Lake District Rail Day Trip from London
London, United Kingdom
Rating: 
Trip Type: Rail Tours
Duration: 13 hours 30 minutes
Discover the Lake District’s literary heritage on this guided day trip from London, with train transport included. Enjoy a scenic drive along Lake Windermere to Waterhead. Then, visit Hawkshead village, where William Wordsworth studied. If you take your tour during winter, visit Rydal Mount and Gardens — Wordsworth’s former home for a tour and cream tea — and Bowness. Or, if you visit during summer, visit Hill Top, where Beatrix Potter once lived, and enjoy cream tea at Lindeth Howe Country Hotel. Upgrade to travel in style with a First Class rail ticket.
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Discover the Lake District’s literary heritage on this guided day trip from London, with train transport included. Enjoy a scenic drive along Lake Windermere to Waterhead. Then, visit Hawkshead village, where William Wordsworth studied. If you take your tour during winter, visit Rydal Mount and Gardens — Wordsworth’s former home for a tour and cream tea — and Bowness. Or, if you visit during summer, visit Hill Top, where Beatrix Potter once lived, and enjoy cream tea at Lindeth Howe Country Hotel. Upgrade to travel in style with a First Class rail ticket.
Make your own way to London’s Euston Station, where you’ll pick up your round-trip train ticket and itinerary from a tour host. Should you wish, upgrade to travel in First Class for an even more comfortable ride. Then, board your train and relax on the journey out of the city and into the rolling hills of Cumbria.
After around 3.5 hours, arrive in Oxenholme. Meet a local guide, and then set off on your tour of the Lake District, where literary landmarks, hilltop trails, misty mountains and glittering lakes abound.
Travel north along Lake Windermere, the largest of the Lake District’s waterways. Gaze out over the still waters and drink in views of the surrounding hills and mountains as you journey toward Waterhead, where much-loved children’s author Beatrix Potter spent many of her school holidays. If your tour takes place between April and October, enjoy a leisurely cruise on the famous Lake Windermere.
Next, visit the medieval village of Hawkshead. Enjoy free time to wander the cobbled lanes, and see the Old Grammar School where Romantic poet William Wordsworth once studied. Perhaps recharge with lunch (own expense) at one of the local eateries, and then travel to Tarn Hows, a renowned beauty spot, for sweeping mountain and lake panoramas.
Summer Itinerary
If you’ve taken your tour between April and October, continue to Hill Top, where Beatrix Potter dreamed up characters such as Tom Kitten and Jemima Puddleduck. Head inside the 17th-century farmhouse with your included ticket, and explore the rooms and garden independently. The house remains exactly as the author left it, with each room featuring details that appear in her books.
Then, continue to Lindeth Howe Country Hotel, once owned by Beatrix Potter, for a delightful cream tea before returning to Oxenholme Station for your train back to London.
Winter Itinerary
Alternatively, if you’ve taken your tour between November and March, continue through the beautiful Yewdale Valley, passing Yew Tree Tarn and Skelwith Bridge, and arrive at Rydal Mount and Gardens, where Wordsworth lived from 1813 until his death in 1850. Explore the house and grounds with your guide before savoring a traditional cream tea.
Make your final stop at Bowness, where you’ll enjoy free time to visit the award-winning World of Beatrix Potter visitor center (own expense). When the time comes, join back up with your guide and return to Oxenholme Station for your train back to London.
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