I’m just back from a two night stay in the village of Hawkshead, Cumbria. This Lake District village, famous for the poet William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter, lies to the west of Lake Windermere and just north of Esthwaite Water. You can drive to Hawkshead via Newby Bridge or Ambleside but the most interesting route is from just south of Bowness marina to Sawrey on the 18 vehicle ferry that runs every 20 minutes in the summer. There has been a ferry of some description on this route for over 500 years.
Hawkshead is well worth a visit and there are several places to stay and some good restaurants. We stayed at The Queens Head. The rooms are small but comfortable, bathrooms are modern and functional and the breakfasts are good quality and very big! I must say that the staff are excellent too. We also had an evening meal in the restaurant and the fact that the restaurant was packed is testament to its quality and popularity.
Walking around the old and narrow cobbled streets of Hawkshead is like going back into the 17th Century. The old grammar school was founded in 1585 by the Archbishop of York and attended by William Wordsworth. The school closed in 1909 but still looks like it’s still taking students.
The magnificent 17th century church of St Michael & All Angels stands at the highest point of the village and is well worth a look. Hawkshead itself is virtually traffic free and there is a large car park and it costs £3 for the first 2 hours. Their are toilets in the car park although there is a 20 pence charge.
Hawkshead is a fine example of the popularity of English tourist attractions as it’s a busy little place and there seems to be a constant bus load of foreign tourists dropping in for a look at the Beatrix Potter museum, which is great for the UK’s foreign currency earnings!
Hawkshead is probably not the best place to stop if you are wanting to climb some of the highest peaks in The Lake District. It took us well over an hour to drive from Hawkshead to Buttermere to climb Haystacks. There are some local walks from Hawkshead and the Grizedale Forest is nearby. We walked from Hawkshead to Tarn Hows, on our 2nd day, which is a pleasant circular walk of just over 5 miles. These are some of my photos that I took on our visit in July 2016.
Hawkshead cobbled lane
England’s largest lake, Lake Windermere is only a short drive away. Here you can watch the boats and go on a sight seeing cruise.
Leave a Reply