Near and Far Sawrey

Near and Far Sawrey
Near Sawrey
Beatrix Potter’s house - ‘Hill Top’
Near and Far Sawrey Location within Cumbria
OS grid reference	SD368957
Civil parish	Claife
Unitary authority	Westmorland and Furness
Ceremonial county	Cumbria
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	AMBLESIDE
Postcode district	LA22
Dialling code	015394
Police	Cumbria
Fire	Cumbria
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Westmorland and Lonsdale
List of places UK England Cumbria 54°21′11″N 2°58′19″W / 54.353°N 2.972°W / 54.353; -2.972

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,^[1] 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.