This year’s Out on Sunday weekend away is taking place in Kendal in the Lake District between Friday 15 and Sunday 17 September 2023. Kendal is approximately 74 miles from the centre of Manchester. Planning for the weekend is already in hand with Dave H, Patrick and Alan making a first visit to Kendal recently to reconnoitre suitable walks, hotels, restaurants and general fact finding. We will be publishing a full itinerary in good time for the weekend, but in the meantime, here is a taster of what to expect:
Friday 15 September : The weekend starts with an informal social gathering at one of Kendal’s public houses from around 7 pm. The venue for this will be confirmed in advance. The option to dine will be Available for those who wish to do so.
Saturday 16 September : The main walk of the weekend will be a lovely 6-mile, 4-hour, circular walk from Kendal town centre up onto the escarpment of Scout Scar. The Scar provides a superb viewpoint looking out over the central Lakeland mountains and Morecambe Bay in the distance. The walk is characterised by a long, steady climb from the town centre up to the Scar but the effort is well worth it for the views which are breath-taking! For those who do not want to join us on the walk, we will suggest some alternative activities or places to visit in and around Kendal. In the evening, there will be a group meal. Venue, menu and cost to follow asap.
Sunday 17 September : Today’s walk will be a scenic, much shorter, gentle walk to allow members of the group good time to make their journeys home. This 3.5-mile, circular walk follows the River Kent and a woodland gorge with some dramatic rapids, returning via a disused section of the Preston-Kendal canal. The experience of walking along an empty canal and road bridges in the middle of farmland will be a strange sight for us! The weekend will end after this walk.
Accommodation : Most people will be staying Friday to Sunday but in recent years some have stayed on for an extra night. So you might want to consider that as a option. Here is a selection of places to stay from the internet. There is other accommodation available in Kendal, so it may be worth checking out the various sites such as Booking.com and Ebookers for more options.
Kendal town centre
Travelodge Kendal Town Centre, Riverside Place, Lound Road, Kendal, LA9 7FW. (Not to be confused with the Travelodge on the outskirts of Kendal) We stayed here for our reccy and the Hotel was well presented, clean and looked fairly new. There was a licenced restaurant serving breakfast (which was good and extra to the room price) and evening meals. They also had dedicated hotel parking in the basement public car park – cost for hotel residents £4 for 24 hours. Although the Hotel is by the river, there was not much in the way of views out of the windows other than an uninspiring courtyard area which all the rooms overlook. The hotel is all on one level and there is a lift from the basement carpark upto the Hotel.
Riverside Hotel, Stramongate, Kendal, LA9 6FS. T: 01539 734861. Located near Kendal train station by the River Kent.
Premier Inn Kendal Central Hotel Maude Street, Kendal, LA9 4QD. T: 0333 003 1745.
Lyndhurst Guest House 8 South Road, Kendal, LA9 5QH. T: 01539 723819.
Hillside Bed and Breakfast, 4 Beast Banks, Kendal, LA9 4JW. T: 01539 722836.
Castle Green Hotel Castle Green Lane, Kendal, LA9 6RG. T: 01539 734000.
Stonecross Manor Hotel, Milnthorpe Rd, Kendal LA9 5HP. T: 01539 733559.
Travel
Kendal is very easy to access by car via the M61/M6 from Manchester – it took us approx an hour and 15 mins to drive up on a Sunday morning. Consider car sharing if you can to save on petrol and parking costs.
Kendal is also accessible by train. The station is at one of end of the town centre, close to the Riverside Hotel, so if you’re staying here its an easy few mins walk. But if you’re staying at the Travelodge – which is at the opposite end of town, its probably a 20 mins walk or taxi ride. Train timetables don’t appear to be available for September yet but there are currently roughly hourly trains to Kendal from Manchester. Average journey time seems to be an hour and 40 mins. Return ticket prices approx £37.
Get in touch with us by email general@outonsunday.com if you have any queries about the weekend or if you have any suggestions for activities or otherwise (keep it clean!) that you want us to consider and share with members.
