Parking
Use Dodd Wood Pay on Exit car park (CA12 4QD, NY 235281), across the A591 from Mirehouse. Accessible public toilets and the Old Sawmill tearoom are at the car park. Buses X4 and 555 serve Mirehouse.
Overview
About Mirehouse to St. Bega's Church
Why go
- Short, low-effort route to a distinctive historic church
- Big lake and fell views from open parkland
- Accessible toilets and a tearoom at the start
Heads up
- Fast A591 crossing and an awkward verge or kerb
- You return over the same ground
- Short walk with a steep climb back to the car park
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake District map
Full mapElevation72–136 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active Lake District alerts
- ClosureChapel Stile footpath closed for retaining-wall riskPart of Footpath 543030 between Chapel Stile and Baysbrown campsite is closed because a retaining wall beside the path could collapse and material it supports could fall across the footpath.Official details
- ClosureStanley Ghyll Lower Falls footpath closed for rockfallThe section of Footpath 408037 leading towards Stanley Ghyll Lower Falls is closed because severe rockfall damage has made the path unstable and further rockfall remains a danger.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake District Tour Guide
Your drive to Mirehouse to St. Bega's Church, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Dodd Wood and Bassenthwaite Views0:00 / 1:18
“You're drawing near Dodd Wood beside Bassenthwaite Lake, where you can choose a climb above the trees or a shorter walk among towering Douglas firs.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Barf and Lord's Seat from Powter How
- High Side: Skiddaw via Longside Edge
- Noble Knott: Two Short Woodland Loops
- Skiddaw and Latrigg from Gale Road
- 298 audio storiesacross Lake District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Eurasian Otter, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 265 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Mirehouse to St. Bega's Church
The Route in BriefThis is a linear out-and-back of 1.55 miles / 2.5 km round trip, roughly 0.75 mi / 1.
This is a linear out-and-back of 1.55 miles / 2.5 km round trip, roughly 0.75 mi / 1.2 km each way, and you return by exactly the same path. Most walkers take about half an hour for the whole thing, longer if you linger at the church or the lake views.
The SequenceStart at the Dodd Wood car park, drop steeply down a 1:10 gradient to the road, then cross the…
Start at the Dodd Wood car park, drop steeply down a 1:10 gradient to the road, then cross the A591 with care. On the far side, take the gated public footpath to the left of the roadside cottage. Do not use the private driveway. From there the path passes Mirehouse and its grounds and drive, then follows undulating meadow and parkland to St Bega's Church before you retrace your steps.
The DestinationSt Bega's is an ancient, pre-Norman church standing alone in pasture.
St Bega's is an ancient, pre-Norman church standing alone in pasture. Inside are a 13th-century font and a large 14th-century cross. Outside, the ground opens across Bassenthwaite Lake toward Broom Fell and Lord's Seat, with Ullock Pike and Carlside on the other flank. It is a short walk with a genuinely memorable payoff.
Difficulty, Surfaces and AccessRated about 3/10 and easy for ordinary walkers, but graded For Many rather than For All because…
Rated about 3/10 and easy for ordinary walkers, but graded For Many rather than For All because of the road crossing, a short grass verge and kerb, and the steep pull back up to the car park. Underfoot you get public footpath, estate drive and track, and undulating meadow. The meadow can be soft and estate paths muddy after heavy rain. Mobility scooters need to be class 2 or 3, and the fast road crossing plus the short verge and kerb are difficult for wheelchair users.
Public Path Versus Ticketed GroundsThe walk described here follows a public right of way the whole way.
The walk described here follows a public right of way the whole way. Other, gentler paths inside the Mirehouse grounds are private and ticketed, so treat any garden walk as a separate paid visit rather than part of this route.
Parking and PracticalitiesPark at Dodd Wood Pay on Exit car park (CA12 4QD, grid NY 235281), directly across the A591…
Park at Dodd Wood Pay on Exit car park (CA12 4QD, grid NY 235281), directly across the A591 from Mirehouse. There are accessible public toilets and the Old Sawmill tearoom at the car park. Buses X4 and 555 serve Mirehouse.
Dogs and FarmlandDogs are welcome, and Mirehouse asks for a short lead at all times in the grounds.
Dogs are welcome, and Mirehouse asks for a short lead at all times in the grounds. The route passes farmland, so keep your dog on the lead and give any livestock a wide berth. Red squirrels, roe deer, foxes, badgers and a good range of birds are possible in and around the grounds, though nothing is guaranteed.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake District
81 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
13 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
76 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
51 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
233 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
176 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
