Kendal Town Trails
South Lakeland Holidays: Guide to Kendal
As you’re here to enjoy your South Lakeland holidays, we thought we’d spend some time in this blog post introducing you to the South Lakeland town of Kendal. Home of the famous Kendal Mint Cake, it’s a lively market town built from limestone and a hub for shopping, food and culture. We think it makes for a fantastic day out and it is only a short drive from us. Here’s our guide…
Kendal Castle
Once lived in by Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Kendal’s now ruined castle dates back to the 13th century and overlooks the town. Take a short stroll up there for great views over the town and across to the surrounding hills.
Museums and galleries
There’s a good selection of museums and galleries in town – pop Kendal Museum, the Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry, The Quaker Tapestry and Abbot Hall art gallery on your must-visit list. This Spring, Abbot Hall are exhibiting Claude Monet’s Haystacks: Snow Effect (until April 28th).
Music and theatre
The Brewery Arts Centre is one of the most vibrant venues in the town and has a busy schedule of music, theatre and cinema. With an on site café, bar and restaurant, plus a beer garden with regular live events during the better weather, it’s a thriving destination and we’d recommend checking their website to see what’s on during your stay.
Eating and drinking
The high street and historic yards are now home to a good selection of tearooms, cafés and delis, and traditional pubs. Newly opened Pomegranate & Sage in Wainwright’s Yard is receiving great reviews, and we love Farrer’s on the high street for its excellent coffee and tea chosen to suit the local water. In the evening, there are plenty of options in town and on the outskirts – the pubs in outlying villages from Crosthwaite to Staveley, Sizergh to Oxenholme are always popular with visitors and locals alike.
Shopping
Kendal has a good mix of brand name and independent shops. There are several shopping areas based around the high street and its Yards. Wainwright’s Yard, Elephant Yard and Blackhall Yard are packed with one-off finds and much-loved names including Booths supermarket, Armstrong Ward lifestyle emporium, Reticule fabric store, Crew Clothing and Laura Ashley. The high street is home to Joules clothing, Fat Face, TK Maxx, and more, while the market place and neighbouring Finkle Street host White Stuff, Jules B, Pandora and several independent and artisan food shops.
Walking
This historic town is ideal for walkers who like to explore at their own pace. There are several trails, some family-friendly, to help you wander from the main street to lesser known parts of town, making interesting discoveries along the way. The core trails are culture, historical and woodland, but there are new trails introduced each summer: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Kendal_Leaflets_Trails_Web.pdf
Markets
A market town, it’s no surprise that there’s a Farmers’ Market on the last Friday every month and twice weekly markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Regular festivals
Kendal is working hard to build its reputation as a festival town. The busy events calendar for the town includes the Kendal Mountain Festival, the Torchlight Carnival, The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival, and Westmorland County Show.
We hope you’re looking forward to your South Lakeland holidays, we’re certainly looking forward to welcoming you to our holiday lodges. If you need any further ideas on where to go during your stay, do ask us or explore this section of our website further.
Sheryl, Paul and the Lakeland Lodges team