Beatrix Potter Tours from Newcastle by Train
Beatrix Potter tours from Newcastle
You don't need a car to see the Lake District from Newcastle. From Newcastle there are rail connections west to the Lake District, by way of Carlisle or across the Pennines. Our rail tours meet you at the station and take you straight into the Lakes with a local guide.
Our Beatrix Potter tours take you to the farmhouse, the village and the landscape behind Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck and the other little books, with a local guide who knows her story well.
Beatrix Potter's Lake District
Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top, a working farm in the village of Near Sawrey, in 1905 with money from her early books, and many of the scenes in her stories can still be recognized around it. She went on to farm, to breed Herdwick sheep and to buy land to protect it, and when she died in 1943 she left more than 4,000 acres and fourteen farms to the National Trust. Our half-day tours follow that story through Hill Top, Hawkshead, where her husband William Heelis had his office, and Tarn Hows, part of the estate she bought and saved.
What you'll see
- Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's farmhouse in Near Sawrey, with entry included
- Hawkshead, the village where William Heelis had his office
- Tarn Hows, part of the Monk Coniston estate she bought in 1930
- On the afternoon tour, a cruise on Windermere from Ambleside to Bowness
Coming from Newcastle by train
Our rail tours start at Oxenholme Lake District or Windermere station. Your guide meets you outside the ticket office, and the tour brings you back to the station at the end. Each rail date shows the station and the pickup time.
Many guests make it a long day out; others spend a night or two in Windermere or Bowness and join more than one tour.
A small group or a private tour
Our shared tours are small groups of no more than seven, priced per person, for ages 7 and up. A private tour is for your group alone, at one price for up to seven guests and with no age limit, and can collect you from your hotel in the Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Coniston or Grasmere areas.
Beatrix Potter tours from other places
These tours also start from Windermere, Bowness, Ambleside and Coniston. See all our Beatrix Potter tours.
Why travel with English Lakes Tours
Since 2018 we have shown visitors from all over the world the Lake District we live in. Groups are small, the minivans are comfortable, and our guides are specialists, with Masters and PhD-level qualifications in the subjects they talk about.
Questions about these tours
How do the Beatrix Potter rail tours from Newcastle work?
You take the train from Newcastle to Oxenholme Lake District or Windermere, and your guide meets you outside the station ticket office. The tour brings you back to the station at the end. Each rail date shows the station and the pickup time.
When is Hill Top open?
Hill Top is a National Trust house. It is open until mid-December and closed through the winter, and its opening days change during the year. The dates on each tour page are the ones we can run.
Can young children come on a Beatrix Potter tour?
On our shared small-group tours the minimum age is 7. Private tours have no age limit, so they are the best choice for families with younger children. We don't provide booster seats.
What is the difference between a shared and a private tour?
A shared tour is a small group of up to seven, priced per person. A private tour is for your group alone, at one price for the whole group of one to seven, with hotel pickup in the main Lake District towns and no age limit.
How late can I book a tour?
Online booking stays open until an hour before the tour departs, as long as there are seats. Each tour page shows the dates and pickup times that are available.
Tours from
Pick the place you are staying or arriving at to see every tour that picks up there.
Ambleside8 small-group, 10 privateSee tours
Bowness9 small-group, 11 privateSee tours
Grasmere10 private toursSee tours
Ingleton1 small-group tourSee tours
Keswick5 private toursSee tours
Kirkby Lonsdale1 small-group, 1 privateSee tours
Oxenholme4 small-group, 5 privateSee tours
Penrith1 private tourSee tours
Windermere11 small-group, 11 privateSee tours