Bassenthwaite is a small village, not far from Bassenthwaite Lake, in the shadow of the Skiddaw massif. It has two churches, including the remote St Bega, on the Cumbrian Way, beside the lake. Here is the Tudor mansion Mirehouse, renowned as a literary centre, and much visited by Southey, Tennyson and Wordsworth. The Bassenthwaite area includes the Thornthwaite and Braithwaite areas. The area has become important recently as the nesting place for a family of ospreys, with viewing facilities in the nearby forests.