Beatrix Potter Day Trip from York by Train
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Beatrix Potter Tours from York by Train

 

Beatrix Potter tours from York

You don't need a car to see the Lake District from York. York and the Lake District make a natural pair on a trip to the north of England, and there are rail connections from York across to Oxenholme Lake District. 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

Coming from York 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 York work?

You take the train from York 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.

Should I choose the morning or the afternoon Beatrix Potter tour?

Both visit Hill Top, Hawkshead and Tarn Hows with a local guide. The afternoon tour ends with a cruise on Windermere from Ambleside to Bowness, so choose it if you would like to see the lake from the water as well.

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.

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.

Can you take a group larger than seven?

Yes, on request. We can take groups of up to 13 on a private tour using two vehicles. Contact us with your dates.