*TICKETS FOR THIS ATTRACTION TO BE BOOKED SEPERATELY* Once the home of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. This 17th-century house in Near Sawrey, Hawkshead was where her many children’s books were brought to life. It’s traditional stone walls and slate roof are typical of the area and became a Grade II listed building. Beatrix left the house and much of her other buildings and land to the National Trust in her will. Hill Top now serves as an insight into her life in the Lake District.

Beatrix Potter Gallery is closed for renovations. This attraction is currently replaced with a visit to the Armitt Library and Gallery, Ambleside. Beatrix Potter was one of the most iconic and influential figures of the Lake District and an early member of The Armitt. She was a major benefactor, and on her death in 1943, she bequeathed to us her exquisite botanical drawings and watercolors, together with her personal first edition copies of her ‘little’ books. This archive together with material from the National Trust Archive, the Frederic Warne Archive, and the Beatrix Potter Society, provides a wealth of information on Beatrix.

A beauty spot that must not be missed, yet is not entirely typical of the local landscape, for the tarn is partly artificial, being three tarns joined together in the 19th Century and most of the trees surrounding it are conifers. The attraction is its sheer beauty, surrounded by thick woodland, and views towards Wetherlam, the Helvellyn range and the Langdale Pikes.

The castle was the first place Beatrix Potter stayed in the Lake District, when she was just sixteen. It was here she discovered the Lakes countryside and preserving it for future generations became a lifelong passion. This is not a real castle, but a private house built in 1840 in the style of the Gothic Revival. Now owned by the National Trust its impressive stature uncovers the hidden mysteries of the landscaped grounds and the picturesque tradition which the Lake District is so famous for.