Walks

We are lucky to have a variety of interesting trees, plants, birds, animals, and insects living here. The walk is about half a mile long, taking you through woodland, gardens, a wildflower meadow and even passed a waterfall. 

This trail has been produced in conjunction with Cumbria Wildlife Trust and hopes that children and grown ups alike will be able to appreciate the stunning Lakeland setting that is Mirehouse and the creatures that live here. See if you can spot the red squirrels, badgers, deer and rabbits along your way.

The walk begins along the drive from the entrance. Here are great Scots pine planted in 1786. This is Britain’s only species of native forest conifer. But the old veterans will not last forever. Look out for the young pine, hybrid larch and oak, planted to replace the ageing pine in due course.

By the 1960s the drive had become so overgrown that the flowering shrubs met to form a roof, and the pines were hidden from sight.

Slowly some order was restored and space found for new plants. The thick undergrowth is a good habitat for birds and other wildlife. You may see endangered red squirrels, woodpeckers and buzzards, but the roe deer, foxes and badgers, who live here too, are rarely seen by day. This old woodland with the Skill Beck flowing through it is also a perfect natural playground for children. Four much-loved, age-related adventure playgrounds have been developed in recent years.

Return past the House and take the turn to the left. Match makers used to dispatch likely couples down this romantic path, which, like the drive, has been opened up and replanted since the 1960s. There is a good view of Mirehouse from halfway along Lovers’ Lane.

The meadow in front of the House is a mass of wild daffodils in spring, and, because neither artificial fertiliser nor-weed killer have ever been used on it, a rare variety of wild flowers grow here until it is cut for hay in July. Ninety-five per cent of such ancient wildflower meadows have been lost since the Second World War. This meadow, of high conservation value, has 43 species of grasses, sedges and flowers.

Formerly the land between Mirehouse and the Church of St Bega was open parkland, carefully landscaped, including ‘ha-has’ or sunken fences. It was, however, enclosed to permit more intensive agriculture in 1914 as part of the ‘war effort’.

Near the church is a fine stand of sessile oaks, planted in 1812.

Some young oak trees are enclosed in individual stock-proof cages. At the Old Sawmill a separate history of the church is available, and a detour to visit it is rewarding.

St Bega is the central character of Melvyn Bragg’s epic novel Credo and much of the action takes place in this immediate area.

A mature wood on this site was felled in 1961 and replanted. This is fertile ground which will grow top-class broad-leaved trees.

There is a ‘nurse’ crop of Thuja and Norway spruce, but in time only the final crop of oak, beech and ash will remain. Note the belt of scrub purposely left on the lakeshore as a haven for wildlife. This has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Bassenthwaite Lake is a National Nature Reserve.

As can be seen from the plan, there are several routes through this wood. It is possible to loop back after reaching the lake and retrace your steps past the House or to continue further along the lakeshore, following a sign for the Old Sawmill.

The Poetry Walk, in a section of the terraced garden known as “Canada” is an ongoing commemoration of the unique literary connections that Mirehouse has had over the years. The Victorian verandah houses a changing display of poems that are connected to Mirehouse. This year we have a selection of nine beautiful poems by awarding winning poet David Scott, a friend of the family.

The walk along the terraced gardens take visitors through a rhododendron tunnel, along a mown path to enjoy stunning views down Bassenthwaite Lake and up towards Dodd. It ends up along the verandah where the roses flourish from July to October. This is favourite spot for sitting in the sunshine while children race up and down the lawn.