Folklore – Tizzie Whizie – England’s Cutest Cryptid
The Tizzie Whize. Only dangerous if it drops out of a tree onto your head.
In Cumbria, in the north of England, lies a mountainous region of national parkland known as the Lake District. It is undoubtedly a beautiful place, and many writers and poets have called it home, including children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter.
Lake Windermere is the largest lake in England, and a popular spot for tourists to visit during the summer months. It is a place shrouded in myth and legend, and home to perhaps the most child-friendly of all the British cryptids: the diminutive Tizzie Whizie.
An awful lot of legendary beasts that are said to occupy the United Kingdom should probably come with a public health warning, for they are either extremely dangerous or truly terrifying to behold – and very often both. But not the Tizzie Whizie. It is described as having the body of a hedgehog, the wings of a bumblebee, the bushy tail of a squirrel, and the antennae of a butterfly.
The story of the Tizzie Whizie began around 1900, when one evening a boatman from the town of Bowness-on-Windermere entered The Stag’s Head, ordered a drink, and proceeded to regale both locals and tourists with his amazing sighting of the animal. A small group of visitors were so captivated by the story that they offered to pay the boatman to sail them to the location where the little beastie had been spotted – and the first Tizzie Whizie hunt was born.
Then the incredible occurred: the little cryptid was captured and photographed.
One day in 1906, according to legend, the boatman’s grandson managed to capture the creature. It was taken to Louis Herbert’s photography studio opposite St Martin’s Church in Bowness, but it was in a great state of distress and had to be calmed down with ginger biscuits and warm milk. Eventually, when it had settled enough, its photograph was taken, and it was then released back into the wild.
Proof. If ever proof was needed.
That photograph was turned into a postcard, which tourists could purchase and send to friends and relatives, thus spreading news of the little bushy-tailed beast throughout the country.
More tourists came to the area, and more boatmen began offering tours to Belle Isle, the location of the majority of the sightings. These Tizzie Whizie hunts became something of a local industry, and often ended with an unlucky individual being pushed into the water.
Occasionally a tourist would complain about not being able to see the shy creature flying about the lake, and even dare to suggest that it might not exist. Fortunately, the boatmen were able to reassure them that the creatures were hard to spot because “it was a very good underwater swimmer.”
On Reddit, one user shared the following information:
“This cryptid is said to live in the Lake District’s Bowness Bay. First spotted by a fisherman on a boat back in the 1900s... many still pay locals to take them on Tizzie Whizie hunts. What a cutie... I’ve lived near Bowness for 20 years and been many times but never heard of him!”
For those who are a little nervous of boats and do not enjoy trips on the water, it has been said that the best way to see a Tizzie Whizie is late at night, staggering down the lanes around Windermere after enjoying a great many drinks in the local pub.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Although not quite as scary as my usual posts, I do think the Tizzie Whizie is deserving of our scrutiny – and I’m told the little fellow appreciates the attention.
I will finish with a special shout-out to my niece and nephew, Annie and Alfie, who I hope enjoyed this blog, which I dedicate to them.
Finally, if you enjoyed this piece, please consider picking up a copy of my new book, Threads of Shadow, currently available on Amazon. If you’re kind enough to give it a read, I’d be hugely grateful if you could leave a review – it really does help.
Link below:
Sources
Wikipedia
TheLakeDistrict.org (local tourism blog)
News and Star, Cumbrian news, 26th July 2025
