Beatrix Potter Farm & Chatsworth House

If you take a train from Keswick in an example of 7:45 am you will arrive at Chatsworth House after taking a bus just before 1 pm; taking just over 5 hrs. Keswick to Beatrix Potter's House takes 45 mins driving or 3 hrs or more by transit. Maybe there is a tour from Keswick to Potter's House. I've seen a friend's photos of Potter's house which was highly impacted by tour groups. I really enjoyed Chatsworth as one of the highlights of my trips to UK. Although Chatsworth has many visitors; it is by time regulated tickets so everyone can enjoy the wonderful house while others enjoy the extensive grounds. Look at the National Trust UK web site for the Overseas Visitor Touring Pass and the many sites with parking are covered by the Pass. I don't think Chatsworth is on the list, but many places in the near vicinity are covered. You may want a car take advantage of all the wonderful places available to view.

I've done this drive many times and it is quite easy to do in just a few hours round trip! Hilltop Farm is about 45 minutes from Keswick depending on your route, and it's a gorgeous drive. You'll head south from Keswick on the A591 and then head west at Ambleside. If you have GPS or Google maps on your phone you can easily just follow directions. I also recommend a visit to the Tower Bank Arms pub, practically next door to Hilltop - they have a great menu and it's a classic, old British pub that is beautiful! It's one of the places she illustrated in her Jemima Puddleduck book. There are tons of other places in the area that she used in her illustrations.
Just know that the Lake District is quite crowded in the summer...my recommendation would be to get up early and plan to be at Hilltop right when they open. Parking is difficult there and there is one small lot just around the corner so the earlier you can arrive, the better. You could take the bus from Keswick but it will take quite a long time to get there. Car is much better.
As far as I know, there is no car rental place in Keswick. The closest one is in Penrith. If you are taking the train to the Lakes you might be getting off the train there? Otherwise you get off at Windermere and there definitely is no place to rent a car there.
How are you arriving in the area? I spend a great deal of time around there and maybe I can help figure out the best way to get around and/or rent a car?

Wow! Thank you so much Kathleen & Anita, I appreciate the help and love the extra suggestions. That pub near Hilltop sounds delightful. I will arrive by bus to Keswick, to the town center where Rick recommends. As soon as I can I will call the Keswick tourist info center to find out if there are car rentals in the area. That drive might be best. I just hope thats a possibility.

Thank you very much!

From Windermere the Mountain Goat will take you right to the door of Hilltop.

Bear in mind that if you rent a car the lanes are >>very<< narrow hilly and winding. That's what makes them beautiful but if you aren't familiar with driving British lanes or roads the narrowness may make you have a sharp intake of breath. Then of course there will be traffic coming the other way.

I love the Lake District but I wouldn't want to learn how to drive in England there.

Parking is a real problem in much of the Lake District and certainly around popular places. Hilltop does have, as said above, just one very small car park. There is no parking allowed - double yellow lines - on the road near there.

The best solution to parking in the area is to be a National Trust member. Much of the land is National Trust and we have scattered car parks around conveniently. Parking is free at these car parks to National Trust members. Admission to National Trust properties is also included with membership, including Hilltop.

Chatsworth is not National Trust.

I've driven from Keswick to the Beatrix Potter Farm and I agree with Nigel that between Ambleside and the farm, the roads are very narrow and winding, and there is no shoulder. Plus there are hedges on each side at many points that make it even more difficult. Tour buses use this route--they are so big and the road is so small that I just stopped and froze while letting them pass. If you have never driven in England before, I would NOT do this drive. Public transportation isn't every good either, so I would look for a tour. Most originate in Windemere or Ambleside.

The transit option is to take Bus 555 from Keswick to Grasmere, transfer to the Bus 599 and continue to the Bowness Pier. (Buses run once an hour takes about 1.5 hours to get to the Pier). Take the ferry across Windermere Lake then either walk or take the shuttle bus to the farm.
https://www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/cruises-fares/bowness-to-ferry-house-cross-lakes-shuttle

Bowness To Ferry House (Cross Lakes Shuttle) Cross the lake with
ease and gain access to the western shore, Hill Top and the Lake
District National Park.

Visiting Hill Top, the former home of Beatrix Potter. Either walk
from Ferry House Jetty (2.5 miles and clearly signposted) or hop on
the waiting Mountain Goat bus service when you arrive by boat.

Regarding the Mountain Goat - don't be looking for a normal British double decker bus - or even a single decker. It is a minibus, maybe seating 15 or 20.

Thank you so much for all the information! What a great space Rick & his ever so diligent team have created here. I truly appreciate all the experience & input everyone has contributed. I think I will take the suggestion of booking a tour from Windemere or Ambleside. Is there one that you suggest? Do you think it would then be best to stay a night in Ambleside or Windermere in order to visit the farm? Rick doesn’t really offer any accommodations in these areas as he mentions it is a very touristy area. Has anyone had a nice stay in this area that they would recommend?

You can get to Windermere by train via Oxenholme. The village is an easy walk from the Windermere train station.
https://www.thetrainline.com/stations/oxenholme-lake-district

Oxenholme Lake District train station, also known simply as Oxenholme,
serves the village of Oxenholme near Kendal in Cumbria with regular
Virgin Trains services. An important junction on the West Coast Main
Line, trains from Oxenholme Lake District frequently run to London,
Glasgow, and Edinburgh, providing connections with the Windermere
Branch. London-bound trains run every two hours, direct or via
Birmingham, while trains to Scotland run every hour. Occasional
TransPennine Express services run between Manchester Airport and
Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Owing to its vital position as a connecting point between Main Line
and Windermere Branch services, Oxenholme Lake District station is
popular with cross-country travellers and tourists alike.

Sadly, the guesthouse we stayed at and enjoyed is no longer in business.

We stayed at the Burnside Hotel and Spa. They had a brochure that described the walk to the ferry, the ferry ride across the lake and the walk on the path to Hill Top. I highly recommend this walk through the fields with a stile or two to cross if you are able. Any of the hotels around this centrally located spa hotel would be within walking distance of the ferry pier and from there you’d have a memorable country hike. We did the walk back along the same route.

Any suggestions on how to get from Hilltop Farm to Bakewell, the Chatsworth House. Would this drive also be treacherous for visitors? I think it was mentioned there are no car rentals in Windermere?

Any suggestions on how to get from Hilltop Farm to Bakewell, the
Chatsworth House. Would this drive also be treacherous for visitors?

By car this would be a three-hour drive, mostly on motorways, including driving around Manchester - so basically some of the busiest roads in Britain. Difficult in a different way!

And by bus and train and bus it’s a ~5 hour trip. Use Rome2rio.com to get a rough idea of transportation, distance and time itineraries between two points.