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Kendal

Kendal is the closest big town to Garsdale, about twenty-five minutes' drive west, and the place to head for anything the dale cannot provide. It has many shops, large supermarkets, cafes and eating places, and a weekly market on Wednesdays and Saturdays - the nearest large supermarkets to Garsdale are here, which is worth knowing if you are stocking a self-catering cottage for the week.

The town has a castle, and the Brewery Arts Centre has cinema, music, theatre and comedy events along with children's daytime sessions, which makes it the nearest proper arts venue to the dale. The Westmorland General Hospital on Burton Road has an Urgent Treatment Centre for anything urgent but not life-threatening, and the leisure centre has a 25-metre pool with lane swimming and family sessions - the nearest swimming to Garsdale. Bank branches, phone shops and the other services that have disappeared from the small towns are all still in Kendal.

Kendal is also home of the famous Kendal Mint Cake, first made in 1869 by Joseph Wiper and prized for its energy-giving properties - it was carried on the 1953 Everest expedition, and it remains a favourite with walkers and climbers.

The Top Things to Do in Kendal

By visitor reviews on Tripadvisor, the top things to do in and around Kendal are Lakeland Maze Farm Park - a family farm attraction with a maize maze each summer, and the most-reviewed attraction in the area - followed by Kendal Castle, the ruined castle on the hill above the town with views over to the Howgills. Sizergh Castle, the National Trust medieval house just south of Kendal with 1,700 reviews, ranks third and pairs well with Levens Hall and its famous topiary on the same side of town.

The Brewery Arts Centre is in the top five as well, and the Lakeland Museum - the Museum of Lakeland Life in the same building - covers the area's social history. Foulshaw Moss, the Cumbria Wildlife Trust nature reserve with its osprey nest, is a short drive out of town on the way to Morecambe.

Getting There and Around

From Garsdale the route is down the dale through Sedbergh and on west, and Oxenholme station on the West Coast Main Line sits just outside town - the closest main line rail interchange to the cottages, useful for guests travelling from London or Scotland. Kendal also makes a good staging point for a day in the southern Lake District, with Ambleside around forty-five minutes further on.

Holiday Cottages Near Kendal

Our three self-catering holiday cottages sit in Garsdale, about twenty-five minutes up the dale from Kendal. Book direct with the owners for the best rates.

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