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Hill Top and Hawkshead
Beatrix Potter's farmhouse retreat: the inspiration for her little books.
Near Sawrey, Cumbria, LA22 0LF
Important notice
Hill Top House is now closed for the winter whilst our team carry out vital conservation work. The shop & garden are open Tuesday to Friday 10am - 3pm throughout November.
Opening times for 15 November 2024
Asset Opening time House, garden and shop Closed MTWTFSS282930311234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829301OpenPartially openClosedHill Top House & Garden
Ticket type Gift aid Standard Adult £16.50 £15.00 Child £8.30 £7.50 Family £41.30 £37.50 Family 1 adult £24.80 £22.50 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
Assistance dogs only
Assistance dogs only in the house. Dogs on leads are welcome in the garden.
Shop
Car park
Toilet
Unfortunately there is no wheelchair or step free access to the upper floor of the house. A video of the upstairs rooms are available on a tablet. Some steps into and out of the garden and uneven surfaces. Braille & large print guides are available from house entrance. Tactile tour available also. Please ask at house front door if you would like this. Ramp available for shop entrance. Ear defenders are available if you'd like to use them.
Accessible toilet
Large print (guide or menu)
House and garden guides
Braille (guide or menu)
Narrow corridors
Designated parking
Seating available
Drop-off point
Steps/uneven terrain
Induction loop
At till point
By road
Take the B5286 and B5285 from Ambleside (6 miles), or the B5285 from Coniston (7 miles).
Parking: Cars and bikes, please use our main car park. If coming by car, you must pre-book your admission ticket. The car park is small with limited capacity. Car park closed at 17.30. Not suitable for camper vans/mobile homes.
On foot
There is an off-road path from the Windermere car ferry (2 miles), marked along the route. There is also a route (mostly off-road) from Hawkshead (2 miles).
By train
The nearest train station is in Windermere, 4½ miles away via vehicle ferry. You can catch a bus from here, see below for more details.
By bus
Catch the 525 Mountain Goat Bus Service between the Windermere Ferry and Hawkshead, calling at Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top. Runs 18 March through to October £2 per fare. No need to book if travelling to Hill Top by bus. You are guaranteed entry.
By ferry
Ferry that carries cars, bicycles and foot passengers across Windermere lake from Ferry Nab in Bowness to Ferry House. The journey takes around 10 minutes, one way. The ferry can carry up to 18 cars and over 100 passengers.
Windermere Lake Cruise Boat
Windermere Lake Cruises Ferry Bowness to Ash Landing. Hill Top is 2 miles from the ferry drop. Catch the 525 Mountain Goat Bus Service to Hawkshead, stopping at Hill Top £2 per fare. No need to book if travelling to Hill Top by bus. You are guaranteed entry.
Planning your visit
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Booking your visit
HILL TOP IS NOW CLOSED FOR WINTER, THE SHOP AND GARDEN ARE OPEN TUESDAY TO FRIDAY THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER. If you are travelling here by car you will need to book in advance to guarantee a parking space. Read this article to find out everything you need to know if you are planning a visit to Hill Top,
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Visiting Hill Top with your dog
Find out which areas of Hill Top you can explore with your dog. Hill Top is a one pawprint rated place.
Highlights
House
Beatrix Potter's farmhouse retreat: the inspiration for her little books. Full of her favourite things, it was the place that inspired her stories and her love for the Lake District.
Garden
Informal flower beds planted in the English cottage-garden style, with flowers and vegetables. Look out for scenes from Beatrix Potter's little white books.
JOEY's Café (independently run)
Cosy coffee cabin in Beatrix Potter’s orchard, serving baked goods, savoury snacks, locally roasted coffee, teas and hot chocolate (from end March).
Shop
A small treasure trove of unique products. Every penny that you spend in our shop helps us to look after Hill Top for everyone, for ever.
Second Hand Book-nook
Pre-loved hardbacks, paperbacks, magazines and children's books for sale in the Ticket Office Second-Hand Book-nook. All money raised goes directly back into looking after Hill Top.
Hill Top Herdwicks*
The Dixons, who have farmed at Hill Top for thirty-five years, are this year running farm tours on selected dates, giving the rare opportunity to go ‘beyond the gate’ and catch a glimpse of the working Lakeland farm as it is today. Explore the farmyard location, hear about life on the holding and meet some of the Hill Top Herdwick flock. *externally run by our tenant farmers
Things to see and do
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Things to do in Hill Top house
See Beatrix Potter’s house as she wanted you to see it. It’s filled with her belongings and you can match up illustrations from her books with scenes there today.
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Things to do in Hill Top garden
Discover Beatrix Potter's garden, restored to how it was in her time, with the carefully tended vegetable plot and views of the pretty cottage garden from the famous path.
Shopping
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Shopping at Hill Top
The Hill Top shop has a variety of gifts inspired by Beatrix Potter and her life in the Lake District.
Places to stay
Tanner Brow
Sitting on the western shore of Lake Windermere this first floor apartment is a cosy retreat.
High Strawberry Gardens
A simple lakeside retreat for an uplugged holiday, with a jetty to launch your canoe or kayak in Windermere.
Low Strawberry Gardens
A simple lakeside retreat for an uplugged holiday, with a jetty to launch your canoe or kayak in Windermere.
Trees
A 1930s log and stone cabin high above Lake Windermere with a sun terrace and great views.
Rose Castle Cottage
A two-bedroom cottage just above Tarn Hows with heaps of character in the heart of the Lakes.
Low Wray Campsite
By Windermere, England’s largest lake, surrounded by things to do and places to visit.
The Summer House
A cosy house in the old kitchen garden of Wray Castle with views of stunning scenery all around.
Upcoming events
Event
Hawkshead Christmas fair: Ragtag scrap art
The Ragtag Roadshow & Scrap-Art Studio are coming to Hawkshead Christmas fair.
About Hill Top and Hawkshead
Enjoy the tale of Beatrix Potter by visiting Hill Top. Full of her favourite things, it was the place that inspired her stories and her love for the Lake District.
The lovely cottage garden is a haphazard mix of flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables. Make your way up the garden path to the front door and see for yourself why Beatrix loved this place. Bought in 1905 with proceeds from her first book, the Tale of Peter Rabbit, she used Hill Top itself and the surrounding countryside as inspiration for many of her subsequent books.
Advanced booking is required to guarantee entry to the House & Garden. Tickets go on sale each Thursday and you can book two weeks in advance. See 'What's On' to book online. Please contact 0344 2491895 for booking queries.
History
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Beatrix Potter
Discover how Beatrix Potter’s Victorian upbringing and fascination with animals culminated in a successful career as an author and illustrator and a passion for conservation.
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The stories behind the works of Beatrix Potter
Explore the stories behind the illustrations, sketches and letters of this legendary author, preserved by the National Trust at her former home in the Lake District.
Support us
Volunteer with us
Search for live volunteering opportunities, or register your interest with Hill Top.