The most beautiful corner of England – the "Lake District"！Stroll through Beatrix Potter’s former home with Peter Rabbit

Text and photos by /Kuaile Yun

The Lake District National Park in England is located in Cumbria in the northwest of the country, along the northwest coastline and close to the Irish Sea, stretching from the northern part of the Cartmel Peninsula in the north to the northern tip of the Furness Peninsula in the south. It is the largest of the 11 national parks in England and Wales, covering an area of approximately 885 square miles.

The park is home to England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike, and its largest lake, Lake Windermere. It is also a prime example of harmony between humans and nature in the UK.

It offers some of the best hiking and climbing routes. Visitors can explore the main attractions of the Lake District by bus, boat, bicycle, or on foot, with magnificent peaks and diverse lakescapes unfolding at every turn.

It has been named one of the “50 Places of a Lifetime” by National Geographic Magazine, boasting some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK, where sparkling lakes complement dotted sailboats.

When it comes to descriptions of the Lake District, perhaps no one has captured it as aptly as the British Romantic poet William Wordsworth, who lived here for much of his life.

He said: “I know not how to give the reader a more faithful idea of the charm of this scene, than by saying that I never saw so beautiful a combination of forms and colours, in so small a compass, and under such varying lights.”

The Lake District is not only the home of poets but also the birthplace of Peter Rabbit, a beloved children’s book character familiar to both children and adults.

This little rabbit, created in 1902 by the famous British author and illustrator Helen Beatrix Potter (1866–1943), has remained popular worldwide for over a century and is adored by countless people.

In the stories, Peter often disobeys his mother and tries to sneak into Mr. McGregor’s garden to steal carrots.

This leads to a series of troubles, but fortunately, he always manages to come out unscathed in the end.

Miss Potter tells Peter’s story in a calm tone, without any forced moral lessons or excessive sentimentality—just the wit, subtlety, and humor that are hallmarks of British literature.

Helen Beatrix Potter was born into a noble British family and received a fine art education from a young age. During her childhood family travels, when she first visited the Lake District,

she fell deeply in love with the lakes, mountains, and tranquil rural life. Later, these natural beauties became her most important sources of inspiration for healing emotional wounds and for her future creative work.

When Miss Potter first moved to the Lake District, the Industrial Revolution was rapidly advancing across Britain, and large-scale deforestation was taking place nationwide.

Many landowners sold their properties to corporations for short-term gains. As the wave of industrialization threatened to reach the Lake District, Miss Potter used the royalties from her illustrated books to purchase a large amount of land and farms in the area at high prices.

She preserved them as they were. Before her death at the age of 77, she donated all 16 of her farms and nearly 4,000 acres of land (including lakes) to the National Trust, which is why the Lake District National Park looks as it does today.

Perhaps the film about Miss Potter rekindled her own imagination of the Lake District and her longing to visit the land that had inspired so much of her creative energy and courage to protect the environment. Who would have thought that this vast expanse of natural beauty was preserved thanks to a playful and mischievous little Peter Rabbit?

In 1902, the then-newly established publisher Norman Warne collaborated with Miss Potter, who was publishing her first book, to bring the small watercolor picture book The Tale of Peter Rabbit to life. The layout and typeface she designed herself are still in use today.

Three years later, Norman proposed to Miss Potter. For the first time in her 39 years, she fell in love. However, Norman passed away from leukemia just one month after their engagement, leaving behind endless regret.

In 1905, Miss Potter moved from London to the Lake District, a place she had loved since childhood. With the royalties from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, she bought Hill Top Farm and settled there. The lake views, drifting clouds, and distant mountains seemed to slow down time.

She began planting vegetables, growing flowers, and feeding horses in the dilapidated old farm... The sunlight, rain, and fresh air of the Lake District healed her grief over losing her loved one, and she eventually resumed her creative work.

At The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction (Peter Rabbit Museum), interactive exhibits and vivid video presentations,

along with lifelike animal sculptures, will help you quickly get to know Peter Rabbit and his friends. A visit here will also give you a clear understanding of the life of author Miss Potter.

Stepping into this whimsical and dreamlike place, you might almost see her sketching the characters while observing their playful antics firsthand.

If you’re a fan of Peter Rabbit or a follower of Miss Potter’s books, you’ll surely find it hard to leave this enchanting world brought to life straight from the pages of the books.

Hill Top Farm in Hawkshead, Lake District, is Miss Potter’s former home. It might not even be considered a town—its location is somewhat remote—but it is exceptionally quiet and poetic in its beauty.

Generally, unless you want to see Miss Potter’s home and the little cottage where Peter Rabbit was born, many people might not make a special trip here.

The weather was nice that day. I took a bus through the Lake District toward Ambleside, then transferred to go to Hill Top Farm. The lakeside route was especially beautiful on a sunny day, and the open-air upper deck of the bus offered direct exposure to the Lake District’s sunshine, breeze, and the forest’s phytoncides.

It was calming and comforting. Especially the final stretch of the small bus ride to the former residence was particularly enchanting. Unfortunately, I couldn’t capture the beauty with my camera,

but I imprinted that path, those woods, the stone walls, and the brick cottage deep in my memory. I finally began to understand why this natural scenery had such a strong healing effect on Miss Potter.

Indeed, the natural beauty here leaves an unforgettable impression on all who visit. No wonder she unhesitatingly invested her savings in this beautiful land, giving future generations the chance to see one of the most beautiful corners of England.

After purchasing tickets to Hill Top, I strolled around the small garden in front of the house for a while before entering for the tour at the scheduled time marked on the ticket. This 17th-century cottage has been open to the public since 1946. The two-story space displays furniture, paintings, books, embroidery, and more that the owner once used.

The hanging utensils on the walls show signs of past use. The sound of footsteps on the carpeted wooden floors fills the air with an elegant scholarly atmosphere. In Miss Potter’s room, her embroidery frame is still on display. Every item in the house seems cherished as if its owner had never left.

Although photography and touching items are not allowed inside the house, stepping in feels as though Miss Potter is still vividly telling stories about her and those animals.

Looking out the bedroom window on the second floor, you might almost see that mischievous Peter Rabbit sneaking into Mr. McGregor’s garden again, ready to embark on another adventure.

I believe that when you have the chance to spend a few days in the Lake District, walking along the lakeshore, you’ll discover

that the creative details and intricate illustrations in The Tale of Peter Rabbit are indeed things you can spot in real life.

This journey seems to reaffirm what creativity is and how great works are born.

I think the answer definitely lies in keen observation and boundless imagination. I believe Miss Potter grasped this during her first childhood holiday in the Lake District, which destined her to have an inseparable bond with this place for life.

P.S. This was previously written for ELLE Magazine—a beautiful portrayal of the English Lake District, now shared with you again.

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