Get your culture hit

Here are our top picks for an unbeatable cultural day out in the Lakes this autumn. Find a warm welcome inside from cracking fires, ticking clocks, engaging exhibitions and intriguing collections.

Visitors help a costumed servant making syllabubs in Wordsworth House kitchen

Make yourself at home at Wordsworth House 

Step back to the 1770s, take in a tour or a talk and get hands-on at poet William’s childhood home, Cumbria Tourism’s Small Visitor Attraction of 2019.

The original firestove at Townend

Townend 

Lose yourself in the history of a traditional Lakeland farmhouse. Visiting the house and garden when there are less people about in autumn gives you chance to soak up the spirit of Townend. Take your time wandering the rooms of the house and see the intricate detail of the fine woodcarvings, hear the clock chime and the fire crackling, or take a seat in the garden and enjoy the view.

See original Beatrix Potter artwork at the Beatrix Potter Gallery, Cumbria

Beatrix Potter Gallery  

Get up close to original Beatrix Potter illustrations in this year’s exhibition ‘Telling Tales’, before it finishes at the end of October. The works on display change each year so this is your last chance to study the detail in these miniature masterpieces, before they’re packed away again for up to ten years.

Two people reading at Allan Bank in Grasmere

Allan Bank 

A warm fire, a cup of tea and a picture window from which to admire the changing colours of autumn. Combine that with the homely welcome of Allan Bank, a natural garden full of wildlife and all the pens, pencils and paints you need and you've got somewhere to relax and create to your hearts content.

Gondola's Victorian saloon

Stay warm and cosy in Gondola's plush saloon

Relax in Gondola's warm and cosy saloons and enjoy the dramatic Coniston scenery from the inside of a unique historic yacht.