 20 minutes
Coniston Water, Coniston, United Kingdom Yewdale, once part of the Monk Coniston estate, and bounded by steep, craggy fells, offers the visitor some stunning scenery. Our road through the valley offers us a view down on to Yew Tree Farm which was the location for the 2006 film Miss Potter. The road falls steeply downhill, so narrow that it is one way, for no other vehicle could pass without tumbling to their doom, and takes us through enchanted, shaded woodland. Emerging on to a more major road opposite Monk Coniston Hall. On the shore of Coniston Water, we stop to take in the view. From here we follow the lake shore until we are on the edge of the village before plunging back into the Yewdale Valley. 10 minutes
The Armitt: Museum, Gallery, Library, Ambleside, United Kingdom We are now on our way to your next destination but before arrive, the road takes us right past Yew Tree Farm once owned by Beatrix Potter, with its rare spinning gallery. The farms in this area, all owned by Beatrix Potter were where she, and her tenant farmers, bred her beloved Herdwick sheep. You will have a quick stop to snap some pictures.
We continue our drive back to the town of Ambleside where your guide will take you into the Armitt Library & Museum to see another aspect of Beatrix Potter's life, that of the scientific researcher and illustrator. Your entry to the Armitt Library & Museum is included in the tour. Here you will see fascinating insights into Beatrix's interest in mycology as a young woman illustrated by her stunningly detailed and beautiful illustrations which she bequeathed to the library in her will. You can also see the other museum exhibitions and browse the reference library full of rare and interesting books. This concludes the tour and so your driver will then take you to your drop-off points. 60 minutes
Bridge House, Ambleside, United Kingdom Get to see the famous Bridge House as we drive through Ambleside
Windermere, Windermere, United Kingdom This is one of our pickup points
Bowness-on-Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, United Kingdom This is one of our pickup points
Ambleside, Ambleside, United Kingdom This is one of our pickup points
Kendal, Kendal, United Kingdom This is one of our pickup points
Keswick, Keswick, United Kingdom This is one of our pickup points
Grasmere, Grasmere, United Kingdom This is one of our pickup points
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The time of pickup from Oxenholme train station is timed to meet the first train heading towards Glasgow from London Euston on Mondays to Saturdays
The English Lake District weather can change quickly, even in the summer months. Please bring a waterproof coat with a hood in case of rain or windy weather
As there is a little walking involved on the tour, some uphill and on uneven or wet terrain, please wear suitable, comfortable shoes
Children under the age of 5 can travel on this tour but we do not recommend it
Children must be accompanied by an adult
All passengers, including children of any age, must have a seat purchased for them
We will collect you from the departure point linked to your chosen option. Please do not change to a different departure point without informing us in advance as we don't automatically go to every departure point. If we don't know you have changed your departure point we may not pick you up for the tour!
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Peter_D
10 Sep 2024
Tim the Tour Guide was fantastic,
Loved Hill Top Farm
Loved the houses the Potter family hired for the summer over Beatrix’s childhood
Susan D
25 Jun 2023
Was a wonderful day. Tim was informative and helpful. He took us to so many places that were gorgeous and he was extremely knowledgeable, not on.y about BeatrixPotter but also the whole district
RA_H
01 Sep 2022
Our guide Tim was the best for this tour & I learned so much as the commentator enriched the experience for truly understanding who Beatrix Potter truly was, amazing.
This tour in
Lake District
is organized by
English Lakes Tours
We always double-check the availability with our local partners for each booking. Even though this is usually a swift process, it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process is completed you will receive your voucher or ticket by email. If our local partner is not able to confirm your booking we will offer you the best possible alternative. If the new date and/or time doesn’t fit your itinerary, we will reimburse the full amount paid.
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