MIRESIDE FARM

ENNERDALE

THE FARM

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

VISITORS

MIRESIDE FARM is in the Ennerdale Valley situated in the North West Lake District. The farm is on the north west end of the Lake and has a number of lake shore fields.

The name Mireside comes from the farm being on the side of the "Mere" ie Ennerdale lake.

Mireside is owned by the National Trust and tenanted by Judith Weston who has recently taken over from her father, David. Both David and Judith work full time on the farm, although Judith also undertakes work for the Cumbria Farmers' Network.

HISTORY

Mireside Farm dates from the 1700s and was acquired by the National Trust in the 1970s as part of the hand over of the Lake District Farm Estates. This was the property organisation associated with Friends of the Lake District that was set up in 1937 to protect key farms from afforestation and other inappropriate uses.

LOCATION

Before the 1870s the Ennerdale Fells on either side of the Lake and beyond were common land. In the 1870s, the farmers of the valley agreed with the Lord of the Manor, Lord Lonsdale, to promote an enclosure act with each farm in Ennerdale Township having an allocation of land.

TERRAIN

This is a typical Lake District fell farm with inbye felds close to the Lake rising steeply to high fell land. Rainfall is 90 inches a year.

"Herdus" fell overlooking the farm is the first of the big Ennerdale fells heading up the valley from the coast and contains very large areas of scree. On the other side of the lake, the farm has grazing on "The Side" which is a former deer park and contains ancient oak woodland.

SIZE OF THE FARM

There is 40ha of inbye land and 445 ha of fell land on Herdus Fell and The Side.

LIVESTOCK & NUMBERS

The farm has around 600 sheep including Herdwicks, Swaledales, Cheviots and some crossbred sheep.

GRAZING & CONSERVATION

Mireside has a Lake District Environmentally Sensitive Area agreement and a Wildlife Enhancement Scheme controlling sheep stocking rates.

Sheep numbers on "The Side" were reduced 15 years ago when the farm entered a Tier 2 ESA agreement to help the regeneration of ancient oak woodland. "The Side" is a SSSI.