The Urban Paths of Kendal

Not all footpaths are in our countryside – and we should fight to preserve the status and character of urban paths as much as the rural ones. And that includes making sure that their nature isn’t ever changed.

Recently we’ve been rambling around the streets surrounding Kendal – something that we only really started doing a few months ago. And we’ve been surprised by the character and history of the place, not to mention the diverse and stunning architecture of a great many of the houses and other buildings.

Not that Kendal’s exactly new to me – I first visited the place nearly sixty years ago and have been a regular visitor for the past thirty years. The place you go when you are in the Lakes, a great cinema and arts centre, shops etc.

We go there once a month to shop, and to trawl the charity shops in search of books etc. But we always go early – incidentally, it only cost a £1 – yes a single quid – to park on the multi-storey if you get in there between 7 and 9 in the morning. A quid for all day parking – someone on the council has got his or her head screwed on the right way, because that benefits the local shops as well as visitors. There is, of course, also a couple of railway stations and a very good bus service too.

And as you explore the streets above the shops – up towards the original castle – you’ll also find a number of lovely ancient paths and flights of steps, all of great character. Footpaths of great charm, little changed for generations, some blocked with stones to prevent traffic, leaving the enjoyment of them to pedestrians. Some are cobbled. Others sheltered by stone walls.

Go and seek them out in those early hours of the day when you’ll probably have them all to yourself. For there’s a secret Kendal there that few visitors ever bother to see.