3 Lake District

With its soaring peaks and serene waters, artists of all kinds have sought creative refuge in the Lake District.

Inspiration for… The Tale of Peter Rabbit Beatrix Potter “It is as nearly perfect a little place as I have ever lived in.” (Beatrix Potter’s journal)

Perhaps the best-known of Cumbria’s famous wordsmiths is Beatrix Potter. Sending her sketches to friends while on childhood holidays in the Lake District led to a lifelong love of the region. Today, you can immerse yourself in The World of Beatrix Potter, in Bowness. This vibrant visitor attraction is a veritable emporium of colourful exhibitions on the author’s life and work.

hop-skip-jump.com

For more insight into Potter’s life, a visit to Hill Top is a must. The farmhouse retreat is now owned by the National Trust – along with much of her estate – and is full of fascinating and historic relics from her life.

nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/hill-top

Where to stay Bowness-on-windermere C&CC Site

www.campingand caravanningclub.co.uk

Inspiration for… Collected Poems William Wordsworth “I wandered lonely as a cloud/ That floats on high o’er vales and hills/when all at once I saw a crowd/a host, of golden daffodils/beside the lake, beneath the trees/fluttering and dancing in the breeze”

A member of the famed Lake Poets trio, Wordsworth is synonymous with the region. The famously reclusive poet settled in Dove Cottage, in Grasmere, where he lived with his sister Dorothy and wrote some of his most famous poetry.

Today, the charming cottage welcomes visitors from across the world as a fine museum, with fellside gardens, rustic restorations and a café.

wordsworth.org.uk

Where to stay

Skelwith Fold Caravan Park

www.skelwith.com