National Trust - Beatrix Potter Gallery and Hawkshead — Attraction in Hawkshead

consider my husband and i live and work in cumbria,we know quite a lot of places and how to get to them, but this place was appallingly signed, several cars including ours passed each other on the roads several times, in fact i spoke to 2 groups who from hawkshead paid £20 in a taxi in the end to get there and after arriving a little earlier than our allocated time for the house visit we thought we would grab a bite to eat at joey's, which left us disappointed with it running out of food by 12 noon, surely the appointments dept and the cafe could combine with each other, to see how many people had booked on line to come, so that joeys could cater for everyone,tbh it was lovely inside the dark house, with some lovely pieces and the mini garden was nice, is it worth the money for those not members of the trust like we are...

Currently highlighting Beatrix Potter's floral illustrations. Worth it if you're a National Trust member, though I'm not sure if children would find it as interesting. I'd call ahead as the gallery was closed earlier this week due to staff shortage. I've been told it's hard to get in during the morning so booking is advised, however the afternoons are more accommodating for drop-ins which is what we did. There's no immediate parking so you will need to park in the village pay & display car park (£3 for up to 2hrs). You can collect a National Trust Passport stamp at the entrance if you ask.

Very limited gift stand, I'd recommend the 'Peter Rabbit and Friends' gift shop and 'Chocolate Factory' (both next to the car park) if you want to buy gifts and merchandise. No toilets, but the car park has some for 50p...

A wonderful and quaint building with a very olde world feel. It isn't a large gallery at all, but the pieces on display and the environment they're in combine to create an enjoyable experience. Apparently, the art on display is changed regularly, so what's on display when you arrive may not be on display again for another 10 years to protect the items from light damage. This means that future visits should result in being able to view different examples of Potter's art.

Although I thought the price of admission quite high for the small amount of art on display, the fact it's on display in the offices of William Heelis, Potter's eventual husband, made it a genuine experience, hence the 5 stars. I would go again, if only to observe the next rotation of Potter's paintings...