Mirehouse Keswick
Mirehouse Keswick is a lovely family walk with woodland play areas and stunning views of mountains and lakes. If you’re really lucky, you might even get to see red squirrels too. Will you visit on your next trip to the Lakes? Find loads more walks near Bassenthwaite here.
Where is Mirehouse Keswick?
Mirehouse and gardens is just 10 minutes by car from Keswick. You need to park in the pay-on-exit Dodd wood car park. This is a forestry England site with some fantastic walks too. Mirehouse is across the road from the woods and the gardens and grounds cover an area right down to the shores of Bassenthwaite lake.
When are Mirehouse and gardens open?
Mirehouse is open from April to the end of October. Please check the website before travelling. The house is only open Wednesday and Thursday afternoons (also Sundays in August) 1.30pm till 4.30pm, with last entries at 4pm, until the 31st of October.
Find full details here – Welcome to Mirehouse & Gardens by Bassenthwaite Lake
Admission to Mirehouse and gardens
Access to the grounds of Mirehouse is via ticket only. There is no need to book. You need to purchase tickets in the Old sawmill tearoom on the day. You can purchase tickets just for the gardens or the gardens and historic house.
Old sawmill tea room
This tea room is well worth a visit to enjoy excellent Cumbrian cooking and homemade cakes as well as hot and cold drinks.
Woodland adventure playgrounds
The woodland playgrounds are one of the reasons we visited. There are four distinct play areas for children of different areas. The first is the forest castle which is a wooden fort in the woods.
Then there are two different assault course trails for children of different ages. For older children (12-16 years approximately) there is the forest hazards course which has the added challenge of not falling in the beck and getting soaked!
Younger visitors will enjoy steeplechase which is an easier assault course with hurdles to jump, beams to balance on and drainage ditches to jump across.
Finally, there is the more traditional play area with a swing, tire swing, mini wooden house and horse and cart to sit on. Children will need close supervision as a fast-flowing stream circle around this area.
It’s worth noting that there are streams in all play areas and the ground can be muddy in places.
Mirehouse gardens
After the woodland play areas you will enter the tranquil walled garden. There’s plenty of planting to see and we were lucky to see lots of birds too including a woodpecker.
There is also a really fun little heather maze which my girls enjoyed for a few minutes.
Mirehouse
Mirehouse was built by the Earl of Derby in 1666. It’s now a family home with the ground floor open to the public on certain days. You can see the hall with live piano music, dining room, school room, Victorian nursery and several more rooms too.
Children are welcome in the house. There is an owl hunt for the younger ones, a history quiz for the slightly older and many things for them to find and do. The house was closed on the day of our visit so we only explored the gardens and lakeside walks.
Walks at Mirehouse and gardens
Mirehouse offers walks with views of the dramatic Lakeland landscape including a lakeside walk. This walk is about 1.5 miles to 2 miles long and isn’t ideal for prams as there are parts through a field with no clear path which I imagine can get muddy too. You could still enjoy the play areas and gardens with a pram.
You will be given a map with your tickets at the cafe. You can ask for a detailed accessibility map if this will help you. As I mentioned there are many paths that are accessible and the specific map will show you which parts of the lakeside walk and catstocks woodlands are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.
The gardens behind the house include a poetry walk with poems from various poets on the walls of the back of the house for you to read.
There is also a Rhododendron tunnel to enjoy in this area too. My kids loved running through this woodland tunnel. I imagine it’s stunning when it is in bloom.
Top tips for visiting Mirehouse and gardens
- The only toilets are the ones in the car park at Dodds wood, opposite the Old Sawmill tearooms.
- Remember to ask for an accessibility map when you purchase tickets if you need this information.
- Dogs are welcome in the grounds on a short lead. They are not allowed in the playgrounds though.
More thing to do near Keswick
Find more Easy walks near Keswick here.
Find loads of ideas for things to do in Keswick here.
Wet weather? Find ideas for things to do in Keswick in the rain here.
Find more Family walks North West here.
