# Things to Do in Kendal and Around, Cumbria: 2026 Guide *A limestone market town with a castle, an art gallery and the makers of Kendal Mint Cake, plus a ring of houses, gardens and villages within about half an hour. Checked on 29 September 2026.* By Dan Fitzpatrick, Fell & Family. Updated Tuesday 29 September 2026. Canonical: https://fellandfamily.co.uk/guides/things-to-do-in-kendal-and-around.html **The short answer:** The best things to do in Kendal are the castle ruin above the town, Abbot Hall art gallery, the yards and ginnels, the Wednesday and Saturday market and Kendal Mint Cake from the two makers still baking it in town. Around it, go for Sizergh Castle with Low Sizergh Barn, Levens Hall's topiary and Kirkby Lonsdale's Devil's Bridge. Kendal has no lake (Windermere is about eight miles away), so treat it as a base for castles, gardens and the Kent estuary. The best things to do in Kendal are a hilltop castle ruin, a proper art gallery, narrow yards behind the high street and a sweet that went up Everest. Around it there's a ring of bigger days out within about half an hour: Sizergh, Levens Hall, Kirkby Lonsdale, the Kent estuary. Both halves are here, with prices, parking, toilets and what's on this autumn and winter. I'm a dad in Carlisle with a six and a seven year old, and Kendal is the town we drive past on the M6 on the way somewhere else. Daft, really. I haven't done all this with children in tow, so where I say something suits kids, that's the layout, prices and opening hours talking, not a photo album. Checked 29 September 2026; dates change, so the organiser link is the one to trust. ## Kendal is not on a lake Say it before you book anything: Kendal has no lake. It's a grey limestone town of 29,593 people (2021 census), outside the Lake District National Park boundary and about eight miles south-east of Windermere. The River Kent is the nearest water. Some of it keeps short hours too: Abbot Hall opens Wednesday to Saturday, Kendal Museum Friday and Saturday for now, and the indoor market hall is shut for rebuilding. Think of it as a base for castles, gardens and an estuary, not a lake day with a castle stuck on. > If you only get one day in Kendal, make it a Saturday. It's the one day the market, Abbot Hall and Kendal Museum are all open at once. ## Things to do in Kendal itself Mostly walkable once you've parked; the climbing centre, out on a business park, isn't. ### Kendal Castle (Kendal) Built around 1200 for the barons of Kendal and later held by the Parrs. Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth wife, gets attached to it, though Wikipedia says modern research puts her birth in London. It once had six towers; now it's curtain wall and one tower on a hill, with views over town and grass to run about on. There's an audio trail in six parts. Allow an hour, plus an argument about the slope. - Price: No charge listed on Visit Kendal's page; open to the public and managed by Westmorland and Furness Council - Parking: No castle car park confirmed; use a town car park such as Blackhall Road (LA9 4BT) - Toilets/buggies: Not stated. It's a hill site, so check the paths before bringing a pushchair - Check first: Route up and surfaces; the audio trail is on the Visit Kendal page - Website: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/kendal-castle-and-heritage/kendal-castle/ ### The yards and ginnels (Kendal) The yards are the narrow passages off both sides of the high street, left over from medieval burgage plots (Visit Lake District). Visit Kendal says they were the capillary network for the cloth, bread, snuff and meat trades, and names Dr Manning's Yard. Civic Society plaques tell the story as you go. - Price: Free, any time - Parking: Any town car park; Blackhall Road (LA9 4BT) is one - Toilets/buggies: Not stated. The passages are narrow, so try one before committing a wide buggy - Check first: Nothing to book; look for the Civic Society plaques - Website: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/kendal-castle-and-heritage/ ### Abbot Hall (Kendal) A Georgian house holding the town's art gallery; Wikipedia lists Romney, Turner and Ruskin in the collection. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, coffee bar on the same hours. The exhibitions on the page I read all end by 3 October and nothing later is listed, so look before a special trip. - Price: Adult £12, student £9, child (15 and under) £6, under 4s free; family £20 (1 adult) or £30 (2 adults) with up to 3 children - Parking: On-site pay and display with Blue Badge spaces - Toilets/buggies: Not stated on the page I read - Check first: Wed to Sat only; what replaces the exhibitions that end on 3 Oct - Website: https://lakelandarts.org.uk/abbot-hall/ ### Kendal Museum (Kendal) Founded in 1796, with local archaeology, history, geology and natural history from around the world, and a fossil collection. For now it's open Fridays and Saturdays only, 9am to 5pm, and shut on Friday 2 October for conservation work. The World Wildlife Gallery is closed for conservation too, so check what's on show before promising the kids anything. Holy Creatures, by fifteen women artists, runs to 10 October. - Price: Adult £5, ages 5 to 18 £2, under 5s free - Parking: The council lists a Kendal Museum car park, cash only - Toilets/buggies: Not stated; the museum has an accessibility page - Check first: Fri and Sat only; closed Fri 2 Oct; World Wildlife Gallery closed - Website: https://kendalmuseum.org.uk/ ### Brewery Arts Centre (Kendal) A theatre, cinema, gallery and café bar at 122a Highgate (LA9 4HE), and the obvious place for an evening in Kendal. The café bar is open Tuesday to Saturday, with a kids' menu from 4pm to 8pm, so it's a tea stop, not a lunch stop. If you're eating before a show, book and allow an hour and a half. - Price: Varies by show; dated highlights are in the what's-on section below - Parking: Own car park, 50 spaces including 4 accessible, from £3.50 an hour - Toilets/buggies: Accessibility page on the site; not read in detail - Check first: Café bar hours vary on event nights; dogs welcome in the bar and outside only - Website: https://www.breweryarts.co.uk/ ### Kendal Market (Kendal) Outdoor market on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Market Place (LA9 4TP), plus a farmers' market there on the second and last Friday of the month. The indoor Market Hall is closed for major refurbishment (the Heart of Kendal project), so it's stalls in the open air for now. - Price: Free to browse - Parking: Blackhall Road (LA9 4BT): 8am to 6pm seven days, £2.20 an hour, £8.10 all day - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Whether the indoor hall has reopened; farmers' market dates - Website: https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/markets ### Kendal Mint Cake: Romney's and Quiggin's (Kendal) Two makers still make it in town. Romney's has been at Mintsfeet Industrial Estate (LA9 6NA) since 1969 and says its cake reached the top of Everest on 29 May 1953. Quiggin's says it dates from 1840 and makes its cake at Lowfellside (LA9 4NH). Wilson's, the third old name, moved to Holme in 2013 (Wikipedia), so read the label if 'made in Kendal' matters. Neither site gave me shop hours, so ring first. - Price: Not listed on the pages I read - Parking: Not stated - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Whether either has a shop open to walk-ins: Romney's 01539 720155, Quiggin's 01539 720668 - Website: https://mintcake.co.uk/ ### Serpentine Woods and the riverside (Kendal) About three miles of winding paths, planted in 1790 according to Visit Kendal, with an Alphabet Trail of sculptures, which is the bit six year olds will care about. The riverside paths along the Kent are the other free walk, and the castle's paths run down to Fletcher Park. I found nothing on pushchairs, so check the surfaces. - Price: Free - Parking: Not stated; use a town car park - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Path surfaces after rain - Website: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/outdoor-and-adventure/wilder-places/ ### Lakeland Climbing Centre (Kendal) Unit 27, Lake District Business Park (LA9 6NH). Bouldering and roped climbing, adult and junior sessions and kids' programmes. The price list and minimum ages weren't on the page I could read, so find out before promising a six year old anything. - Price: Not shown on the homepage; see the sessions pages - Parking: Not stated - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Junior session times, minimum age and booking - Website: https://lakelandclimbingcentres.co.uk/ ## Parking in Kendal, and the coins problem The council runs 17 car parks in and around town, says Visit Kendal, so pick one and stick to it. Blackhall Road (LA9 4BT), on the same road as the bus station, has 81 spaces plus five disabled bays and charges 8am to 6pm, seven days a week: £2.20 an hour, £3.50 for two, £8.10 all day, free outside those hours. Brewery Arts has its own 50 spaces from £3.50 an hour, and Abbot Hall has pay and display. By train, Kendal has a station on the Lakes Line, connecting to Oxenholme on the main line. > Blackhall Road's machines take coins but give no change. A pocketful of pound coins is a better parking plan than optimism. ## Days out near Kendal: the ring round the town All of this is about half an hour or less from Kendal's centre, mostly easier by car. Levens is five miles south, Staveley four miles north-west, Kirkby Lonsdale thirteen miles south-east. Sedbergh, Arnside and Foulshaw Moss are roughly ten to twelve miles out (my estimates, so don't hold me to the minute). Kirkby Lonsdale things to do come down to a bridge, a view and a Thursday market. ### Sizergh Castle and Garden (Sizergh, near Kendal) The National Trust says the house holds 26 generations of Strickland family collections, and the Inlaid Chamber is the room to find. The house opens only 12 to 4, the café and garden 10 to 5, so do the garden first: rock garden, kitchen garden, orchard, and a natural play trail for ages 3 and up. The Wonder World: Earth trail runs to 1 November on the Holeslack route, free with admission (buggy friendly, mud likely). Parking is limited while the car park is improved. - Price: House and garden: adult £15 to £16.50 (without or with Gift Aid), child 5 to 17 £7.50 to £8.30; garden only adult £11 to £12.10; members free - Parking: Pay and display £3.50 (1 hour) to £9.50 (all day); overflow and rear car parks closed for improvement works - Toilets/buggies: Toilets at the Visitor Centre entrance (the accessible one has baby changing) and in the Old Forge; Holeslack trail is 1.2 miles and suits buggies - Check first: House opens 12 to 4; assistance dogs only in the gardens - Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/sizergh ### Low Sizergh Barn (Sizergh, near Kendal) A working dairy farm with a shop and tearoom (LA8 8AE). The cows are milked every day from 3.30pm to 5pm, watched from gallery windows in the café, or on a screen if stairs are a problem. The farm trail is free: half a mile past a pond, twelve nature boards, a willow tunnel and a stream, with a sticker from the shop at the end. A sticker is a cheap bribe. - Price: Farm trail free - Parking: Free, about 60 cars, no coaches - Toilets/buggies: Accessible toilet with baby changing on the ground floor; lift to the first-floor tearoom; highchairs - Check first: Shop 9am to 5.30pm, café 9am to 5pm; milking 3.30pm to 5pm - Website: https://www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk/ ### Levens Hall and Gardens (Levens, near Kendal) The hall calls its ten acres the world's oldest topiary gardens, dating to the 1690s: clipped box and yew in abstract shapes, the first recorded ha-ha in Britain (their words) and a willow labyrinth. It's five miles south of Kendal (LA8 0PD), open seven days a week to Sunday 8 November: house 11 to 3.30, gardens 10 to 5, Levens Kitchen 9.30 to 4.30. The house isn't wheelchair accessible, and dogs can't go in the house, gardens or Kitchen. Ghostly house tours run Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November at 4pm and 5pm (booking required, not for under 5s). - Price: House and gardens adult £17.30, child £5.75, family £42.75; gardens only £13, £4.75, £32.35; reduced rates apply from 5 October - Parking: Not stated on the pages I read - Toilets/buggies: Accessible toilets in the courtyard and at Levens Kitchen, none in the house or gardens; garden paths are gravel and grass, most fine for wheelchairs and electric buggies - Check first: Season ends Sun 8 Nov; dogs on a lead in the courtyard areas outside, the Howard Room and the deer park footpaths only - Website: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/ ### Staveley Mill Yard (Staveley) Four miles north-west of Kendal (Unit 1, LA8 9LR). The Mill Yard calls itself a regeneration project for local people to live and work, and that's nearly all its own website says, because it's under development. I can't tell you what's open. Parking is £3 an hour (steep for a quick stop), which the Mill Yard puts down to the council restricting Main Street parking. - Price: Free to wander; parking £3 per hour - Parking: £3 per hour; machines on site, or set it up online with postcode LA8 9LR on arrival - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: What's open: phone 01539 821234 - Website: https://www.staveleymillyard.com/ ### Hawkshead Brewery (Staveley) The brewery's own site now gives its address as Flookburgh (LA11 7LS), on the Cartmel peninsula, and says nothing at all about a Beer Hall in Staveley. So I can't say it's open; ring or check its social pages before planning a beer stop round it. - Price: Not stated - Parking: Not stated - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Whether the Staveley Beer Hall is open at all; the site is silent on it - Website: https://www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk/ ### Foulshaw Moss (Witherslack) A Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve off the A590 near Witherslack (LA11 6SN). A pair of ospreys breeds here in summer, and a boardwalk crosses the bog to a viewing platform a mile out. The Trust recommends April to September, so the ospreys are a spring and summer job. - Price: Free - Parking: Small, limited car park; no minibuses, drop-offs only - Toilets/buggies: Toilets not mentioned; boardwalk trails, buggy access not stated - Check first: April to September for the ospreys; open all year; dogs on leads - Website: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/foulshaw-moss ### Arnside and the Kent estuary (Arnside) The River Kent that runs through Kendal ends here: a village with a promenade, pier, small beach, cafés and a railway viaduct across the estuary. To see the Arnside Bore, the tidal surge, be on the promenade 1.5 to 2 hours before high tide. Keep off the sands: the site warns of shifting sands, fast tides and quicksand, and says to go out only with the Guide Over Sands Trust. - Price: Free - Parking: Free shoreside parking; the promenade area floods at high tide - Toilets/buggies: Card-payment public toilets with disabled access - Check first: Tide times and Bore times; train from Lancaster and Grange-over-Sands - Website: https://www.arnside-silverdale.org.uk/visit/villages/arnside ### Kirkby Lonsdale: Devil's Bridge and Ruskin's View (Kirkby Lonsdale) Thirteen miles south-east of Kendal, with a market charter from 1227 and a Thursday market in Market Square. Devil's Bridge has three spans over the Lune, is Grade I listed, and comes with a legend about the Devil, an old woman and a dog. Sources put its age anywhere from the 12th century to about 1370. Bikers gather there on Sundays, so pick another day for a quiet look. Ruskin's View, from St Mary's churchyard, is the Lune view Turner painted in 1822; Ruskin knew nowhere more naturally divine. Reach it by the Radical Steps or the church path. - Price: Free - Parking: Not checked; the town site says parking is available - Toilets/buggies: Public toilets in town; one route to the view is steps, and I haven't confirmed which suits a pushchair - Check first: Thursday market day; Sundays are motorbike day at the bridge - Website: https://www.kirkbylonsdale.co.uk/ ### Sedbergh, England's Book Town, and Farfield Mill (Sedbergh) England's official Book Town since 2003, with eight bookshops by the town's count and a Book Shelter to read in. It sits between the Dales and the Lakes, roughly eleven miles east of Kendal (my estimate). Market on Wednesdays, 9am to 1pm; information centre at 72 Main Street (LA10 5AD). Farfield Mill, a weaving mill turned arts centre, is free and open Wednesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 4pm, with a tea room; The Wool Clip 25th anniversary show runs to 1 November. The Death in the Dales crime festival is Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October at the People's Hall. - Price: Free to browse; Farfield Mill has free entry; festival tickets on the festival page - Parking: Not stated on the pages I read - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Market Wednesdays only; Farfield Mill (farfieldmill.org) is Wed to Sun; festival booking - Website: https://www.sedbergh.org.uk/ ## What's on in Kendal and around, autumn 2026 to spring 2027 From the organisers' own pages as checked on 29 September 2026, unless I say otherwise. Kendal Torchlight Carnival would normally be September's big night, but it was postponed for 2026 (rising costs and reduced funding, says the organiser) with no 2027 date, so don't plan round it. ### Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF) (Kendal) Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October: Asterix vs Tintin: The Rematch opens it, Bill Sienkiewicz headlines, and Little LICAF covers younger fans. It's days away as I write, so if you're reading later, use the site for next year. - When: Fri 2 to Sun 4 Oct 2026 - Price: Tickets via TryBooking; prices vary by event - Parking: Town car parks; Blackhall Road (LA9 4BT) - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Venues and free elements on the festival's what's-on page - Website: https://licaf.co.uk/ ### Brewery Arts programme, October to December (Kendal) Family: Frightful Family Halloween Crafts on Saturday 24 October at 2.15pm (£6.50 each, ages 4 and up), then Hocus Pocus (PG) at 4.15pm (£7.50, or £12 for both); and Nick Cope's Family Show on Saturday 31 October at 11am and 2pm (£20, ages 3 and up). Grown-ups: Shooglenifty on Friday 16 October (£23.50), Peatbog Faeries on Thursday 22 October (£26.50), Jason Byrne on Friday 23 October (£33.50) and National Theatre Live screenings at £18 to £19. - When: Various, October 2026 to spring 2027 - Price: As quoted; concessions on most shows - Parking: Own car park, from £3.50 an hour - Toilets/buggies: See the accessibility page on the Brewery Arts site - Check first: Booking is advised for most shows; times are on each event page - Website: https://www.breweryarts.co.uk/ ### The Wild Woods: Spooky Edition (Staveley) Campfire, spooky nature crafts, treats and mildly frightening stories at Staveley Woodlands (Craggy Woods meeting point, LA8 9QT), Saturday 31 October, 4pm to 6.30pm. Free, registration compulsory. Torches and sturdy footwear; dogs on leads welcome. - When: Sat 31 Oct 2026, 4pm to 6.30pm - Price: Free, registration required - Parking: Not stated - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Register on 01539 816300 or events@cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk - Website: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/events/2026-10-31-wild-woods-spooky-edition ### Kendal Mountain Festival (Kendal) Over 200 live sessions, 150+ films, 60+ activities and workshops and 10+ parties take over venues including Brewery Arts and the Town Hall, Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 November. Trail runs are on Saturday 21 November (50km at 9am, 10km at 11am, plus a new 25km). Mostly grown-ups and teenagers, with a Family Friendly section. Miss it and the Live Tour reaches Brewery Arts on Wednesday 24 February 2027 (£22.50, ages 12 and up). - When: Thu 19 to Sun 22 Nov 2026 - Price: Weekend pass £205, day passes £25 to £85, single tickets from £7.50 (Almanac figures; the ticket portal wouldn't load prices for me) - Parking: Town car parks; Blackhall Road (LA9 4BT) charges 8am to 6pm - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Programme and family sessions on the ticket site - Website: https://kendalmountainfestival.com/ ### Family Night Walk and Stargaze (Kendal) Friends of the Lake District lead a short night walk up to the Bowling Fell viewpoint, then stargazing with the Eddington Astronomical Society. It starts at the Abbot Hall Park archway (LA9 5AL) on Thursday 19 November, 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Head torch essential, no dogs. - When: Thu 19 Nov 2026, 6.30pm to 7.30pm - Price: Not stated on the page - Parking: Not stated - Toilets/buggies: Steep, cobbled sections and steps, per the organiser - Check first: Booking opens at the start of November; 01539 720788 - Website: https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/event/family-night-walk/ ### Winter at Sizergh (Sizergh, near Kendal) A 45-minute light and sound trail, a Georgian winter celebration in the house and self-led crafts in the Great Barn, from Friday 20 November to Thursday 24 December, 12pm to 8pm daily. From midday everyone needs a Winter at Sizergh ticket, even for the garden. Timed slots, non-refundable but swappable. - When: Fri 20 Nov to Thu 24 Dec 2026, 12pm to 8pm, last house entry 7pm - Price: Non-members adult £13, child 5+ £9.75, family £29.25 to £48.75; members £6.50; under 5s free - Parking: £4 for 2 hours or £5 all day, pay on machines or the JustPark app - Toilets/buggies: Pushchairs welcome on the woodland trail; café open till 8pm - Check first: Book a timed slot online; phone 0344 249 1895 - Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/sizergh/winter-at-sizergh ### Kendal Christmas Lights Switch-On (Kendal) Kendal BID runs late-night shopping, entertainment and a special farmers' market on Friday 27 November. No start time yet: last year's ran 5pm to 7.30pm with the lights on at 5.30pm, but that's the old pattern, not an announcement. Kendal Christmas Celebration is listed for Saturday 5 December by Visit Kendal and 6 December by Kendal BID, so check. - When: Fri 27 Nov 2026, time not published - Price: No charge listed - Parking: Council pay car parks; Blackhall Road (LA9 4BT) is free after 6pm - Toilets/buggies: Not stated - Check first: Start time; whether the Celebration is Sat 5 or Sun 6 Dec - Website: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/event/christmas-lights-switch-on/ ### Christmas at Levens Hall (Levens, near Kendal) Decorated rooms with lit fires and local choirs in the Great Hall, Friday 4 to Wednesday 23 December, 10.30am to 4pm. Father Christmas visits must be booked online in advance; the price isn't shown. Mostly indoors, so a good bad-weather pick. - When: Fri 4 to Wed 23 Dec 2026, 10.30am to 4pm - Price: Adult £9.50, child (5 to 16) £3; Father Christmas booked separately - Parking: Not stated - Toilets/buggies: Accessible toilets in the courtyard and at Levens Kitchen; house not wheelchair accessible - Check first: Choir dates; Father Christmas price and booking - Website: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/DB/whats-on-homepage/christmas-at-levens-hall-2 ### The Elves and the Shoemaker (Kendal) A 50-minute interactive show from PaddleBoat Theatre Company, with clowning, puppetry and a miniature world, for ages 3 and up. It runs at Brewery Arts from Saturday 19 to Monday 28 December, with no shows on 25 and 26 December. £15.50, or £57 for a family of four. - When: Sat 19 to Mon 28 Dec 2026; no shows 25 and 26 Dec - Price: £15.50; family of four £57 - Parking: Own car park, from £3.50 an hour - Toilets/buggies: Seated theatre; see the accessibility page - Check first: Showtimes vary by date (11am, 1pm, 2pm or 3.30pm); book ahead - Website: https://www.breweryarts.co.uk/event/the-elves-the-shoemaker/ ## Kendal in the rain - Abbot Hall (Wednesday to Saturday) and Kendal Museum (Friday and Saturday) are the obvious ones. From Sunday to Tuesday, try the climbing centre or a film at Brewery Arts. - Houses: Levens Hall's is open 11 to 3.30 and Sizergh's 12 to 4, with cafés at both. Low Sizergh Barn's tearoom is open 9 to 5, and the 3.30 milking is watched from indoors. - Lakeland Maze Farm Park at Sedgwick has soft play and a climbing wall, open weekends and daily over half term (24 to 31 October); check its booking page for prices. - Kendal Leisure Centre has a 25m pool, a kids' pool and an inflatable (Visit Kendal). ## One day in Kendal with kids Make it a Saturday: the market and Abbot Hall are open, and the Wonder World trail runs to 1 November. - 9.30am: park at Blackhall Road (bring coins) before the market fills. Wander the stalls, duck down one yard, then climb Kendal Castle for the audio trail. - 11.30am: Sizergh. Do the Wonder World: Earth trail on the Holeslack route (1.2 miles, buggy friendly, mud likely) and eat at the café. A garden-only ticket is £11 to £12.10 for adults and £5.50 to £6.10 for children, members free. - 3.30pm: Low Sizergh Barn for the milking and the free farm trail. - From 20 November to 24 December, swap the afternoon for Winter at Sizergh, which needs booking. ## One day in Kendal for grown-ups A Friday or Saturday works best, so Abbot Hall is open and there's something on at Brewery Arts. - 10am: Abbot Hall opens (£12). Give it an hour and a half. - Midday: walk the yards, then lunch at Brewery Arts' café bar (open from 11, Tuesday to Saturday). Ring a Mint Cake maker first, since neither shows shop hours online. - 2pm: Levens Hall, five miles south. The garden is open until 5pm (last entry 4pm) and Levens Kitchen until 4.30pm. - Evening: a gig, film or comedy night at Brewery Arts, table booked beforehand. Shooglenifty on Friday 16 October is £23.50. - Or, for a quieter day: Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedbergh's bookshops on a Wednesday, or Scout Scar, a fairly easy circular walk with views to Morecambe Bay (Visit Kendal). ## Questions people ask **What is Kendal famous for?** Kendal Mint Cake (Romney's says its cake reached the top of Everest on 29 May 1953), Kendal Green cloth, a castle tied to the Parr family and the grey limestone that gives it the nickname the Auld Grey Town. Every November it also hosts Kendal Mountain Festival. **Is Kendal worth visiting?** Yes, for a day or an afternoon, if you want a castle ruin, Abbot Hall art gallery, a market and a base for Sizergh, Levens Hall and Kirkby Lonsdale. Not if you want a lake, because Windermere is about eight miles away. **Is Kendal in the Lake District?** Not officially: the town sits outside the Lake District National Park boundary, about eight miles south-east of Windermere. It's usually called the gateway to the Lakes. **What is there to do in Kendal with kids?** Climb Kendal Castle and try its six-part audio trail, follow the Alphabet Trail in Serpentine Woods, or browse the Saturday market. Nearby, Low Sizergh Barn has a free farm trail and milking at 3.30pm daily, and Sizergh has the Wonder World: Earth trail until 1 November. **What is there to do in Kendal when it rains?** Abbot Hall (Wednesday to Saturday), Kendal Museum (Friday and Saturday), a film or show at Brewery Arts, or the Lakeland Climbing Centre. Levens Hall and Sizergh both have houses to wander, though Sizergh's is open only 12 to 4. **Where is Kendal Mint Cake made?** In Kendal, by Romney's (Mintsfeet Industrial Estate, since 1969) and Quiggin's (Lowfellside). Wilson's, the third old name, moved to Holme in 2013. **Is there free parking in Kendal?** Not in the daytime: Blackhall Road (LA9 4BT) charges 8am to 6pm seven days a week, £2.20 for an hour or £8.10 all day, and is free outside those hours. The machines take coins with no change given, cards or phone. **Does Kendal have an indoor market?** Not at the moment: the indoor Market Hall is closed for major refurbishment. The outdoor market runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Market Place, with a farmers' market on the second and last Friday of each month. ## Sources - Visit Kendal: Kendal Castle: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/kendal-castle-and-heritage/kendal-castle/ - Visit Kendal: Kendal Castle and heritage (yards and ginnels): https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/kendal-castle-and-heritage/ - Visit Kendal: Wilder places (Serpentine Woods, Scout Scar): https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/outdoor-and-adventure/wilder-places/ - Visit Kendal: Sport and activities: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/outdoor-and-adventure/sport/ - Visit Kendal: parking: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/parking/ - Visit Kendal: getting around and parking: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/plan-your-visit/getting-around-and-parking/ - Visit Kendal: Christmas Lights Switch-On: https://visit-kendal.co.uk/event/christmas-lights-switch-on/ - Visit Lake District: Kendal: https://www.visitlakedistrict.com/explore/kendal - Visit Lake District: Kirkby Lonsdale: https://www.visitlakedistrict.com/explore/kirkby-lonsdale - Kirkby Lonsdale town website: https://www.kirkbylonsdale.co.uk/ - Wikipedia: Kendal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendal - Wikipedia: Kendal Castle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendal_Castle - Wikipedia: Kendal Mint Cake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendal_Mint_Cake - Wikipedia: Kirkby Lonsdale: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkby_Lonsdale - Wikipedia: Staveley, Cumbria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staveley,_Cumbria - Westmorland and Furness Council: Markets: https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/markets - Westmorland and Furness Council: Blackhall Road car park: https://www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/parking-streets-and-transport/parking/find-car-park-near-you/blackhall-road-car-park - Abbot Hall (Lakeland Arts): https://lakelandarts.org.uk/abbot-hall/ - Lakeland Arts: what's on: https://lakelandarts.org.uk/whats-on/ - Kendal Museum: https://kendalmuseum.org.uk/ - Kendal Museum: Holy Creatures: https://kendalmuseum.org.uk/holy-creatures-3rd-september-10th-october-2026/ - Brewery Arts Centre: https://www.breweryarts.co.uk/ - Brewery Arts: getting here: https://www.breweryarts.co.uk/visit/getting-here/ - Brewery Arts: café bar: https://www.breweryarts.co.uk/visit/food-drink/ - Brewery Arts: The Elves and the Shoemaker: https://www.breweryarts.co.uk/event/the-elves-the-shoemaker/ - Romney's Kendal Mint Cake: our story: https://mintcake.co.uk/en-us/pages/our-story - Quiggin's Original Kendal Mint Cake: https://www.originalkendalmintcake.co.uk/ - Lakeland Climbing Centres: https://lakelandclimbingcentres.co.uk/ - National Trust: Sizergh: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/sizergh - National Trust: Winter at Sizergh: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/sizergh/winter-at-sizergh - National Trust: Holeslack accessible trail: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/sizergh/holeslack-accessible-trail - National Trust: Wonder World: Earth children's trail: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/sizergh/events/eb7996aa-5e09-4fe0-83f1-3fc1687c9fe6 - Low Sizergh Barn: https://www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk/ - Low Sizergh Barn: parking and access: https://www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk/parking-access - Levens Hall: opening times and admission: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/your-visit/opening-times - Levens Hall: accessibility: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/your-visit/accessibility - Levens Hall: dogs: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/your-visit/dogs - Levens Hall: gardens: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/gardens - Levens Hall: Christmas at Levens Hall: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/DB/whats-on-homepage/christmas-at-levens-hall-2 - Levens Hall: Ghostly House Tours: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/DB/whats-on-2/ghostly-house-tour - Levens Hall: Halloween Mask Workshop: https://www.levenshall.co.uk/DB/whats-on-2/mask-workshop - Staveley Mill Yard: https://www.staveleymillyard.com/ - Staveley Mill Yard: parking: https://www.staveleymillyard.com/parking - Hawkshead Brewery: https://www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk/ - Cumbria Wildlife Trust: Foulshaw Moss: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/foulshaw-moss - Cumbria Wildlife Trust: The Wild Woods, Spooky Edition: https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/events/2026-10-31-wild-woods-spooky-edition - Arnside and Silverdale National Landscape: Arnside: https://www.arnside-silverdale.org.uk/visit/villages/arnside - Sedbergh and District: home: https://www.sedbergh.org.uk/ - Sedbergh and District: Book Town: https://www.sedbergh.org.uk/book-town/ - Sedbergh and District: events: https://www.sedbergh.org.uk/events/ - Death in the Dales Book Festival 2026: https://www.sedbergh.org.uk/festivals/death-in-the-dales-book-festival-2026/ - Farfield Mill: https://farfieldmill.org/ - Lakes International Comic Art Festival: https://licaf.co.uk/ - Kendal Mountain Festival: https://kendalmountainfestival.com/ - Friends of the Lake District: Family Night Walk and Stargaze: https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/event/family-night-walk/ - Kendal Torchlight Carnival: news: https://www.kendaltorchlightcarnival.co.uk/news/ - Lakeland Maze Farm Park: https://www.lakelandmaze.co.uk/