Hawkshead
A car-free old village of whitewashed stone cottages where a young William Wordsworth went to school, and home to the Beatrix Potter Gallery.
Hawkshead is one of the best-preserved old villages in the Lake District, with narrow lanes lined by white stone cottages. Cars are not allowed in the village centre. Visitors can see Hawkshead Grammar School, where Wordsworth studied from 1779 to 1787 and which is now a small museum. They can also visit the Beatrix Potter Gallery, run by the National Trust, which displays her original works. The gallery was once her husband's law office and is generally open from about March to October. The village has many tearooms and pubs, and it is a base for visiting Tarn Hows, Hill Top Farm and Grizedale Forest. There is a paid car park on the edge of the village.
Opening hours
Open all day; gallery approx. Mar–Oct 10:30–16:30
Nearby sights
- Hill Top
- Tarn Hows
- Grizedale Forest
- Wray Castle
- Brantwood
- Coniston Water & Steam Yacht Gondola
- Windermere
- Ambleside