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Literary Tour of the Lake District for Groups

Literary Tour of the Lake District for Groups

Literary Tour of the Lake District for Groups

Explore the breathtaking Lake District and discover what inspired so many great authors and poets. Visit their houses, relax in their gardens and look through their manuscripts. Walk the paths and hills, enjoy a cruise across one of the lakes, shop in the quaint villages and admire the truly awe-inspiring scenery loved by Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, John Ruskin and Arthur Ransome. 

Tour Highlights

  • Visit Wordsworth Grasmere and Dove Cottage, where Wordsworth lived with his family and wrote many of his greatest poems. Moments taken from the Wordsworths’ poems, journals and letters have been recreated, telling the story of their life here. Explore the Garden-Orchard behind Dove Cottage, restored to resemble the ‘domestic slip of mountain’ that William and Dorothy lovingly created. Wordsworth described this humble fell-side garden as ‘the loveliest spot man hath ever found’. Visit the new Museum, which tells the story of Wordsworth’s creative life through handwritten manuscripts, journals, letters, published poetry and personal items. 
  • See the Grasmere churchyard where Wordsworth is buried, named after a 7th century Northumbrian King. Wordsworth had previously planted 8 yew trees in the churchyard, one of which marks his grave.
  • Pop into the famous Grasmere Gingerbread shop. 
  • Ullswater, the setting for Wordsworth’s Daffodils, believed to be the quintessential Lake District poem. Surrounded by stunning mountain scenery, it is the second largest lake in England. 
  • Rydal Mount, Wordsworth's best-loved family home, with its glorious views of Windermere, Rydal Water where he liked to picnic and the surrounding fells.
  • The picturesque village of Hawkshead, where Wordsworth went to school and where Beatrix Potter met her husband. Dotted with whitewashed houses, cobblestone streets, courtyards and squares, the village is packed with character and charm. Visit Hawkshead Grammar School Museum, remembered by Wordsworth in his autobiographical poem, The Prelude. See where he carved his name into a desk and get an insight into school life from 1585 to 1909.
  • Enjoy a cruise on majestic Lake Windermere, England's largest lake in the heart of the Lake District and admire the incredible mountain scenery, secluded bays and many wooded islands.
  • The market town of Ambleside, boasting fabulous shops, restaurants and pubs and traditional grey slate. See the popular restaurant which occupies the cellars of an old house where Wordsworth worked, as Distributor of Stamps for Westmorland. See St Mary's Church with the William Wordsworth memorial chapel and beautiful stained glass windows dedicated to him, his wife, sister, daughter and sister-in-law.
  • See the Beatrix Potter exhibition and galleries at The Armitt Museum - a museum, gallery and library full of interesting and unusual objects, telling the history and heritage of Ambleside, its people and the Lake District. The Museum offers talks for groups.
  • Allan Bank (National Trust), once home to William Wordsworth and National Trust founder Canon Rawnsley. An historic villa surrounded by romantic 19th century wooded pleasure grounds, with stunning views over Grasmere. See if you can spot a rare red squirrel!
  • Discover Hill Top (National Trust), Beatrix Potter's farmhouse retreat and the inspiration for her world-famous books. The cottage is full of her favourite things and the lovely garden is a haphazard mix of flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables. The Tale of Tom Kitten and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck were both set in and around Hill Top.
  • Visit the beautiful village of Near Sawrey, on the shores of Esthwaite Water. Potter once called the village 'as near perfect a little place as I ever lived in' and it is here where she died.
  • Keswick, where Beatrix holidayed as a child and nearby Derwentwater, which inspired The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Keswick offers a wide range of shops, restaurants and museums plus boating trips around Lake Derwentwater. See the B&B once home to Lake poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey.
  • The World of Beatrix Potter, which brings Potter’s enchanting stories to life in a magical recreation of the Lake District countryside and features favourite characters from her stories plus an award-winning Peter Rabbit Garden.
  • Keswick Museum and its Lakeland Literature collection. Find archives, documents and maps associated with Robert Southey, poet laureate.
  • Enjoy afternoon tea in a hotel once owned by Beatrix Potter and which still maintains its connections to her.
  • Wray Castle (National Trust), home of Hardwicke Rawnsley, one of the National Trust's original founders. Beatrix Potter holidayed here and he helped publish her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
  • Visit the Lake District farm where Miss Potter, starring René Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, was filmed.
  • Mirehouse & Gardens, a beautiful historic house with gardens and lakeshore. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, visited Mirehouse twice. The owner was Francis Bacon’s editor and biographer and manuscripts and books from Bacon’s time are found here. 
  • Bring to life Arthur Ransome's ever-popular Swallows and Amazons on Coniston Water. See the farm which inspired Holly Howe Farm and visit the island known in the story as Wild Cat Island. Enjoy a Swallows and Amazons cruise or  kayak/canoe ride and visit the Swallows and Amazons Cafe. Cruise around Coniston Water on the Steam Yacht Gondola (National Trust), a rebuilt Victorian steam-powered yacht first launched in 1859.
  • Follow The Story of Coniston at the Rushkin Museum, covering John Ruskin, Donald Campbell and Bluebird, Arthur Ransome, geology, slate, copper, Langdale linen and Ruskin Lace.
  • Visit Brantwood, historic home of John Ruskin, poet, artist and social reformer. See the house, garden, craft gallery and relax in the café overlooking the lake. 
  • Postman Pat fans can explore Kendal and see the post office which inspired Mrs Goggins’ Post Office in Greendale. John Cunliffe lived in Kendal for six years and much of his inspiration came from the local Cumbrian countryside. 

Picture Gallery

What Our Clients Say

I was very fortunate to be on their 70th and 75th D-Day celebration tours. The service and attention to details was exceptional. It was very moving to go back.

As a Jane Austen enthusiast, this tour was perfect - and the Jane Austen Festival in Bath was just fabulous to see!

Words fail me...The Downton Abbey was a perfectly wonderful travel experience! We did not know we would be the ONLY guests at the Abbey. When we realised how truly exclusive our tour was we were speechless! Surreal being there and actually meeting Lady Carnarvon.

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