Moss Eccles Tarn

Moss Eccles Tarn is a tarn on Claife Heights, near Near Sawrey in the Lake District, Cumbria. It is currently owned by the National Trust and known as an attractive tarn for fishing and walking. It is known for its association with Beatrix Potter – she owned the tarn and donated it to the National Trust after her death, and it served as inspiration for some of her stories.

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Claife

Claife is a civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness Unitary Authority of Cumbria, England. It is situated west of Windermere, and east of Esthwaite Water and the village of Hawkshead. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 392, reducing to 298 at the 2011 census. Settlements in the parish include two villages, Near and Far Sawrey in the south; and the hamlets of High Wray, Low Wray, Colthouse and Loanthwaite in the north. In the central area of the parish is Claife Heights, a hilly area which rises to 800 feet (240 m) above sea level at Latterbarrow and contains several tarns. There is one major road in the parish, the B5285 connecting Hawkshead to the Windermere Ferry terminus at Far Sawrey. At Low Wray is Wray Castle, a 19th-century house and grounds now owned by the National Trust. Many of the woodlands in the parish, including the area alongside Windermere are part of the National Trust's Hawkshead and Claife property.

Near and Far Sawrey

Near Sawrey and Far Sawrey are two neighbouring villages in the Furness area of Cumbria, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, both are located in the Lake District between the village of Hawkshead and the lake of Windermere. The two lie on the B5285, which runs from Hawkshead to the west bank of the Windermere Ferry, a car ferry across Windermere 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) to the east of the villages. The two are famous for their association with Beatrix Potter. She lived at Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey, first arriving at age 30 in 1896. A number of sites in the villages were used in her books such as The Tale of Tom Kitten, The Fairy Caravan, The Pie and the Patty Pan and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. The villages date from at least the 14th century, when Near Sawrey was known as 'Sourer', becoming 'Narr Sawrey' by the 17th century (suggesting that Far Sawrey must have been in existence by that time). Near Sawrey contains a pub, while Far Sawrey has the parish church, a hotel and pub. The village shop ceased to function as a post office around 2003 and ceased to be a shop around 2010. There are waymarked paths between the ferry and Beatrix Potter's house, which mostly allows people to avoid walking on the public roads.

Claife Heights

Claife Heights is an upland area in the Lake District, near to Windermere in Cumbria, England. It has a topographic prominence of 177 metres (581 ft) so is classified as a Marilyn (a hill with prominence of at least 150m). It is the subject of a chapter of Wainwright's book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland. He describes a clockwise circuit starting at Far Sawrey and passing Moss Eccles Tarn. He says "Claife Heights is delightful. It was more so before forestry curtailed walking and restricted the views." and describes it as "No definite summit. Highest parts about 900ft."

Hill Top, Cumbria

Hill Top is a 17th-century house in Near Sawrey near Hawkshead, in the English county of Cumbria. It is an example of Lakeland vernacular architecture with random stone walls and slate roof. The house was once the home of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter who left it to the National Trust. It is a Grade II* listed building. It is open to the public as a writer's house museum, shown as Beatrix Potter herself would have known it. The Hill Top garden is of interest, being maintained in a style in keeping with Potter's illustrations.