Beatrix Potter's Lake District
A few days in the beautiful Lake's
There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you. — Beatrix Potter
Hello my friend.
A very warm welcome to my little corner of Substack today.
Just two weeks ago we spent a few days in the beautiful Lake District, staying in the lovely lakeside town of Bowness on Windermere.
Bowness is a charming, bustling little town, scattered with cafes and shops and lots to see and do.
At the heart of the town is the pier from where the Lakeland cruises depart and where you can hire a boat if you wish to explore the lake at your own pace.
Fans of Peter Rabbit can see him and his friends come to life at the Beatrix Potter World Museum.
Beatrix Potter
The Lake District owes much of its beauty to Beatrix Potter, the renowned author of the Peter Rabbit books. She bought her first property, Hill Top Farm, in 1905 from where she wrote several of her books.
Beatrix helped to save and preserve the beautiful countryside of the Lake District. She bought land and farms to protect them from developers and managed the properties herself before leaving it to the National Trust in 1943 when she died.
Comprising of over four thousand acres, fourteen working farms and sixty individual properties, the Trust described it as “the greatest ever Lakeland gift”. One such place is Cockshott Point, just south of Bowness. Beatrix helped the National Trust save the land by selling fifty of her paintings to fans of her artwork, to raise money to buy the land for all to enjoy.
The World of Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter is first and foremost known for her wonderful tales of Peter Rabbit and friends. Beatrix Potter world, situated in the heart of Bowness, is a delightful little museum where her stories are brought to life.
Included in the tour is the charming Peter Rabbit garden.
The garden brings to life the kitchen and cottage gardens you see in Beatrix Potter’s illustrations. The garden captures many details from the stories – the watering can in which Peter hides, his jacket transformed into a scarecrow and the lettuces that Benjamin nibbled on.
Claife Viewing Station
Just across the lake from Bowness is the dramatic Claife Viewing Station. You can reach this on foot via the passenger ferry a few minutes walk from Bowness.
Claife Viewing Station was built in the 1790s. The building had windows tinted with coloured glass, designed to recreate the landscape under different seasonal conditions. Yellow created a summer landscape, orange for autumn, green for spring, and blue for moonlight.
In the 1830s and 1840s Claife Viewing Station was used by wealthy visitors for parties and dances but by the end of the 19th century Claife Viewing Station had fallen into disrepair. Many years later in 2015 it was restored by the National Trust to what we see today.
Our visit to the Lake District was but a short one, but it was filled with so much joy, and it was my birthday too 😊 which made it extra special.
We are planning to visit again one day, as there is so much more that we want to explore. I highly recommend a boat trip. The lake is stunning.
If you enjoyed this you may like reading my other travel journals -
In case you missed it, I started my declutter series on 30th March. A month by month gentle process of clearing our homes and minds. I would love you to join us on this journey of discovery.
You will find the archive here - Simple Living Decluttering
The first newsletter is out now - you can read it here.
Decluttering the slow way |01
·Physical possessions are a burden. They take money to buy and time to maintain. They take up physical space in our homes and mental space in our mind. Every physical item around us competes for our attention and adds stress to our lives. Joshua Becker.
Until next time.
Debbie xx
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Thank you for sharing this delightful outing! Big Beatrix Potter fan here! Hope you had a delightful birthday!
Debbie this was the most gorgeous read! I want to retrace your footsteps!!! It all looks so beautiful. I used to love Beatrix Potter when I was younger - Mrs Tiggy-winkle was my favourite, not sure why!? I hope you had a lovely Birthday too ! 🎉