Known as The Gateway to The Lakes, the quaint Cumbrian market town of Kendal welcomes trains with a trundle along the famous National Park before they come to rest in a charming station with a stone-built shelter. Built in 1846, the station was initially opposed by poet laureate and long-time Lakes resident William Wordsworth, but he eventually relented and ended up buying shares in the rail's construction company.
Today, the single-platform, unstaffed station is a popular rail hub for walkers seeking to explore the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks between which Kendal sits. Beyond a good ramble, there is plenty on offer with the ruins of Kendal Castle and Kendal Museum - one of the oldest museums in the country - inspiring visitors, and the many eateries and pubs in the Highgate area offering a much-needed breather. The town centre is just a ten-minute walk from the station, so, sadly, you won't need a piece of Kendal Mint Cake to get there - the energy snack famously used by explorers Edmund Hillary and Ernest Shackleton, which put Kendal firmly on the international map.