A gorgeous horse ride through the heart of the English Beatrix Potter Countryside
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Day 1 - Sunday afternoon – Meet your Ride Leaders and Mounts
Join us for a magical 6 day ride in the heart of the English Lake District.
Tea and biscuits and route information including maps are issued on arrival. You will also receive information sheets about the places of interest that you will visit and the accommodation you will stay in. Then we will have an assessment ride in our indoor school for selection of the right horses for rider ability and character, followed by a short hack. Then we will take you to your accommodation at the White Hart Inn in the picturesque village of Bouth.
Day 2 Monday Morning. – Bigland to Beatrix Potters Hill Top Home
Near Sawrey, Hawkshead
This night’s accommodation is in the famous Tower Bank Arms public house featured in many of the Beatrix Potter’s films and books.
The route goes through Haybridge deer Nature Reserve into Grizedale Forest to the Eagles Head Inn for lunch which is in the heart of Grizedale Forest.
After lunch we return to the forest trails over to Graythwaite Estates and into Near Sawry. We should be at Sawry early enough to be able to visit ‘Hill Top’ the home of Beatrix Potter, which is now owned by the National Trust and open to the public.
Day 3 – Tuesday Sawrey to Yew Tree Farm Yew dale –
(Previously owned by Beatrix Potter)
Starting out from Tower Bank Arms over Claiffe Heights dropping down to Hawkshead.
At Hawkshead we will have a leisurely lunch with time to look around and view many of the shops, the school that William Wordsworth attended and the Beatrix Potter Museum.
After lunch out of the Town Square up Vicarage Lane and ancient byway trod by both Beatrix Potter and Wordsworth into Grizedale Forest, the famous forest in the middle of the Lake District National Park.
Grizedale Forest is a haven for woodland wildlife and is home to the last naturally afforested herd of Red Deer in England. These can be seen roaming across the forest, especially around dawn and dusk. Then we will make our way to ‘Tarn Howes’ a famous beauty spot donated to the National Trust by Beatrix Potter.
From there dropping down into Yew dale valley to stay at Yew tree Farm for the night where you can sit in Beatrix Potters chair and have a gourmet meal in this luxury accommodation.
Day 4 – Wednesday Yewdale to Grasmere
Following the ancient track behind the farm up into Tibblethwaite Valley where can see the ancient Spinning Gallery where our own Mike Myers was born and raised. The farm nearby was Beatrix Potters favorite farm where she spent many hours caring for her Herdwick sheep and Black Poll Cattle.
We travel over the fell into Little Langdale and through the Brathay river and over into Great Langdale for lunch at the Britania Inn at Elterwater.
After a hearty lunch we ride over the fell to drop down into Grasmere village.
Day 5 – Thursday Grasmere to Troutbeck Bridge Windermere
The morning will be spent visiting Dove Cottage (the home of Wordsworth) and the Wordsworth museum.
Lunch will be taken at the ‘Grasmere Garden Village’ in their ‘Potting Shed Café’
After lunch we ride out over the old ‘Coffin Route’ to Rydal Mount (Wordsworths later home) and along to Ambleside over skelghyll-woods via Jenkins Crag a very famous viewpoint and onto Troutbeck Bridge to stay overnight at the Sun Hotel
Day 6 –Friday Troutbeck Bridge home to Bigland via Bowness Beatrix Potter experience.
Early morning start at 9a.m. to visit ‘World of Beatrix Potter’ in Bowness
This trip is optional if you wish you stay in your hotel for a lie in and rest weary bones and we will return to pick you up for the ride at 11 a.m.
Once on horseback we will ride through Windermere into the Winster Valley onto the ‘Masons Arms’ for lunch a famous pub renowned for the specialty beers and food.
Then the final run home through ‘Simpson Ground Plantations’ to Bigland for a well earned rest and final cup of tea and biscuits a chance to exchange stories with the new friends we are sure you will have made.
If Accommodation for this night is needed then this can be arranged.
If you have a non-riding partner they may be able to be included in the lunch stops, accommodation and visits. Other activities for them can be arranged by us, just give us a ring to arrange their needs.
£1200 all inclusive including meals and accommodation (drinks not included)
