Tarn Hows Tours

One of the most-popular tourist attractions in the Lake District, “the Tarns,” as the locals call it, is a picturesque area visited by over half a million tourists per year since the 1970s. Rightfully so: not only is this an area of outstanding beauty, but it’s also yet another gem bequeathed to the National Trust by Lake District aficionado Beatrix Potter.
A tarn is a mountain lake that was formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier, which is later filled with rain or river water. Despite being an icon of the Lake District, Tarn Hows is not typical of the region in terms of landscapes; surrounded by thick conifer woodlands, the actual tarn is partly artificial, having been created by James Garth Marshall in the 1850s. It consists of three distinct tarns, which merged in the 19th century.
Located in the low-level valley nestled between the villages of Coniston and Hawkshead, Tarn Hows is now just more than half a mile long (just under 1 km) and 820 feet (250 meters) wide, and contains five islands. It is fed at its northern end by numerous valleys and basin mires and drained by several waterfalls that cascade down the Glen Mary Bridge.
Hikers and trekkers will enjoy the accessible 1.5-mile (2.4-km) path that circles the tarn, while fauna enthusiasts will appreciate the heavy presence of Galloway cattle and Herdwick sheep.
Practical Info
Tarns Hows is just under two hours from both Liverpool and Manchester (via M6, A591 and B5286) and 2.5 hours from Newcastle (via A69, M6, A66 and A591). Car parking is free for National Trust members but costs a small fee to nonmembers. The Tarns are open all day, every day of the year, free of charge.
Address: Boon Crag, Coniston, England
21 Tours and Activities to Experience Tarn Hows
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Winter 4-Day Lake District Discovery Tour
Home to beautiful Lake Windermere, the Lake District National Park is considered among Cumbria’s top natural attractions—but booking accommodation and transportation to reach the remote sites of interest independently is time-consuming. On this tour, explore Windermere and surrounds by luxury minivan with 4-star hotel accommodation included. Visit the pretty towns of Buttermere, Grasmere, and Keswick, and enjoy a relaxing lake cruise—with round-trip transport from Windermere or Bowness-on-Windermere.
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From
$472.48
From
$472.48

Stunning Lake District 4 Hour Tours!
Skip the fixed itineraries of group tours and discover the Lake District sights you truly want to see without having to plan your own transport. With this private tour, choose the lakes, waterfalls, and places you wish to visit from the available range; and then soak up the scenery and sites as you wish, all as your own personal guide furnishes you with stories and detail you could miss otherwise.
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From
$399.08
per group
From
$399.08
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff

Beatrix Potter: Full Day All-Inclusive Tour with an Expert Guide
On this in-depth, full-day tour, you’ll follow in the footsteps of Beatrix Potter. Go behind the scenes to get a comprehensive overview of the acclaimed writer, illustrator, and scientist, best known for her “Peter Rabbit” series. Tours include stops where the author lived and worked, plus admission tickets to the Beatrix Potter Gallery and Armitt Museum.
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From
$166.76
From
$166.76

Beatrix Potter: Morning Half Day All-Inclusive Tour with an Expert Guide
Discover another side of the beautiful Lake District, and follow in the footsteps of Beatrix Potter, on this immersive, half-day tour. Meet your guide at your local accommodation, and venture first to Wray Castle, a former vacation home where Potter spent time as a teenager. Continue to her home at Hill Top, see the villages she used to frequent, and learn more about her life and works. As you go, you’ll also get to admire the Lake District’s wealth of scenery.
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From
$101.44
From
$101.44
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas

6 hour Private tour of the Lake District.
Grasmere and Hawkshead are certainly two of the most traditional, historical and adorable villages in the Lake District. On this tour you will visit both of these villages along with Tarn Hows and Blea Tarn, two of Lakeland's most popular and charming Tarns.
Picture perfect villages, unspoilt valleys, tarns, lakes and many more hidden gems are all a part of this 6 hour tour.
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From
$416.90
per group
From
$416.90
per group
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Guides required to regularly wash hands

Beatrix Potter: Afternoon Half Day All-Inclusive Tour with an Expert Guide
Without a rental car, rounding up the Lake District spots beloved by Beatrix Potter in a half-day is near-impossible. Ideal for time-crunched visitors, this small-group tour from Windermere, Bowness, and Ambleside visits many such places in a few hours. Explore Beatrix’s Hill Top home, see Esthwaite Lake where she fished, visit Hawkshead, and learn detail about her life and characters via the onboard commentary that you might never otherwise hear.
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From
$108.39
From
$108.39

Beatrix Potter's Half Day Lake District Tour Including Lake Cruise
Visit the Beatrix Potter house and some of the Lake District’s prettiest locations on an afternoon tour from Windermere. After a scenic Lake Windermere cruise, travel through idyllic countryside to Hill Top, the Beatrix Potter home where the beloved children’s author lived during the early 1900s. See the garden and rooms left as she would have known them and learn about her life here. Finish with a visit to the quaint village of Hawkshead, where poet William Wordsworth attended school; and Tarn Hows, one of Lakeland’s most gorgeous spots. Please note Hill Top is an additional £11.80 per adult and £5.90 per child. This must be booked with Mountain Goat at least 24 hours before the tour departs
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From
$72.26
From
$72.26

5 Day Best of the Lake District Experience Tour
Explore the rugged Lake District on this 5-day experience from Windermere, including hotel or guesthouse accommodation and two full-day tours & one half day tour. Enjoy a Ten Lakes Spectacular trip with a lake cruise and visits to pretty Buttermere, Grasmere and Keswick; plus a High Mountain Passes tour over epic Hardknott Pass to see Muncaster Castle and ride the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway. You will also enjoy a half day Beatrix Potter's Favourite Countryside Tour visiting Hawkshead, Tarn Hows and Hill Top Farm. As well as breakfasts, your tour includes a fantastic overview of the Lake District plus round-trip hotel transfers in Windermere and Bowness.
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From
$729.57
From
$729.57

3 Day Beatrix Potter Experience Tour including lake cruise
Explore the Lake District of Beatrix Potter without having to organize transport on this 2-night tour. Spend both nights at the 4-star Lindeth Howe hotel—once owned by the beloved writer—and enjoy time to explore independently punctuated by a half-day tour of Beatrix-linked locations, including her former home, Hill Top Farm; Hawkshead, and Tarn Hows. Breakfasts, dinners, a cream tea, and return transfers from Windermere railway station are included.
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From
$535.02
From
$535.02
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travelers

Heart of the Lakes
This is the ideal experience for nature lovers. Take the stress out of navigating and focus solely on the stunning views, by having transport provided. You’ll travel between dispersed sites and see a lot of The Lake District’s beautiful landscapes in a short space of time. Highlights include Blea Tarn, Langdale Pikes, Coniston, Tarn Hows, Hawkshead, and Great and Little Langdale.
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From
$38.91
From
$38.91

Private Tour: Coniston and The Langdale Valley - Morning Half Day Tour
• Tarn Hows surrounded by mountains with birdsong in the trees, regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the Lake District.
• Coniston Water with spectacular views of the lake and Coniston Old Man.
• Brantwood, the famous house once owned by John Ruskin with spectacular views over Coniston Water to the Old Man.
• Coniston village, a bustling Lake District gem nestling between the tranquil lake and the looming fells.
• Great Langdale the spectacular U-shaped valley surrounded by breathtaking scenery.
• Little Langdale the secluded valley with Neolithic, Viking, Medieval and smuggling connections.
…More
From
$382.15
per group
From
$382.15
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff

Beatrix Potter Private 5 hour tour
Enjoy a day with one of the Lake District's most famous and beloved characters, Beatrix Potter.
This memorable tour will allow you to walk in the footsteps of Beatrix Potter, and see the places that inspired her children's books and work.
On this tour you will get to see the beauty spots and delightful landscape that Beatrix Potter once treasured.
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From
$361.31
per group
From
$361.31
per group
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Guides required to regularly wash hands

Private Tour: Beatrix Potter Afternoon Half Day All-Inclusive Tour with Expert
On this tour you will get to see:
• Wray Castle where Beatrix spent her 16th birthday and first discovered the Lake District.
• Near Sawrey village which Beatrix visited often, used as inspiration for her illustrations and where she happily settled and married.
• Hill Top, the house which Beatrix bought from the money she made from the publication of Peter Rabbit.
• Esthwaite Water where Beatrix fished from her boat.
• Hawkshead village
• Tarn Hows bought by Beatrix and regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the Lake District.
• Coniston Water with spectacular views of the lake and Coniston Old Man
• Yewdale Valley where Beatrix owned farms and land including Yew Tree Farm used in the film Miss Potter.
…More
From
$451.64
per group
From
$451.64
per group

Private Hire - Beatrix Potter's Favourite Countryside
Our Beatrix Potter's Favourite Countryside Private Tour is the perfect tour for small groups of families or friends who wish to have a more intimate experience whilst travelling the Lake District. Our 6 seater Mercedes Viano is a luxury, comfortable minibus which will allow you to explore the Lakes in style.
This half day tour introduces you to the incredible landscapes and cultures which shaped Beatrix Potter's incredible stories. Travel through valleys and forests and visit the beauty spots which inspired her work which is beloved the world over.
You will take a lake cruise, where you can marvel at the beauty of the Lake District from the tranquil waters themselves. If the cruise is cancelled an alternative extra will be included in the tour.
…More
From
$479.43
per group
From
$479.43
per group

Private Tour: Beatrix Potter: Morning Half Day All-Inclusive Tour with an Expert
On this tour you get to see:
• Wray Castle where Beatrix spent her 16th birthday and first discovered the Lake District where she was to later make her home.
• Near Sawrey village which Beatrix visited often, used as inspiration for her illustrations and where she happily settled and married.
• Hill Top, the house which Beatrix bought from the money she made from the publication of Peter Rabbit.
• Esthwaite Water where Beatrix fished from her boat.
• Hawkshead village
• Tarn Hows bought by Beatrix and regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the Lake District.
• Coniston Water with spectacular views of the lake and Coniston Old Man
• Yewdale Valley where Beatrix owned farms and land including Yew Tree Farm used in the film Miss Potter.
…More
From
$451.64
per group
From
$451.64
per group

Stunning Scenic Tour: All inclusive, Half Day, Private Lake District Tour for 8
Experience our longest and busiest expanse of water, Lake Windermere, the Victorian way, through the picture windows of Claife Viewing Station. Before taking in our well preserved and spectacular panoramic scenery across rugged mountain ranges, unspoilt valleys, large forests, picturesque waterways and traditional Lakeland villages.
The Tour Includes:
• Half day private tour
• Local expert driver / guide
• Snack and Hot Drink
…More
From
$350.19
per group
From
$350.19
per group

Stunning Scenic Tour: All inclusive, Half Day, Private Lake District Tour for 4
Experience our longest and busiest expanse of water, Lake Windermere, the Victorian way, through the picture windows of Claife Viewing Station. Before taking in our well preserved and spectacular panoramic scenery across rugged mountain ranges, unspoilt valleys, large forests, picturesque waterways and traditional Lakeland villages.
The Tour Includes:
• Half day private tour
• Local expert driver / guide
• Snack and Hot Drink
…More
From
$258.48
per group
From
$258.48
per group

Stunning Scenic Tour: Half Day, Private Lake District Tour for 8
Experience our longest and busiest expanse of water, Lake Windermere, the Victorian way, through the picture windows of Claife Viewing Station. Before taking in our well preserved and spectacular panoramic scenery across rugged mountain ranges, unspoilt valleys, large forests, picturesque waterways and traditional Lakeland villages.
The Tour Includes:
• Half day private tour
• Local expert driver / guide
…More
From
$222.34
per group
From
$222.34
per group

Stunning Scenic Tour: Half Day, Private Lake District Tour for 4
Experience our longest and busiest expanse of water, Lake Windermere, the Victorian way, through the picture windows of Claife Viewing Station. Before taking in our well preserved and spectacular panoramic scenery across rugged mountain ranges, unspoilt valleys, large forests, picturesque waterways and traditional Lakeland villages.
The Tour Includes:
• Half day private tour
• Local expert driver / guide
…More
From
$194.55
per group
From
$194.55
per group

Half Day Best of the Lake District
This half day tour gives you a fantastic overview of the Lake District in a short amount of time. It’s an ideal way to see amazing landscape associated with this stunning National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As you start your Lake District tour, you will visit the medieval village of Hawkshead, famous for its connection with Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth.
You will see incredible scenery as you venture into the heart of the Lake District from Hawkshead, with plenty of photo stops along the way. Visit the Langdale Valley and Blea Tarn, a beautiful body of water.
…More
From
$58.37
From
$58.37
Face masks provided for travelers
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience

Private Tour: Beatrix Potter Tour in 16 Seater Minibus
Our Beatrix Potter's Favourite Countryside Private Tour is the perfect tour for small groups of families or friends who wish to have a more intimate experience whilst travelling the Lake District. Our 16 seater Mercedes Sprinter is a luxury, comfortable minibus which will allow you to explore the Lakes in style.
This half day tour introduces you to the incredible landscapes and cultures which shaped Beatrix Potter's incredible stories. Travel through valleys and forests and visit the beauty spots which inspired her work which is beloved the world over.
Attractions such as lake cruise and entry into Hill Top is not included, but can be arranged on the day, if available.
…More
From
$625.34
per group
From
$625.34
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travelers
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