Kendal’s biggest
Kendal Green
Park or garden
3.3 ha (8 acres)0.2 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.8 mi north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0C+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Kendal · parks, paths & countryside
33% of the land within 5 km of Kendal is National Park or National Landscape
The Lake District National Park reaches the edge of Kendal. 110 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.0 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Kendal add up to 0.9 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. Kendal grades C+ for the outdoors: #18 of 23 in Cumbria. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
0.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
67%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
110 km
4.0 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
33%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Lake District National Park
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Kendal?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside33% of the land within 5 km is Lake District National Park.A town of footpaths4.0 km of path per km², more than 80% of UK towns. The typical town has 3.0.Less park per person0.9 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1.
Kendal’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by dense footpaths. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Kendal grades C+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Kendal, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
C+
Better than 45% of UK towns#18 of 23 in Cumbria · 42nd of 60 UK towns its size
Public green space0.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
10out of
100
100
A park within a walk67%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
26out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape33%of the land within 5 km
85out of
100
100
Footpaths4.0 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
81out of
100
100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of
100
100
Graded, never part of the overall grade (like History and Civic life). It measures what is mapped: OS Open Greenspace leaves out woodland and open-access land that isn’t a park, and OpenStreetMap’s rural paths are more complete in some places than others.
Towns its size
Kendal is 42nd of 60 UK towns its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 26,400 to 31,600 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Kendal4.0
Towns its size3.3
Cumbria towns2.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Kendal0.9
Towns its size2.2
Cumbria towns2.0
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Kendal67%
Towns its size84%
Cumbria towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against towns its size, Kendal stands out most for path per km²: only 23 of the other 59 have more. It falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 58 of the others do better.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yate Gloucestershire | A+ | 4.3 | 99% | 6.8 | 11% |
| 2 | Jarrow Tyne and Wear | A+ | 5.3 | 90% | 6.1 | 0% |
| 3 | Northfleet Kent | A | 2 | 85% | 7.7 | 4% |
| 4 | Sevenoaks Kent | A | 8.1 | 76% | 3.8 | 70% |
| 5 | Stalybridge Greater Manchester | A | 5 | 82% | 4.8 | 12% |
| 6 | Ashington Northumberland | A | 5.6 | 83% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 7 | Penarth South Glamorgan | A | 3.5 | 83% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 8 | Witney Oxfordshire | A | 2.5 | 88% | 4.6 | 19% |
| 9 | Woodley Berkshire | A | 5 | 81% | 4.3 | 1% |
| 10 | Lancing and Sompting West Sussex | A | 1.8 | 80% | 3 | 37% |
| 11 | Prestwich Greater Manchester | A | 9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 12 | Totton Hampshire | A | 1.6 | 94% | 4.4 | 50% |
| 13 | Burntwood Staffordshire | A− | 5.3 | 81% | 3.4 | 12% |
| 14 | Ewell Surrey | A− | 7.5 | 89% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 15 | Stretford Greater Manchester | A− | 3.7 | 92% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 16 | Tadworth and Epsom Downs Surrey | A− | 3.4 | 65% | 5.3 | 16% |
| 17 | Great Yarmouth Norfolk | A− | 1.7 | 73% | 3.2 | 18% |
| 18 | Cleethorpes Lincolnshire | A− | 3 | 84% | 2.7 | 0% |
| 19 | Daventry Northamptonshire | A− | 4.1 | 99% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 20 | Eston North Yorkshire | B+ | 2.9 | 93% | 2.8 | 2% |
| 21 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | B+ | 3.5 | 84% | 2.9 | 2% |
| 22 | Cramlington Northumberland | B+ | 2.3 | 91% | 6.6 | 0% |
| 23 | Haverhill Suffolk | B+ | 2.4 | 91% | 5 | 0% |
| 24 | Longbenton Tyne and Wear | B+ | 3.3 | 80% | 6.2 | 0% |
| 25 | Deal Kent | B+ | 1 | 86% | 2.7 | 6% |
| 26 | Farnworth Greater Manchester | B+ | 3 | 85% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 27 | Pontypool Gwent | B+ | 3.6 | 93% | 1.8 | 7% |
| 28 | Colwyn Bay Clwyd | B+ | 1.9 | 77% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 29 | Windsor Berkshire | B | 5.5 | 83% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 30 | Shipley West Yorkshire | B | 2.1 | 87% | 6 | 0% |
| 31 | Consett County Durham | B | 1.7 | 87% | 3.1 | 19% |
| 32 | Darwen Lancashire | B | 2.2 | 89% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Witham Essex | B | 1.9 | 94% | 4.1 | 0% |
| 34 | Egham Surrey | B | 4.1 | 63% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 35 | Bushey Hertfordshire | B | 3.1 | 77% | 4 | 0% |
| 36 | Atherton Greater Manchester | B | 3.8 | 83% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 37 | Rhyl Clwyd | B | 1 | 84% | 2.2 | 7% |
| 38 | Evesham Worcestershire | B− | 1.7 | 80% | 3.5 | 4% |
| 39 | Stanford-le-Hope Essex | B− | 2.6 | 84% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 40 | Radcliffe Greater Manchester | B− | 1.7 | 86% | 4.2 | 0% |
| 41 | Melton Mowbray Leicestershire | B− | 3.3 | 84% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 42 | Kendal Cumbria | C+ | 0.9 | 67% | 4 | 33% |
| 43 | Horley Surrey | C+ | 1.9 | 84% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 44 | Newton Abbot Devon | C+ | 2.6 | 62% | 2.3 | 6% |
| 45 | Stratford-upon-Avon Warwickshire | C | 1.6 | 84% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 46 | Newark-on-Trent Nottinghamshire | C | 2.2 | 91% | 2 | 0% |
| 47 | Walton-on-Thames Surrey | C | 1.6 | 81% | 3.4 | 0% |
| 48 | Bedworth Warwickshire | C | 1.5 | 87% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 49 | Frome Somerset | C | 1.3 | 78% | 2.4 | 9% |
| 50 | Barnstaple Devon | C | 1.6 | 92% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 51 | Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire | C | 0.7 | 92% | 2.9 | 0% |
| 52 | Wickford Essex | C | 2.4 | 59% | 3 | 0% |
| 53 | Congleton Cheshire | C | 1.7 | 72% | 3.1 | 0% |
| 54 | Hertford Hertfordshire | C | 0.9 | 65% | 5.3 | 0% |
| 55 | Heywood Greater Manchester | C− | 1.3 | 80% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 56 | Heswall Merseyside | C− | 1.1 | 56% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 57 | Port Talbot West Glamorgan | C− | 1.3 | 68% | 1.1 | 0% |
| 58 | Ormskirk Lancashire | D | 1.5 | 80% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 59 | Spalding Lincolnshire | D | 1.1 | 85% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Wisbech Cambridgeshire | D | 1.2 | 79% | 1.4 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Kendal’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Kendal
The biggest is Kendal Green, 3.3 ha (8 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 6 named parks by size: 11 ha (28 acres) and 1 km of path
Parks & gardens 5.0 haPlaying fields 6.1 ha
The two biggest, Kendal Green and Jubilee Playing Field, are 61% of the named green space. 4 of the 6 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
Jubilee Playing Field
Playing field
3.5 ha (9 acres)0.3 km of path
5 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.9 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Abbot Hall Recreation Ground
Playing field
1.5 ha (4 acres)0.5 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Kendal
Playground 2 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Hawesmead Park
Park or garden
1.1 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Ford Park
Park or garden
0.6 ha (1 acres)0.2 km of path
0.6 mi southfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Kendal United Football Club
Playing field
1.2 ha (3 acres)
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Kendal
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
7 in 10 Kendal residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (67%)Further (34%)
Kendal67%
Towns its size84%
Cumbria towns84%
All UK towns83%
About 10,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 37 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 782 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Kendal
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the built-up area; circle size shows each one’s area. National Landscapes were called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty until 2023.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
National Park
Lake District
At the edge west2,362 km²since 195133% of the land within 5 km
Official site33% of the land within 5 km of Kendal is National Park or National Landscape, more than 85% of UK towns. Lake District National Park covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
3 waymarked walks pass through or near Kendal
110 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Kendal and the kilometre around it, 4.0 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Kendal to Sizergh along the River Kent, Sizergh5.4 km
Dales Way4.8 km
Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 4 (The Lake District Link)4.8 km
Close to home, the Kendal to Sizergh along the River Kent, Sizergh has 5 km of local walk within 2 km of the town. 2 regional routes pass through, including the Dales Way and Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 4 (The Lake District Link).
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Kendal: May to September
The town’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 7.9 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 160 | 142 | 118 | 81 | 86 | 94 | 114 | 137 | 133 | 169 | 171 | 194 |
April is the driest month (81 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 194 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 53 nights a year. The climate in Kendal →
Things to do
3 viewpoints, 37 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK town its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
3Viewpoints3× towns its size8Hills and peaks1Picnic sites37Playgroundsabout the same as towns its size1Campsites1Slipways
The nearest beaches
Kendal is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Mallows Bay17 mi from Kendal’s edge
DirectionsHalf Moon Bay19 mi from Kendal’s edge
DirectionsThe Beach20 mi from Kendal’s edge
DirectionsDouble Mills Beach33 mi from Kendal’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. The Environment Agency tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Castle Hill, at 93 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Kendal.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
The Helm0.9 mi from town
DirectionsThe Mushroom1.1 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 8
Castle Hill93 m (305 ft) · in town
DirectionsKendal Fell198 m (650 ft) · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsCunswick Scar207 m (679 ft) · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsScout Scar235 m (771 ft) · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsScout Scar (Wainwright)233 m (764 ft) · 1.1 mi from town
DirectionsBenson Knott319 m (1,047 ft) · 1.2 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 2 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 37
Abbot Hall Playgroundin town
DirectionsCastle Playgroundin town
DirectionsWhinlatter Drive Play Areain town
DirectionsPlus 34 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Natland Park Caravan Site0.3 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
LevensStaveleyMilnthorpeWindermereBowness-on-WindermereHolmeKendal
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kendal | C+ | 0.9 | 67% | 33% |
| Levens 4.3 mi | B | 0.8 | 100% | 53% |
| Staveley 4.7 mi | B | 1.7 | 85% | 89% |
| Milnthorpe 6.8 mi | C | 2.2 | 49% | 39% |
| Windermere 7.4 mi | A+ | 3.0 | 94% | 100% |
| Bowness-on-Windermere 7.5 mi | B | 1.7 | 76% | 100% |
| Holme 8.3 mi | A− | 2.8 | 100% | 25% |
Windermere, 7.4 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: 94% of its residents live within 400 m of a park. Milnthorpe, Windermere and Holme have at least twice Kendal’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Kendal
What is the biggest park in Kendal?
Kendal Green, 3.3 ha (8 acres). Jubilee Playing Field (3.5 ha) is second. 6 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Kendal near a National Park?
Lake District National Park reaches the edge of Kendal. It covers 2,362 km² and has been a National Park since 1951.
What are the best walks near Kendal?
3 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Kendal to Sizergh along the River Kent, Sizergh, Dales Way and Westmorland and Furness Way: Stage 4 (The Lake District Link).
What is the nearest beach to Kendal?
Mallows Bay, 17 mi from the edge of the town, then Half Moon Bay (19 mi). Kendal itself is inland.
How many people in Kendal live near a park?
67% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical UK town is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Kendal?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Kendal good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.0 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 81% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 10% (0.9 ha per 1,000 residents).
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Kendal’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Kendal’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks and green space: Ordnance Survey OS Open Greenspace (parks and gardens, playing fields, play spaces, and their access points). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik, 16 October 2026.
- Historic parks, listed buildings and monuments: Historic England, National Heritage List for England, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Rain and temperature: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the town; daylight calculated from its latitude.
- The sea: ONS Countries (December 2024) boundaries clipped to mean high water. Residents near a park: ONS Census 2021 output areas.
- Grade: TownRatings’ Outdoors Grade, ranked against UK towns only.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.