Welcome to Kendal Mountain Festival

Step into the vertical world for a session celebrating the stories, skills and spirit of climbing. From bold ascents and remote big walls to personal breakthroughs, community and the craft of moving through mountain terrain, the Climb Session brings together the people and films that capture what makes climbing so compelling.

Discover how to find joy and calm in the natural world with Caroline Quentin’s warm journey into nature, wherever you live and whatever your space. Following the success of her Sunday Times bestseller, Drawn to the Garden, Caroline Quentin returns with Drawn to Nature, a beautifully illustrated celebration of the outdoors in all its forms. Written in her familiar, conversational voice, this book invites you to reconnect with nature whether you nurture a sprawling garden, tend a single balcony pot, keep a few houseplants or simply delight in stepping outside. 

Join us for another legendary night as we bring you underground stories from near and far. Frank Pearson will update us on yet more big discoveries in the UK across the Dales, Forest of Dean and on Mendip; Becka Lawson brings us wild tales about exploration in Russia; and Todd Rye gives a first-hand account of the gruelling Three Counties Grand Traverse. Plus we bring you the premiere of Inside the Mountain, the unbelievable tale of Steve McClure and Molly Thompson-Smith free-climbing Gaping Ghyll main shaft, and we'll be joined by the film director and climbers for an exclusive Q&A afterwards.

We are delighted to welcome back acclaimed travel writer and cyclist Simon Parker to share his latest adventure: a remarkable journey by bike through all 15 of the UK’s national parks, undertaken during the anniversary year of the founding of the first, the Peak District. Along the way, what began as an ambitious cycling challenge became a life-changing exploration of landscapes, communities, and a nation in transition.