Kendal, Shap, Penrith and Ullswater

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This delightful drive can be taken in either direction visiting Kendal and Penrith, both market towns and excellent for shopping. In between you will enjoy some of the finest scenery in the Lake District with a number of places to stop off for coffee or tea en-route.

Our suggestion is to travel anti-clockwise visiting Kendal first. Turn left out of the hotel car park to the end of College Road, go straight across leaving Windermere for Kendal.

There are a number of car parking options in the centre of Kendal all giving you excellent access to the shops. You will leave Kendal by the A6 road over Shap Summit.

Since the building of the M6 motorway,the A6 has been a pleasant quiet road giving you magnificent views of the eastern side of the Lakeland hills to your left and the Howgills to the right. You will pass the caravan sales site on the way up to the summit which was the famous Jungle Transport Café which sheltered drivers stranded in the winter snows on Shap which the older guests will remember. At the summit you will see a stone and commemorative plaque remembering the drivers who did not survive those winter journeys. Do stop and look at the plaque and the wonderful views.

The village of Shap is the centre of stone quarrying activity with limestone and granite quarries as well as a cement factory and a large works producing pre-cast concrete products. Shap Abbey is well worth a short diversion for those of you interested in ancient monuments. Although a ruin it has historical associations with the monasteries at Furness Abbey in south Cumbria and Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire. Between Shap and Penrith you will get wonderful views of the Pennines to your right.

Another diversion is to Haweswater, a man-made lake, built to supply water to Manchester, and is probably best remembered for running dry in the 1980's when the flooded village was again accessible to walkers bringing back memories and creating a tremendous visitor attraction. It is a beautiful valley well worth seeing even when full.

Penrith is an important market town with excellent shops. Although you will find many of the standard multiples in the Lakeland towns, the real joy is the smaller local businesses with a standard of care and service rarely found in the larger shops.

The return journey to Windermere is by leaving Penrith on the A66 signposted Keswick, passing over the M6 and turning left to Ullswater at the third roundabout. At this junction you will see the Rheged Centre (open all year) which is well worth a visit and you can also visit Dalemain (open Easter until end of September). Dalemain is one of the nicest small stately homes to be seen anywhere with lovely gardens, excellent tea room, and well worth a visit. Pooley Bridge is the nearest village with plenty of facilities. From here you will have a lovely ride alongside Ullswater with a stop off to visit Aira Force waterfall or in Glenridding for a sail on the lake steamer.

The road through Patterdale brings you over Kirkstone Pass, the highest pass in the area, and into Windermere or Ambleside if you prefer via the road junction near the very old Kirkstone Pass Inn.