Croft End Cottage

The village of Sawrey is situated two miles from Hawkshead down the eastern side of Esthwaite Water, overlooked by the woods and tarns of Claife Heights. Sawrey consists of two separate hamlets - Near Sawrey and Far Sawrey - both with a cluster of picturesque cottages, tea rooms and pubs. Near Sawrey is famous for Hill Top, the 17th century farmhouse where Beatrix Potter wrote her acclaimed children's stories. Now a museum, owned and run by the National Trust, Hill Top is one of the most visited houses in the Lake District. Far Sawrey is the hamlet furthest away from Hawkshead and the nearest to the ferry point on Windermere. It offers a church and pub/restaurant with a beer garden. There are good walks in the area, including those to Claife Heights and in Grizedale Forest. It's also a great base for enjoying a wide variety of typical Lakeland pursuits - with watersports close at hand on Lake Windermere, fishing on nearby Esthwaite Water and, of course, fell walking.