The mint cake, the castle, Sizergh, and Brewery Arts. Kendal is where the Lake District actually starts — and better than most people expect.
The southern Lakes gateway
Kendal is the gateway town for the Lake District — the last major town before the National Park boundary, the southern transport hub for the region, and the place most visitors drive through without realising what they're missing. The town itself is a serious market town with direct trains from London Euston (3 hours) and Manchester Piccadilly (1 hour 10 minutes), a famous network of medieval yards, and the best independent shopping in southern Cumbria.
Is Kendal worth visiting? Yes. Sizergh Castle sits three miles south — 750 years of one family, an extraordinary walled garden, and the Strickland family still living in a private apartment in the castle. Kendal Castle on the hill above the market is where Katherine Parr — sixth wife of Henry VIII — was born in 1512. Kendal Mint Cake is still made in the town, accidentally invented here in 1869 and taken to Everest by Edmund Hillary in 1953. And Brewery Arts on Highgate is one of the best arts centres in the north of England — cinema, theatre, live music and a serious bar all in one converted Victorian brewery.
Which is better, Kendal or Keswick? Different purposes. Keswick is full Lake District — Derwentwater, Catbells, Borrowdale, the northern fells right behind you. Kendal is the market town, the transport gateway, Sizergh Castle, Brewery Arts and proper independent shopping. If you want fells and lakes on your doorstep, Keswick. If you want a richer town life and you don't mind a 30-minute drive to the central Lakes, Kendal — and you'll get more done indoors when it rains.
A classic Kendal day: Sizergh Castle in the morning before the coaches arrive, lunch at the Brewery Arts café bar, an afternoon in the town centre yards and Kendal Castle ruins, evening film or live show at Brewery Arts. The free Lakes Planner builds the timed itinerary around your group, your budget and the weather.
Live conditions
Kendal is drier than the central Lakes — often the best base when the high fells are clouded in.
Tomorrow
12°
Tue
15°
Wed
11°
Live data via OpenWeatherMap · refreshes hourly
M6 Junction 36 is the main southern entry — slows on Friday afternoons. The A591 to Windermere can queue at peak holiday times.
3 miles south of Kendal · LA8 8AE
The page's biggest single attraction — 8,800 monthly searches alone. Below: the family history, the famous walled and rock gardens, the Katherine Parr correction (she was born at Kendal Castle, not Sizergh), who still lives there today, and yes — the Pokémon GO question.
A medieval castle and garden three miles south of Kendal, owned by the National Trust since 1950. The Strickland family have lived here since 1239 — more than 750 years — and remarkably still occupy a private apartment in the castle. The building is a peel tower at its core (built for defence against Scottish raids), extended over the centuries into a substantial manor house. The walled garden is one of the finest in the north of England.
The rock garden at Sizergh is nationally important — planted in the 1920s with limestone outcrops and alpine plants, it's one of the largest and best examples in NT ownership. The walled garden grows seasonal produce, cut flowers and heritage vegetables. In autumn the lime avenue is extraordinary. Allow an hour for the gardens alone — longer if you garden seriously yourself.
No — common confusion. Katherine Parr (Henry VIII's sixth and last wife) was born at Kendal Castle, not Sizergh, in 1512. The Parr family seat was Kendal Castle, the ruins of which still stand on the hill above the town. Sizergh belongs to the Strickland family. Both the Parr and Strickland families were prominent Westmorland families and would have known each other — but if you're following the Katherine Parr trail, Kendal Castle is where to go. It's free, open year round, on the hill above the market.
The Strickland family, owners for over 750 years, still live in a private apartment within the castle. The NT manages and opens the property to the public, but the family retain residence — making it one of the most unusual NT properties in England. You're visiting someone's home, in the most literal sense.
Yes — Sizergh Castle is a registered Pokémon GO Gym and there are several PokéStops in the grounds. Genuinely useful to mention if you play, completely uncontested in the world of National Trust property guides, and the kind of detail that makes a long walk round the gardens significantly more interesting for teenagers. The gym is at the castle itself; PokéStops are scattered through the estate.
Address
LA8 8AE
Opens
10:30am (seasonal)
Admission
NT free · non-mem pay
On-site
Sizergh Castle Café
Since 1869 · accidentally
One of the most famous food exports of any English market town — and almost never made on purpose the first time round.
Not a cake. A hard, white peppermint sugar bar — intensely sweet, high-energy, compact, and unchanged since 1869. Invented accidentally by Joseph Wiper when a batch of glacier mints went cloudy in the pan; he set it aside, came back to find it had crystallised into a brittle, shimmering slab. Edmund Hillary took it to the summit of Everest in 1953. It has been standard issue for British mountaineers, Arctic expeditions and endurance walkers for more than 150 years. There is genuinely no other food quite like it.
Three main manufacturers — all in Kendal, all available in town:
Skip the tourist gift shops on the high street — Romney's factory shop is fresher and cheaper.
122a Highgate · LA9 4HE
One of the best arts centres in the north of England — and the single biggest reason Kendal has a cultural life beyond being a market town. Cinema, theatre, live music, comedy, gallery, bar and café — all in one converted Victorian brewery on Highgate.
Two screens — a mix of independent, mainstream and special events. Check brewerarts.co.uk before you go. The best small-screen cinema in southern Cumbria.
Regular productions, touring shows, stand-up comedy and live music in a flexible main space. Programme runs year-round.
One of Kendal's best bars — craft beer list, decent wine, good coffee and proper food. Open daily. Sit out on the courtyard in summer.
Rotating exhibitions in the small gallery space. Free to browse during opening hours. Local artists and touring shows.
Address
122a Highgate · LA9 4HE
Website
brewerarts.co.uk
Park at
Westmorland Shopping Centre
Best for
Evening · couples · rain
In town
Free to visit, always open. The ruins of a 12th-century castle on a hill above the town, with views across to the Lakeland fells. Katherine Parr — sixth wife of Henry VIII — was born here in 1512. The ruins are atmospheric rather than spectacular — worth 45 minutes for the views and the history. Start from Castle Road, LA9 4DQ.
Free entry. Natural history, world archaeology, Wainwright's office reconstructed. Small, satisfying, free — under-rated. Station Road, LA9 5AL.
A network of medieval courtyards running off the main street — most tourists walk straight past them. Self-guided tour takes around 45 minutes. Independent shops and cafés tucked in.
Recently restored Georgian gallery — one of the finest small galleries in the north of England. Permanent and touring exhibitions. Check current opening status before visiting.
4 miles south of Kendal. The oldest topiary garden in the world (1694) — 400-year-old yew shapes you won't see anywhere else in England. Worth a separate visit.
Swimming pool, sports facilities, the standard rainy-day burn-off for kids. LA9 4HB.
Travel styles
Tap a style for hand-picked Kendal ideas for your group.
Kids love the castle exploration and the estate walk. Café on site. Allow 2–3 hours including the gardens. LA8 8AE.
Visit websiteSwimming pool and sports facilities. Reliable rainy-day burn-off. LA9 4HB.
Visit websiteFree entry. Natural history, hands-on exhibits, Wainwright's office. One of the best free museums in southern Cumbria. LA9 5AL.
Visit websiteStation Road, LA9 4BZ. Kids love the factory smells, the broken-piece bargains and the free samples. Buy a slab for the next walk.
Visit websiteFamily programme runs through school holidays — covers a wet afternoon brilliantly. LA9 4HE.
Visit websiteFree, open ruins, kids can run around. Katherine Parr was born here in 1512 — good history hook. LA9 4DQ.
View on Google MapsWant a timed itinerary built around your group?
Tell the planner your budget, transport and weather — it'll do the rest.
On foot
Three walks — the town castle, the Sizergh estate, and the limestone fell above the Lyth Valley.
Katherine Parr's birthplace
Distance
2 mi
Time
1 hr
Ascent
80 m
Free fell walk from the town. The ruins, the views, Katherine Parr's birthplace. Start from Castle Road.
Flat · river · woodland
Distance
2 mi
Time
1 hr
Ascent
Flat
Through the Sizergh estate and along the River Kent. Good for all ages, dog friendly, pram-friendly on the lower section.
Limestone fell · big views
Distance
5 mi
Time
2.5 hrs
Summit
235 m
The limestone escarpment above Kendal. Views over the Lyth Valley and into the fells. One of the best short walks near Kendal.
Where to park
Real prices, real postcodes. Westmorland Shopping Centre is the best multi-storey, Blackhall Road is the best value surface.
Best value covered multi-storey · central · LA9 4HB
Large surface car park · town centre · LA9 4BT
Closest to Museum & Castle · LA9 4DQ
For castle visits only · 3 mi south · LA8 8AE
Eat & drink
LA8 8DZ · gastropub in the castle grounds · best lunch after Sizergh
Visit website122a Highgate · LA9 4HE · best craft beer in Kendal · good food, good atmosphere
Visit websiteStricklandgate · traditional Kendal pub · good Cumbrian ales · proper local
On site at Sizergh · NT quality · seasonal menu · open during castle hours
Visit websiteIndependent Middle Eastern · one of Kendal's best lunches and dinners · book ahead
Visit websiteGood food, better atmosphere · pair with a film or theatre · LA9 4HE
Visit website3 miles south · gastropub at Sizergh · the local pick for a special-occasion lunch
Within reach
Orrest Head, lake cruises, boat hire, the Jetty Museum.
Things to do in WindermereStock Ghyll Force, Loughrigg, Hayes Garden Centre.
Things to do in AmblesideUllswater Steamers, Aira Force, Striding Edge.
Things to do in GlenriddingDerwentwater, Catbells, the Pencil Museum, Honister.
Things to do in KeswickFree, no sign-up. The planner times the day around the Sizergh opening, the Brewery Arts programme and the weather.
Open the free Lakes PlannerCommon questions
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