Kendal Mint Cake is not quite a place to visit — it is a confection, a sugar-and-peppermint block that has been made in the town since at least 1869. But the story of how it became famous is so central to Kendal's identity that it warrants its own entry. The cake (not a cake at all, but a hard sugar-and-peppermint bar) fuelled mountaineers on Everest during the first ascent in 1953; Tensing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reportedly ate it near the summit. The Everest connection made Kendal Mint Cake internationally famous and it has been a standard item in walkers' pockets ever since.
Several confectionery companies in Kendal still produce it, and you can buy it in gift shops and outdoor equipment stores throughout the town. The two most established makers are Romneys and Wilson's, both producing versions in white and brown. It is intensely sweet and minty — restorative rather than elegant. Try it once, pack some for a long walk, understand why it has been popular for 150 years.