Parking
Start at the National Trust Hill Top car park in Near Sawrey, then walk into the village to the signed route by Anvil Cottage. Parking is limited.
Overview
About Beatrix Potter's Moss Eccles Tarn Walk
A 2.5-mile loop from Hill Top in Near Sawrey up to Moss Eccles Tarn and back through Far Sawrey. The published time is around 50 minutes, but most walkers should allow 1 to 1.5 hours, since the ground is rough in places and the tarn invites a long pause.
Why go
- Quiet tarn with water lilies and strong Beatrix Potter context
- A manageable loop with a satisfying destination and village scenery
Heads up
- Limited parking at the starting access
- Short steep sections and muddy, wet footing after rain
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation86–171 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to Beatrix Potter's Moss Eccles Tarn Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Hill Top and Moss Eccles Tarn0:00 / 1:16
“Up ahead is Hill Top in Near Sawrey, Beatrix Potter's farmhouse and a chance to step into the settings of her books. She bought it in 1905 with money earned from The Tale of Peter Rabbit.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Esthwaite Water: Ospreys and a Lakeside Pause
- Claife Viewing Station: Colour and Shore
- Hawkshead: Wordsworth’s Schoolboy Carving
- Hawkshead: Village Lanes and Meadow Walk
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Beatrix Potter's Moss Eccles Tarn Walk
Sequence and payoffFrom the village you turn by Anvil Cottage, pass the cottages on Stoney Lane and climb steadily…
From the village you turn by Anvil Cottage, pass the cottages on Stoney Lane and climb steadily on lane and stony bridleway through a gate signed for Claife Heights and Moss Eccles Tarn. The tarn itself is the turning point: a small, quiet sheet of water fringed by trees. From there you retrace a short way to a fork, bear toward Far Sawrey and Cuckoo Brow Lane, then loop back on lanes and field paths, crossing Wilfin Beck before reaching Near Sawrey again.
SceneryThe climb opens up views back toward Esthwaite Water and the Coniston fells.
The climb opens up views back toward Esthwaite Water and the Coniston fells. In summer, water lilies sit on the tarn's surface and trout move in the shallows. This is farmed, walled, wooded Lakeland rather than open high fell, and the reward is stillness rather than a summit panorama.
Footing and difficultyEasy overall, with several short steep sections.
Easy overall, with several short steep sections. Surfaces are farm tracks, a stony bridleway, quiet lanes and rough paths, and the route can be muddy after wet weather. The bridleway can carry running water after rain, so boots or sturdy shoes are worth wearing year round.
Beatrix Potter contextMoss Eccles Tarn was one of Beatrix Potter's favourite places.
Moss Eccles Tarn was one of Beatrix Potter's favourite places. She painted and sketched here, and her husband William Heelis fished the water. Starting at Hill Top ties the walk directly to the landscape behind her books.
Practical notesDogs are welcome on a lead only, because livestock graze this route all year.
- Dogs are welcome on a lead only, because livestock graze this route all year.
- No permit is needed, and parking at Hill Top is limited, so arriving early helps.
- There are no facilities at the tarn; carry your own water and snacks.
- Swimming is not part of this walk. Treat the tarn as a place to sit and look.
If you want something differentThis loop deliberately stops short of the longer Claife Heights and Windermere west-shore…
This loop deliberately stops short of the longer Claife Heights and Windermere west-shore extensions, which are rougher and need more navigation. For a gentler, more developed lakeside circuit nearby, the Tarn Hows circular walk is an easy alternative.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
