Scheduled Half Day Tours
Includes entry fees to major stops
up to about 4 hours
max. 7 guests
age 7+
Includes entry fees to major stops
up to about 4 hours
max. 7 guests
age 7+
Private Tours
Includes entry fees to major stops
up to about 4 hours
max. 7 guests
any age
Includes entry fees to major stops
up to about 4 hours
max. 7 guests
any age
Guided Beatrix Potter tours from Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside
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
Where the tours start
Find the Beatrix Potter tours that start near you: Windermere, Bowness, Ambleside and Coniston.
Coming by train? Our rail tours start from London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford, York and Newcastle.
A small group or a private tour
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, with no age limit, and can collect you from your hotel in the Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Coniston or Grasmere areas.
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
Is entry to Hill Top included on your Beatrix Potter tours?
Yes. Entry to Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's farmhouse in Near Sawrey, is included in the price, along with everything else on the itinerary. Lunch is not included on any of our tours.
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.
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.
Do you pick up from hotels?
Hotel pickup is offered on private tours, in the Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Coniston, Grasmere and Keswick areas on most of them. Shared tours start from our pickup points.