Kendal

"Pannus Mibi Panis" (Wool is our bread) is the ancient motto of Kendal, the southern gateway to the English Lake District. For centuries this was the centre of the region's wool trade. Kendal Green cloth was famous in Shakespeare's day and before.

Kendal, Parish Church c1925
Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith.

The administrative town of the ancient county of Westmorland (since 1974 incorporated into the new Cumbria) Kendal has long been a hive of activity. In the 1950s and 60s before the building of the M6 motorway it became almost impossible to move around, in the summer months especially, as the main A6 North-South road passed through its heart.

Kendal may technically be outside the the Lake District National Park but there's no doubt that this is Lakeland. The Abbot Hall gallery and the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry should not be missed by any Lake District enthusiast. Levens Hall and Sizergh Castle are nearby.

See our associate site hotel finder for hotels in or near Kendal