2023 Weekend away | Kendal

Hi folks, here is the itinerary for our walking weekend in Kendal in the Lake District. Our weekend starts at 7pm on Friday 15 September when we meet up at The Brewery.  See below for more details.  Here are some suggestions for places to visit on your way to Kendal or once in Kendal over the weekend.

Enroute to Kendal

• • Sizergh Castle – NT property with a lovely tea rooms/shop.
  • Levens Hall, closed Saturday. Exit junc 36, M6
  • Lancaster Castle, Lancaster.
  • Silverdale & Arnside, Morecambe Bay

In Kendal

• • Quaker Tapestry Museum and cafe. (Unfortunately the garden is not accessible)
  • Abbott Hall Gallery
  • Kendal Museum
  • Kendal Castle, Unnamed Road, Sunnyside, Kendal LA9 7DJ.
  • Kendal Heritage – look out for Kendal’s famous yards and Kendal Civic Society plaques.
  • Visit Kendal – tourist information

Kendal Restaurants/Cafe’s/Bars

• • About Time Espresso and Cocktail bar – gay-friendly cafe/bar with outdoor seating.
  • Ye Olde Fleece Inn, gastro pub.
  • Comida [Food], Spanish-inspired cafe.
  • Romney’s pub, dog-friendly. (We’ve not tried this pub so cannot offer a view on food/service etc)
  • Wetherspoons – The Miles Thompson.
  • Lots of cafes and restaurants in Kendal

Nearby Kendal

• • Blackwell Arts & Craft-designed house nr Lake Windemere, about 9 miles from Kendal.
  • The Lake District National Park is right on the doorstep with lots to see and do. Lake Windermere and the town of Windermere is the nearest – 9 miles from Kendal. Its likely to be very busy at the weekend.

Getting to Kendal : By car – Kendal is very easy to access by car via the M61/M6 from Manchester – approx 1hr 15 mins drive. Consider car sharing if you can to save on petrol and parking costs. Hopefully, your accommodation has parking or can suggest where to park overnight etc. But incase not here is a the council website with relevant info: Kendal car parks and charges.

By train – Kendal 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. Just as a guide – if you’re staying at the Travelodge in the centre – which is at the opposite end of town, its probably a 20 mins walk or a taxi ride. National Rail Enquiries. Plenty of trains through the day on Friday and Sunday – average journey time for direct trains seems to be 1hr 40 mins. Return ticket prices approx £37. No trains scheduled so far for 15/17 Sept but please check.

Accommodation in Kendal : If you haven’t booked accommodation yet . . . . you may have left it a bit late !!  but have a look at the earlier Kendal article May 2023 for some suggestions.   A quick look at booking.com (Friday 25 August) shows that there is still accommodation available in Kendal – so if you’re thinking of coming along get it booked!!

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Friday 15 September :  OoS start-of-the-weekend get-together at The Brewery Arts Centre from 7pm. Its located in the centre of Kendal – Brewery Arts Centre at 122A Highgate, Kendal LA9 4HE. We have reserved a number of tables in a section of the bar area – towards the back of the main bar area. The bar serves real ales and good quality food if you wish to dine here. You can eat in the area we’ve reserved or there is a restaurant (but you may wish to reserve a table) or there is plenty of outdoor seating if the weather is good. See menu. If you wish to dine early in the Brewery – there is a pizza and pasta special at £5 per dish served till 5pm – best to check beforehand if this is available. Or you may prefer to dine elsewhere in Kendal and meet us in the Brewery from 7pm onwards. We’ll be spending the evening in the Brewery bar.

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Saturday 16 September : The walk today is to Scout Scar, which offers fine views from the escarpment out towards the central Lakeland mountains and possibly Morecambe Bay, if its clear weather. Its approx 7 miles and will take us approx 4 hours. Meet at 11am at Kendal Town Hall in the centre of town. Alternatively, there is an option to miss out the first part of the walk – which is a long steady climb out of the town centre. Full details below. If you do not wish to do today’s walk, there are ample activities/tourist sights which you can check out and plenty of cafes/bars to sample.

Evening meal : Tonight we’ll be dining at the Riverside Hotel, Stramongate Bridge, Beezon Road, Kendal, LA9 6FS. Our table is booked in the Tannery Restaurant at 6.45pm so we suggest you aim to arrive by 6.30pm if possible.  The menu for our group meal is here : Dinner Menu 16 Sep and once you’ve had a look at it you can order your meal (and see how to pay pay for it !) here.

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Sunday 17 September

We will end the weekend with an easy 5-mile circular, scenic walk along the River Kent and Preston-Kendal Canal. It will take approx 3 hours but there is an alternative start point to make it a slightly shorter walk. Full details below. Meet at 11am at the Travelodge Kendal Town Centre. If you do not wish to do today’s walk there are ample activities/tourist sights to consider.

Looking forward to a great weekend and seeing everyone.

Dave H and Patrick.

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Walk Details: Saturday 16 September 2023 : Scout Scar, Kendal

This is a leisurely but moderate, circular 7-mile walk upto the Scout Scar escarpment. From Kendal, the route heads uphill out of the town centre, initially along residential roads until we reach Bradleyfields Farm and open countryside. Scout Scar offers fine views towards the central Lakeland mountains. We’ll stop for lunch at the Scout Scar ‘mushroom’ seat before walking along the edge of the escarpment to make the most of the spectacular views before retracing our route back into Kendal. The walk upto Scout Scar is a long and steady climb rather than steep and strenuous. There is alternative start point to omit the majority of the long steady climb.

Start time and meeting point : Meet at 11am infront of Kendal Town Hall, Highgate, which is in the town centre. Its an early start for our walk so that we can complete the walk and get back to our accommodations in plenty of time for the early dinner this evening. I anticipate that we should be back in Kendal between 3pm – 4pm.

Alternative start point: If you don’t fancy the long climb from the town centre there is some on-road parking bays about 50yds past the entrance to Bradleyfield Farm (What3Words: ///joke.remark.lion) which is on our route. Meet here at 12pm. This will reduce the overall length/duration of your walk. We will return to this point on the way back into Kendal. As roadside parking is limited here, I strongly suggest car sharing if possible.

Come prepared: Sturdy footwear/boots recommended. Suitable clothing/lotion for sun (fingers crossed!) or inclement weather – rain/wind. Please bring your lunch/drinks as there is nowhere on the escarpment to buy these.

Risk Assessment (16 April 2023)

• • This is a moderate walk involving a long steady climb out of Kendal town centre. There is some road walking and roads to cross – pavements are available but walkers must be alert to traffic.
  • The escarpment is a cliff with a steep drop – as we will be walking along the escarpment we will aim to keep well back from the edge – walkers must heed the walk leader’s guidance. We will be walking over rough uneven ground.
  • Our route crosses farmland where there are free-roaming cattle so dogs must be kept on a lead. There are a couple of cattle grids and gates to negotiate but no stiles.

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Walk Details: Sunday 17 September 2023 : River Kent and the Preston Canal, Kendal

This beautiful 5-mile circular walk from Kendal follows the fast-flowing, River Kent with some dramatic rapids and a disused section of the Preston Canal. We’ll be walking through some scenic countryside, a small wood and a gorge. Its an easy flat’ish walk barring one incline upto the canal – half way through the walk. It should take us approx 3 hours, along grassy/rocky footpaths which can be muddy in places, and a number of stiles. There is a shorter route which starts from the outskirts of the town centre – by the now closed Clarks Shoes warehouse.

Start time and meeting point : Meet at 11am at the Travelodge Kendal Town Centre, Riverside Place, Lound Road, Kendal LA9 7FW. (What3Words: ///remain.organ.asking) The hotel is on the A65, just over the Nether Bridge, by the River Kent. About a 10 min walk from the Town Hall. We should finish back at the start point by about 2pm – allowing plenty of time to head off home back to Manchester.

Alternative start point : This alternative starting point will reduce the walk by about 40 minutes but you will need to travel here by car. Meet at 11.45pm at Clarks Shoes warehouse, Natland Road, Kendal, LA9 7LR. (What3Words: /// festivity.reward.copy). Unfortunately, there is no car park here – just roadside parking which is limited. In April, when we did the reccy, there were no road/parking restrictions. Please do not double park – out of courtesy, best just to park up along one side of the road to allow traffic to pass in both directions.

Come prepared : Sturdy footwear/boots recommended. Suitable clothing/lotion for sun (fingers crossed!) or inclement weather – rain/wind. Please bring your lunch/drinks (if you want to have your lunch on the walk) as there is nowhere on the route to buy these. We’ll stop for lunch/rest about 12.45pm. There is one bench but please also bring something to sit on, on the grassy bank.

Risk Assessment (17 April 2023)

• • This is an easy, flat’ish walk with one short incline, half way through the walk.
  • There is some pavement/road walking out of Kendal but in the main, paths are grassy/rocky. Its likely the rocky path will be slippy and/or muddy in places after rain.
  • There are a number of narrow squeeze tiles, some traditional styles and a wall ladder stile (where larger protruding rocks make up the steps over the wall).
  • Our route crosses farmland where there are free-roaming cattle/sheep so dogs must be kept on a lead.

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Kendal Group Dinner | 16 September