BEATRIX POTTER COUNTRY

England’s beautiful northwest has long attracted eminent poets, artists… and travellers like us! There, two daytrips reveal the Lake District’s renowned landscapes and the extraordinary life of Beatrix Potter, celebrated children’s writer-illustrator.

From our Windermere guesthouse, a gentle downhill stroll takes us to Bowness Pier. Purchasing round-trip ferry tickets, we board Muriel II. “Decades ago, fishermen founded this company to link our many lakeside communities,” intones Captain Stan. “England’s busiest waterway, Lake Windermere’s 16kms long… and designated public highway!” The little wooden foot-ferry crosses to the forested western shore, docking at Ferry House.

Minibus #525 whisks us to Near Sawrey, the sleepy hamlet where Beatrix Potter once lived. Awaiting scheduled entry into her two-story farmhouse, the kitchen garden enchants us. Amid hollyhocks, rhubarb and sprouting leeks, an easel with drawing paper stands ready for budding artists. A beehive snuggles into the niche in the slate wall. This delightful mixed “plot” exemplifies “allotments” mentioned in Potter’s books.

Stepping inside 17th century Hill Top, fresh yellow flowers brighten the dimly lit parlour. Sticks of firewood crackle in the cast iron grate. A steaming teakettle on the hob suggests Beatrix herself might pop in for a cup of tea. Considering her eclectic collection of knickknacks, framed art and needlework, a chat would be fascinating!

Docent Margaret recounts Beatrix Potter’s story. “Adjusting to her fiancé’s sudden death, Beatrix bought Hill Top using royalties from The Tales of Peter Rabbit, her debut bestseller. For 30 years, she lived in these rooms, looking now much as they did then.”

Pointing out a handsome lion doorknocker and lustrous brasses decorating the fireplace, she observes, “An ardent antique collector, Beatrix bought items that pleased her. She adored her old oak desk, but most often wrote and sketched in nooks and crannies around the property.”

Potter’s storybooks lie open to depictions of her whimsical characters with household backgrounds. One shows Tom Kitten’s family at her hearth, another the bay window. Samuel Whiskers poses at her mahogany sideboard. Jemima Puddle-duck waddles beside the garden gate. “Beatrix used her cats, resident mice and neighbourhood critters as models,” Margaret reminds us. “Country-dressed, they playfully portrayed Lake District folks and traditions.”

Upstairs, a glass case displays the original handwritten “picture” letter sent to her favourite governess’ ailing son. The illustrated story gave him an amusing account of a rabbit named Peter. Years later, Beatrix borrowed it and developed a full-length manuscript featuring more black-and-white drawings. Turned down by London’s publishers, she self-published 250 copies for friends and family. Finally, in 1902, The Tale of Peter Rabbit was commercially published, highlighted by watercolours. Reprinted six times, it was translated into 35 languages. Over the next 28 years, 22 “little white storybooks” followed.

Story-based objects fill a large cabinet opposite. Familiar Potter characters embellish games, puzzles, china dishes, wallpaper and pillows. Others appear as porcelain figurines and in colouring books. On top sits a stuffed Peter Rabbit “dolly,” the first merchandise sold.

Other rooms reflect family life. In an alcove, mini-furnishings, people and childhood curiosities fill her Victorian-style dollhouse. Brother Bertram’s enormous landscapes and a small painting by her mother hang in another.

Leaving Beatrix’ beloved home and gardens, we investigate Near Sawrey. Next door at Buckle Yeat guesthouse, a hay-stuffed, life-sized figure beckons. We commiserate with Mister McGregor on the rustic bench out front. Several Potter tales feature this bewhiskered gardener’s struggles to keep pesky rabbits out of his vegetable patch.

A map helps locate spots used in other classics. A sculptured Jemima Puddle-Duck guards the Tower Banks Arms entryway. Ginger and Pickles shop remains on the corner opposite Peter Rabbit’s red post box. It’s a short walk from Anvil Cottage in The Tale of Samuel Whiskers to the Old Post Office pictured in The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan. There, we sight Castle Cottage. At age 47, Beatrix married the local solicitor and moved to his house, just across the road from Hill Top.

Back aboard the minibus, the driver runs us into neighbouring Hawkshead. Beatrix Potter Gallery is located in a 17th century stone building. Here, her husband’s former law offices showcase Beatrix’ original artwork and personal correspondence. Our favourite letter reflects her support of a tenant farm family… by loaning them a washtub! Another describes how she initiated a district nurse service.

One write-up reports Hill Top as “only the first” of Potter’s 15 farms. By 1930, she owned more than 1,600 hectares of farmland, chosen to preserve the rural lifestyle that inspired her. Though mainly managing them, endearing photos depict her in woollen suits, clogs and straw hat, “mucking in” with her workers. As a sheep farmer, she prospered raising heritage Herdwicks, thereby saving this dying local breed. Upon her death in 1943, Beatrix bequeathed all her properties to the National Trust.

Outside, cobblestone lanes lead us past clusters of whitewashed cottages and quirky shops. Regional specialties stack the shelves inside Hawkshead Relish Company. Spicy, hand-cut vegetable Piccalilli chutney becomes a perfect souvenir. Crossing to the cozy pub at Kings Arms Hotel, battered haddock, chips and mushy peas conclude our outing.

The next morning at Bowness Pier, roundtrip “walkers” tickets on a bigger ferry take us to Wray Castle on Windermere Lake’s northwestern shore. From a stone jetty, a wooded pathway winds us to a gothic revival castle, complete with turrets and towers. Inside grand oak doors, a volunteer explains that the elaborate Victorian “country house” was built in the 1840s. Now open to the public year-round, it offers family-friendly events inside and out.

Beatrix and her family holidayed here for three months. Themed rooms reflect her summer stay. Beatrix’ Laboratory provides hands-on experiments for youngsters. Peter Rabbit’s Adventure promotes dress-up and role-play. Beatrix Potter’s Picnic evokes her 16th birthday party. Placemats introduce family members and Hardwicke Rawnsley, then vicar at Low Wray Church. A lifelong family friend, his conservationist views fired her enthusiasm for preserving Lake District lands. Rawnsley later became a founder of the National Trust, castle owner since 1929.

An upstairs room contains Beatrix’s diary. Cracking her secret code in 1958, 15 years of detailed entries disclose her fascination with art and biology. Among her discoveries in surrounding woodlands, one treasured sighting may have motivated her first mushroom watercolour. Another displays her exquisite mushroom paintings.

An eminent botanist, Beatrix’ Uncle Roscoe helped her develop a fungi expertise. He also persuaded fellow scientists at prestigious Kew Botanical Gardens to present her experimental research on spore germination. Including detailed drawings of microscopic fungi, her meticulous work was ultimately dismissed, abruptly ending her scientific pursuits.

Outside, in the castle’s old courtyard, the original kitchen is refurbished as Kitchen Court Café. Hearty soup, chicken casserole and crusty bread fuel our seven-km trek to Ferry House.

Much of the pathway passes through Beatrix’ former holdings. Native oak, hawthorns, alders and maples shade most of our way. Striding through the lofty pine forest, along Lake Windermere’s winding flowered shoreline and onto a grassy spit, we catch the last ferry back to Bowness. The Flying Pig’s mouthwatering steak and ale potpies reward today’s efforts.

During our glorious sun-drenched week, ferryboats, buses and sturdy shoes help us explore England’s wondrous Lake District. Day tripping into Beatrix Potter’s extraordinary life remains our walking holiday highlight.

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