The only true lake

This fine country house and its grounds are open to the public. You can get down to the lakeshore from them, and to the tiny, peaceful church of St Bega.

There are strong links between Mirehouse and Tennyson, and it is thought that much of Morte d’Arthur was written here.

Hundreds of birds migrate to the lake, the osprey among them, and fish such as Atlantic salmon come here to spawn.

A major regeneration project was undertaken to bring the water up to the quality that best supports all of this — including the vendace, and the feeding grounds of the ospreys, now a regular summer visitor. Much of the problem came from surface run-off washing sediment into the lake, and from the seepage of agricultural fertilisers, which encourage algae.

At the northern end is the Lake District’s first wetland nature reserve, Dubwath Silver Meadows, where you can expect grasshopper warbler, curlew, greylag geese, reed bunting and meadow pipit.

At Dubwath on the north-western shore is Bassenthwaite Sailing Club, which hosts a family regatta in the first week of August every year. RYA members can launch sailing boats from the club’s grounds for a daily fee.

Boat, canoe and sailboard users must respect the no-boating zones, which protect important breeding grounds. There is no right of navigation on Bassenthwaite: to take any craft onto the lake you need a permit.

Fishing needs a valid lake permit and an Environment Agency rod licence — see fishing and boating.