The World Of Beatrix Potter, Windermere

In the Lake District there are many things to see and do, from hiking up the many mountains and hills to cruising along the many Lakes, so it’s easy to understand why so many tourist visit there every single day.
But you mention the Lake District to some people, especially the Japanese, and the first name that they say to you is Beatrix Potter.

''And for those who have never heard of Beatrix Potter, here is a brief introduction…''

Beatrix was born in London is 1866 and became one of the best known writers of children’s books in her generation, and possibly beyond.
She created such characters as Peter Rabbit, Benjamin bunny and many other, depicting the creatures lives in illustrated short stories.
As a child she spent many holidays in the Lake District and her love for the place began, so when she become a published author she decided to buy property and land in her beloved Lakes, with her most famous purchase being Hilltop in Near Sawrey where she spent many years writing abut her favourite characters as she imagined them running around the grounds of Hilltop. As her love for the beautiful land around her grew, and her books became more and more popular, she then proceeded to buy more of the Lake District open land to stop developers from 'ruining the countryside'.

When she died in 1943 she bequeathed her land and properties to the National Trust in order so that the land that she loved would be preserved for future generation to enjoy for years to come.
And to this day her legacy, and her books, remain as popular as they have ever been, which has led to many tourist attractions bearing her name, such as Hill Top where she lived, Tarn Hows which she loved and many other places.

One such place is in fact an attraction which is dedicated to her and her life’s work, including her many many books. This attraction is called The World of Beatrix Potter, (good name or what?) and is in the bustling little town of Bowness-on-Windermere.

THE ATTRACTION ITSELF…

This attraction, as it can’t really be classed as a museum, opened in 1991 and has grown more and more popular ever since, giving the many many fans of Beatrix Potter a chance to see her and her creations.
As I said this attraction is in Bowness-on-Winderemere, a mile from Windermere and a few miles outside of Ambleside.
Getting into the attraction can be a little tricky as on one side, Rayrigg road, there are steps, quite a few of them, whilst the other side, from Crag Brow, there is a pretty steep slope.

It is open on a daily basis, in the summer from 10am until 5:30pm, although during the winter season it closes at 4:30pm.
The cost of getting into the shopping area and restaurant itself is free, but do take money with you as you’ll no doubt want to buy something and it’s not that cheap.
But the cost of getting into the actual Beatrix Potter World exhibition is £6.75 for an adult, £3.50 for a child or £18.00 for a family, senior citizens can get in for £5.75.

NOTE:
There is what is called a ‘freedom pass’ which is £30.00, but for this a family consisting of two adult and two children have unlimited access to the World, plus discount in the shop and restaurant.

Disabled people are quite well catered for as they can park in the little area directly outside the doors at the bottom of the steep slope, (but do phone up before hand to book a slot in the car park there), and, with the doors being very wide, access by wheel chair is easy. Most of the things are on one level apart from the toilets and the café, but there is a rather funky looking lift giving access to them so there’s no problem.

Apart from the Exhibition there is a good size café/ restaurant as you walk in through the Rayrigg road entrance, selling hot and cold food and drink, all tasting very nice indeed.

GETTING THERE…

For me this is easiest by car, although in busy periods actually finding a parking spot in the many car parks is almost like finding a needle in twenty haystacks.
It is just off the A592 heading towards Ambleside, about a mile from Windermere itself.
There are many bus services running passed, including those to and from Kendle, Grasmere and Windermere itself.
The nearest train station is about a couple of miles away in Windermere, (remember Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere are about a mile or so apart).
Or there’s even a boat service from Ambleside which drops you at the lake side in Bowness.

But where ever you come form, and however you get there, it is well sign posted and easy to find.

MY OPINION...

My kids like anything to do with Beatrix Potter, and to be honest I find her to have been quite a remarkable lady indeed in the way she helped save the green and pleasant Lake District from becoming a concrete jungle of office blocks and housing estate, so we really had to see what lay in store for us in the World of Beatrix Potter.

We walked into the main doors, straight to the reception desk where we were met by two very polite members of staff who took our money and informed us of where to go.
Then we took our seats just around the corner, directly opposite the shop entrance, ready and waiting for the doors to open to let us into the World of Beatrix Potter.
When we opened the doors we walked into a darkened room that was set up like a little cinema, which was initially a little disappointing as I thought that the tour would simply be a video of the woman herself instead of the attraction I was expecting.

But we sat and watched the video anyway, listening as the movie went through the list of Mrs Potters books and her life in general.
Then, after the movie finished, some doors opened, letting us into the World of Beatrix Potter itself, which we headed into with anticipation. This gentle walk was almost surreal as we wandered passed the many figures and attractions, such as exhibits of the many characters that came from Beatrix Potters very imagination. Many if these exhibits are life size and some are quite scary, even the one of Mrs Potter herself in her tweed jacket and lovely hat, the expressions on the faces of my kids in the photos standing next to the lady are priceless.
There is an outdoor section called Peter Rabbits garden, which is quite new, so I believe, taking you into a garden where Peter Rabbit may just have wondered around, together with a look at Hill Top house.
Then we were back inside once again, being introduced to more of her characters in many different ways, all as entertaining as each other.
The models themselves are very well made and quite realistic, in a cartoon sort of way, remember, many of her characters are animals.
I did like was that you can take pictures as you walk around the exhibition itself and you can take your time to wonder around, taking in and reading the many information panels scattered around.

When we came out of the exhibition we found ourselves directly in the middle of the souvenir shop, this is where you need deep pockets as there is just so much here, with everything presented on shelves and racks in an easy to view manner, and you will no doubt be tempted to buy one or more of the fantastic gifts on sale.

After we’d seen the exhibition, and spent a small fortune in the gift shop, we sat in the café area and had a drink and a bite to eat. This was a very nice and quite calming time, even though it was very busy indeed, as we chatted over what we had just seen.
The drinks and food were quite expensive, although I’ve been to places that charge more, but for something you don’t do every day it was well worth it.

In all, a rather pleasant way to spend a couple of hours of your day enjoying taking a look into the life of the head strong lady that is Beatrix Potter.
So, if you are a Beatrix Potter fan, and there are millions out there, then you'll be overwhelmed by the facts and exhibitions in this place, it is well worth the visit.

NOTE:

Whilst you’re either waiting to go into the exhibition, or simply wondering out of the gift shop, then take a look at the fantastic detailed clock (directly in front of you when you walk passed the booking desk) and the remarkable detail which is put into every little model, from the cheese eating mouse to the scurrying rabbit.