Hill Top
Local highlightBeatrix Potter's little Lake District farmhouse, kept just as she left it — small, much loved, and best booked ahead
Open to visitorsa National Trust place — check opening times and admission before you go
Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top in 1905 with the earnings from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and it became her retreat and, in time, her home. The 17th-century farmhouse at Near Sawrey is kept just as she left it, down to her own furniture and china, so that each room looks ready for her to walk back in. She drew the house, its garden and the lanes around it into many of her tales, and part of the pleasure of a visit is spotting the corners you already know from the pictures.
The Tower Bank Arms, the pub next door, appears in The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, and it’s only a short way down to Esthwaite Water. Potter left Hill Top and much of the surrounding farmland to the National Trust when she died in 1943.
Because the house is genuinely small, entry works on timed tickets, and it’s well worth booking ahead, especially in summer and the school holidays when it gets busy; members need to book too. There’s an admission charge, the car park is small, and the low doorways and narrow stairs suit slightly older children better than pushchairs.
