Getting There

The Lake District is approximately 100 miles north of Manchester and 260 miles north of London. U.K. airline BMI offers nonstop service to Manchester daily from Chicago and three times weekly from Las Vegas. From London, you can opt for a shuttle flight to Manchester (British Airways offers one roughly every hour), or for the 4-hour train ride (National Rail).

Where to Stay

Built in the 19th century, Holbeck Ghyll is among the region's most celebrated country houses. While it originally served as a hunting lodge for Lord Lonsdale and then as a private home, it was converted to a hotel in 1973 and now includes a Michelin-starred restaurant, a spa and a tennis court, 23 bedrooms, and a boutique—all situated on Windermere Lake. For more privacy, rent the detached 325-square-foot Miss Potter Suite. Holbeck Lane, Windermere.

This hotel, just a mile south of Bowness Village on Windermere Lake, was originally built as a summer home for a wealthy mill owner who subsequently rented the house to friends during the holidays, including the Potter family. From 1902 to 1913, Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated several of her stories at Lindeth Howe, weaving its woods, lakes, and gardens into the illustrations of Timmy Tiptoes and Pigland Bland. Potter bought the six-acre property for her mother in 1915, where her mother lived until 1933. Lindeth Howe has been operating as a bed-and-breakfast since 1978 and was enlarged in 1999. Lindeth Drive, Longtail Hill, Windermere, 44-15394-45759.

Where to Eat

This pub, located in a 17^th-century hotel, offers food gathered and grown close by, such as Lakeland lamb, Cumberland ham hock, Troutbeck damsons, Umbrian lentils, and Flookbrough shrimp. Queens Head, Troutbeck, Windermere, 44-15394-32174.

Lucy's features a gourmet grocery with specialty items and prepared meals, as well as a restaurant and café next door. The menus change daily, and it happily offers smaller portions for younger guests. Barngates Ambleside, 44-15394-32288.

Enjoy excellent pub grub with home-brewed ales from its own Barngates Brewery. Ambleside, 44-15394-36347.

Next Page: Places to explore on the trail of Peter Rabbit