Kendal motorhome trip: four days in the Lake District

Day by day

1. Day 1: Glasgow to Kendal

   The M74 takes you south to the M6. Allow two and a half hours from the depot to the Kendal C&CC site on Shap Road, more if there is Friday traffic on the M6 north of Carnforth. The dog goes out first: the site sits on the bank of the River Kent and the path into Kendal town centre is less than a mile along the river.

   Spend the afternoon on foot. The Yards, a network of historic alleyways and lanes connecting the town's main streets, are Kendal's signature, and most of what you need for supplies is in there or on Stricklandgate. Kendal Castle ruins are a ten-minute walk uphill from the centre: medieval, roofless, with a clear view across the town and out to the Lakeland fells. The dog is welcome.

2. Day 2: Bowness and the western shore of Windermere

   Bowness-on-Windermere is about 9 miles from the site via the A591, about twenty minutes. The better option for the dog is the western shore: take the ferry across from Bowness to Ferry House and walk through the National Trust woodland to the Claife Viewing Station, a restored lakeside folly dating from 1790. Dogs are welcome on the west shore walks (at the time of writing).

   For the kids, the southern option is Fell Foot Park at the far end of Windermere: a National Trust park with a café, landing stages, and direct lake access. The kids can swim from the beach in summer while the dog waits on the grass outside the swimming area. Dogs welcome throughout the rest of the park (at the time of writing).

   The drive back to Kendal is thirty minutes.

3. Day 3: Rydal Water and Grasmere

   Head north on the A591. Rydal Water is about 15 miles from Kendal; park at Rydal village and walk the roughly three-mile circuit around the tarn. Mostly off-lead country, no sustained climbs, and it finishes back at the car park. Carry on two miles north to Grasmere.

   Grasmere village is small: park once, cover it on foot. Sarah Nelson's Gingerbread Shop occupies Church Cottage, the old village schoolhouse at the north end of the churchyard, and has been baking from the same recipe since 1854. The Grasmere lake circuit is around three and a half miles and dog-friendly, though some sections near the road require a lead. Allow time for a riverside walk back in Kendal before supper.

4. Day 4: Sizergh and home

   Sizergh Castle Estate is about four miles south of the Kendal site and directly on the route home. The National Trust garden has a well-regarded natural rock garden and several acres of mixed planting; dogs on leads throughout (at the time of writing). The café is a good last stop: coffee and something for the kids before the motorway, the dog under the table in the garden. Allow a couple of hours.

   From Sizergh, the M6 is a short drive east. Join northbound and the Glasgow depot is two and a half hours.

Is Kendal inside the Lake District National Park?

No. Kendal sits just outside the eastern boundary of the national park, which is part of why the C&CC site here tends to be quieter than sites inside the park in peak summer. Windermere is about 9 miles to the west; Grasmere is about 17 miles north on the A591. You get the access without fighting for a pitch in Ambleside.

Good to know

• C&CC pitch discount: your Atlas hire includes Camping and Caravanning Club membership, giving 25% off the pitch price at Kendal and every other C&CC site in the UK.
• Book ahead: the Kendal site fills quickly on bank holiday weekends and in late July and August. Book well in advance for those dates.
• Motorhome service area: the site has a motorhome service area on-site for emptying and filling without leaving.
• Dogs: Atlas vehicles are uniformly pet-friendly. Single small cleaning fee per hire, not per night. Bring your own dog bowls, bedding, and blankets; the dog kit is not supplied.
• Roads: the A591 between Kendal, Windermere, and Grasmere is well-surfaced and wide enough for a motorhome. Smaller valley roads can be tight; the A-roads are fine.
• Supplies: Booths and Sainsbury's are both within a mile of the site in Kendal town.
• What's included with every Atlas hire: first-driver insurance, national roadside cover, both Camping and Caravanning Club and Caravan and Motorhome Club memberships, full kitchen kit, gas, hook-up cable, and water hose. Bedding and towels are paid extras.

Plan your trip

Three nights, four days, the dog, and the Lakes on the doorstep.