Kendal is compact enough to cover on foot in a day, and the pleasure is as much in the wandering as in any specific attraction. The medieval street plan — a long main spine with dozens of narrow yards branching off it — rewards exploration. The best attractions are the museums and historic sites; the surrounding landscape offers day trips into the Lake District.
The town's industrial heritage and Quaker connections give it more depth than most market towns. Kendal Mint Cake, the intensely sweet peppermint bar that has been made here since 1869, is sold everywhere and is worth trying at least once — it fuelled Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on the first ascent of Everest.