The Kendal Mountain Festival is the sort of festival that makes you glad you live in the UK. Why go to Banff when the world’s finest adventure and mountain films are brought to your Lake District doorstep every November?
There are films aplenty plus speakers, workshops and an adventurer’s delight in the form of Basecamp, an indoor zone with brands like Sidetracked, Lowe Alpine and Rab all present (the parties are pretty legendary, too). A hallowed panel will also award the Boardman Tasker prize for mountain literature.
A word of advice from me: if you know you are going, buy your day tickets in advance to get you into all the screenings (except where noted on the programme). Do not, I repeat do not drive to the Lakes to find out that everything is sold out on a particular day. That might annoy you a little bit. Luckily, with so much else on and so many recognisable faces just about everything, it doesn’t actually matter. Go, mingle, learn, watch and come home inspired.
Visit KMF online today and get planning for next year. Held in a small Lake District town, accommodation can fill up early so attend to that as soon as you know you’re going.
