At Kendal I received a warm welcome from Jan at Kendal Hostel (currently closed), right in the middle of town. Jan, a Blue Badge guide, gave me a wealth of information on the town. In the evening I set off to see what was on offer at the Brewery Arts Centre behind the hostel.
One place I just had to revisit on my short trip to the lake district hostels around Kendal was Blackwell, the Arts and Crafts house, only a short drive from Bowness on Windemere. To see once again it’s stunning stained glass and sit on the window-seat looking down to the lake. The exhibition (until 12 May)- “New Glass Ancient Skill, Contemporary Artform” had some beautiful exhibits and showed me new uses of glass which I was unaware. What a beautiful house with a very good tearoom too!
Heading back to Kendal I received a warm welcome from Jan at KENDAL HOSTEL, right in the middle of town, with conveniently adjacent parking at at £1.20 for the night. Jan, a Blue Badge guide, gave me a wealth of information on the town. In the evening I left the hostel and set off to see what was on offer at the Brewery Arts Centre behind the hostel. In the reception area, with its big settees and log fires, I was delighted to find I had the choice of a band or the film “Amour” in a very cosy cinema with a row of comfy chairs down one side of the aisle and a row of settees down the other. Not the most cheerful film but a good way to spend an evening on ones own with others having the same idea. After a good nights sleep, exploring Kendal in the morning I certainly felt I could return and be spoilt for choice choosing how to pass the time, with a walk to the castle, the Abbot Hall Art Gallery, the friendly museum (which I visited briefly) and a good mix of high street shops such as the TK Max and Monsoon mixed in with independent retailers and cafes, some in the interesting little alleyways and courtyards of the textile industry. A look through the window of the Staff of Life Bakery gave me the idea of coming back to do some of their breadmaking courses. Sadly I had to leave Kendal to join my walking group on the way to Keswick.