Accessibility

We believe that both the outdoors and the arts should be accessible to everyone. We are continually working to make our events welcoming and memorable for all.If you have any questions or would like to book with us directly, please email info@moutainfest.co.uk or call 01539 732567, and we will be happy to help.

OVERVIEW:

• All our main Festival venues are wheelchair accessible, including Basecamp. If you have a ticket for one of our Secret Sessions and require any accessibility information or assistance, please get in touch with us.• Events with visual or auditory accessibility features will be tagged, e.g., “Access – Audio Description” on our booking page.• We offer free tickets to carers/companions for those with accessibility requirements. You can register for a Pass to enable you to book these tickets yourself, following the link below, or you can get in contact with us directly.• We have introduced a new safe space in Basecamp – The Pilgrim's Refuge is a warm and welcoming yurt, where low-key sessions will be taking place at various points over the Festival, including morning meditations and gentle music. This can be used as a refuge from the busy atmosphere; a place to sit by the wood burner and enjoy some peace and quiet.• We recommend visiting Basecamp within our Quiet Hours (Friday 9:30-10:30am, Sunday 9:30-10:30am) if you struggle with busy or noisy environments.• We are introducing Relaxed Screenings in the Brewery Arts Centre’s Digital Lounge – see below for more information.• The majority of films screened at the Festival are subtitled, and we are working to make this an official policy across all content. Please see below for more information.

Booking with us

We offer free carer tickets to anyone who may require them for disability or access reasons.

We’ve introduced Passes to make it easier to book these tickets directly. To book a carer or wheelchair user ticket, please register here. For more information about the relevant Pass, please see the dropdowns below.

Once you’ve submitted your request, the Pass will be added to your account and you’ll be able to start booking tickets. Please make sure you read your confirmation email carefully, as it contains important information about how to use your Pass.

If you have any questions before booking, or would prefer to book tickets with us directly, please email us at info@mountainfest.co.uk or call us on 01539 732567.

Our phone lines are open 9am–5pm, Monday to Friday.

Wheelchair User & Carer Ticket Pass

This enables you to book an applicable full-price ticket in a dedicated wheelchair space and a free carer ticket.Register for Wheelchair User and Carer Ticket Pass

Eligibility:

Please upload a picture of one of the following when claiming the Pass:

Active CEA CardDisability Living Allowance (DLA)Personal Independence Payment (PIP)Attendance Allowance Award LetterAdult Disability PaymentChild Disability Payment.Severely Sight Impaired Registration (formerly Registered Blind)Sight Impaired Registration (formerly Partially Sighted)

If you don’t meet any of the above criteria, please get in contact with us directly, and the application will be considered on an individual basis.

Carer Pass

This enables you to book a free carer's ticket alongside an applicable full-price ticket. You must attend the event with the person you are a carer for, and all of your tickets must be booked under the same account.

Register for Carer Pass 

Eligibility:

Please upload a picture of one of the following when claiming the Pass:

Active CEA CardDisability Living Allowance (DLA)Personal Independence Payment (PIP)Attendance Allowance Award LetterAdult Disability PaymentChild Disability Payment.Severely Sight Impaired Registration (formerly Registered Blind)Sight Impaired Registration (formerly Partially Sighted)

If you don’t meet any of the above criteria, please get in contact with us directly, and the application will be considered on an individual basis.

Venues with Allocated Seating

In the lead-up to the Festival, we keep seats reserved at the front and sides in all of our allocated seating venues. Please get in touch if you would like to book seats in these locations, either via info@mountainfest.co.uk or 01539 732567. Our phone lines are open 9am–5pm.

Wheelchair/Mobility Equipment Hire

You can hire mobility equipment equipment from:

The South Lakes Mobility ShopUnit 6, Library Road, LA94QB01539 734600

The Red CrossAynam Mills, Kendal01539734289

Audio Description (AD), Descriptive Captions, and BSL Interpreters

We work with filmmakers to screen a number of films with Audio Description (AD) and Descriptive Captions, and a BSL interpreter will be provided for these events on request.

Events with these features will be tagged on the ticketing site, e.g., “Access – Audio Description”.

To request a BSL interpreter, please book a BSL ticket for the event by the 1st of November 2026, by clicking "Get Tickets", then "Standard, with BSL Interpreter".

In our first event release, we announced the feature film Underland, a screening followed by a Q&A with Robert Macfarlane and director Rob Petit. The film will feature Audio Description and Descriptive Captions and a BSL interpreter will be provided upon request. To do this, please book a BSL ticket by the 1st of November 2026,

Visit Underland event page

Our film competition deadline is the 1st of September, and our full film programme launches in October. Further films with AD and Descriptive Captions will be included within the full film programme.

If you have any questions, or you would like more support with your booking you can email us directly, and we will be happy to help you. Please email us at info@mountainfest.co.uk or call us on 01539 732567. Our phone lines are open 9am–5pm.

Subtitles and Captioning

All of our English language subtitled films are tagged with “Access – English Subtitles” on our ticket booking platform. We aim to subtitle all feature films and films in collections – any films in our collections that aren’t subtitled will be noted on the ticketing site.

We are working to introduce live auto-captions to our events, a technology we will be rolling out at some events this year – these will be labelled on our ticketing platform as “Access – Live Auto-captions”. More information is coming soon!

Safe Spaces

We now have a dedicated safe space in Basecamp!

The Pilgrim's Refuge is a warm and welcoming yurt, where low-key sessions will be taking place at various points over the Festival, including morning meditations and gentle live music. This can be used as a refuge from the busy atmosphere of Basecamp; a place to sit by the wood burner and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Relaxed Screenings

Our relaxed screenings will take place in the Brewery Arts' Digital Lounge

Here we have a selection of films that are also being shown elsewhere at the festival. The lights will not be dimmed all the way, the audio will be slightly quieter, and you will be free to move in and out of this space as you need. These are announced as part of our film programme in October, and labelled "Access: Relaxed Screening" on our ticketing site.

Basecamp Accessibility

The part we build ourselves

The majority of our Festival venues are existing buildings around Kendal; see below for the accessibility details of each venue. Basecamp is the part of the Festival we build ourselves, and is home to free talks, food concessions, and a whole host of interactive stands and activities.

During the Festival, there will be 80+ free talks from athletes, adventurers, filmmakers, charities, and community groups, taking place across our four Basecamp stages. We now have Bluetooth Headphones available at both our Bothy and Adventure stages, enabling you to filter out the background noise and engage with each conversation.

Basecamp is wheelchair accessible with step-free access. This is a busy space and can be difficult to navigate at its busiest times. If you would like to visit this space at a quieter time, we recommend using our Quiet Hours – Friday 9:30-10:30am and Sunday 9:30-10:30am. Our scheduled talks on the Basecamp Stages will be calmer and more low-key and we will encourage a quiet atmosphere across partner organisations and Festival-goers at this time.

Our Basecamp stages are wheelchair accessible via ramps. Due to the layout of the stage and seating, the ramps are brought out whenever required. They are not permanently fixed as this would mean removing the front row of seating, which we want to be accessible for those who need to sit at the front to lipread or require extra legroom.

We have introduced Priority Seating signs which will be placed on the front row of seats at these stages – these seats are to be offered to anybody who needs them, functioning in the same way as priority seating on a bus or train.

Accessibility by Venue

Here is a list of the accessibility provisions of each venue we work with. For further questions, please ring us at 01539 732567 between 9am-5pm, or the relevant venue, using the phone numbers below.

Basecamp• Phone: 01539 732567• Address: Kirkland, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5AL• Wheelchair access: Yes – please bear in mind this is a very busy space. Quiet Hours are between 9:30-10:30AM on Friday and Sunday.• Accessible toilets: Yes, near the Abbot Hall Gallery.• Lift: N/A• Wheelchair space: yes, seating at our stages is easily rearranged so we can ensure there is space for wheelchair users to watch talks. We will have a number of marked Priority Seats for those who need them.• Blue Badge parking: Peppercorn Carpark, 3 x spaces.• Assistance dogs: Dogs are permitted in the Food Court and Abbot Hall Car Park areas of Basecamp. Only assistance dogs are permitted inside the tented Basecamp area as this is a busy space.

Leisure Centre• Phone: 01539 729777• Address: Burton Rd, Kendal LA9 7HX• Wheelchair access: Yes• Accessible toilets: Yes• Lift: Yes• Wheelchair capacity: 2 x wheelchair users with companions.• Blue Badge parking: 8 x spaces

Brewery Arts Centre• Phone: 01539 725133• Address: 122A Highgate, Kendal LA9 4HE• Wheelchair access: There is wheelchair access to each screen.• Accessible toilets: Yes• Lift: Yes• Wheelchair capacity: 2 x wheelchair users with companions in all venues other than the Theatre, which has space for 4 x wheelchair users and companions.• Blue Badge parking: 4 x spaces, free for Blue Badge Holders for 3 hours with clock disk.• The Theatre is located on the ground floor in the main foyer.• The Cinema building is accessible via either the steps, an external access ramp, or the lift in the main foyer.• The Digital Lounge is to the right of the Cinema building and fully accessible.• The Studio is situated on the 3rd floor, accessible by lift.• The Malt Room is on the mezzanine floor, accessible by lift.• All external staircases are short, have handrails and are interspersed by landing areas. Wheelchair accessible toilets are located on all floors.• Visit venue accessibility page• Visit venue walkthrough video

Kendal Town Hall• Phone: 01539 885430• Address: 9a Lowther St, Kendal LA9 4DA• Wheelchair access: Yes• Accessible toilets: Yes• Lift: Yes• Wheelchair capacity: 9 x wheelchair users with companions.• Blue Badge parking: 6 x spaces behind Town Hall, not owned by venue.• The Assembly Room is on the first floor and has disabled access by passenger lift with exception to the balcony.

The Box at Kendal College• Phone: 01539 814700• Address: Station Road, Kendal, LA9 6BT• Wheelchair access: Yes• Accessible toilets: Yes• Wheelchair capacity: 2 x wheelchair users with companions.• Blue Badge parking: limited spaces at the adjacent Kendal Museum car park.

Abbott Hall Social Centre• Phone: N/A• Address: Dowker's Ln, Kendal LA9 4DN• Wheelchair access: Yes• Accessible toilets: Yes• Lift: N/A• Wheelchair capacity: Seating is not fixed in place, so can be rearranged to accommodate any number of wheelchairs.• Blue Badge parking: 2 x spaces at the building, plus 3 x spaces in neighbouring Peppercorn Lane Car Park.

The Venue at The Barrel House• Phone: 07823 347763• Address: Unit 10, Castle Mills, Aynam Road, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 7DE• Wheelchair access: Yes• Accessible toilets: Yes• Wheelchair capacity: Furniture and seating is not fixed in place, so can be rearranged to accommodate any number of wheelchairs.• Blue Badge parking: No

Kendal Climbing Wall• Phone: 01539 721766• Address: Unit 27, Lake District Business Park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6NH• Wheelchair access: Access to reception via either a ramp or a few steps. Access to our main roped climbing areas is possible for those with limited mobility or in a wheelchair. However, some climbing facilities are located upstairs to which there is no access other than via stairs.• Lift: No• Accessible toilets: Yes• Wheelchair capacity: N/A• Blue Badge parking: No, but there is on-site parking with unmarked bays.• Please ring the wall if you have any questions about using the facilities with any additional accessibility requirements.

Bakery No.4• Phone: 07500 772134• Address: 40 Woolpack Yard, Kendal LA9 4NG• Wheelchair access: The main cafe on the ground floor is wheelchair accessible, but the 1st floor is accessed by a set of stairs.• Lift: No• Accessible toilets: No. Toilets are accessed by a short set of steps.• Blue Badge parking: No, the nearest accessible parking is M&S car park.

The Elsewhere Bar• Phone: 01539 241654• Address: 5 Wainwrights Yard, Kendal LA9 4DP• Wheelchair access: the main part of the bar is wheelchair accessible. The upstairs mezzanine is accessed by a set of stairs.• Lift: No• Accessible toilets: Yes• Blue Badge parking: No, the nearest accessible parking is Booths car park.

Quaker Tapestry Museum• Phone: 01539 722975• Address: Friends Meeting House, Stramongate, Kendal LA9 4BH• Wheelchair access: enter via the Stramongate entrance for step-free access with automatic doors.• Lift: N/A• Accessible toilets: Yes• Blue Badge parking: there is a small car park with one disabled space. Kendal's multi-storey car park is 100 yards away.

Festival Map

We have now launched our Interactive Festival Map with further information about the accessibility of our venues and of the local businesses around Kendal that we are partnering with or recommend you visit over the Festival.Please note, the precise layout of Basecamp changes slightly each year. The map is currently being updated to show the layout for 2026!

Visit Interactive Festival Map

Sunflower Lanyards

If you use a sunflower lanyard and are happy to wear this at the Festival, this will help our volunteers identify anybody who might need additional help or time to access our events.

Online Festival

If you are unable to join us in person or prefer tuning in from your own home, a huge amount of our Festival content will be available to watch online.

Visit Kendal Mountain Player

Blue Bay Parking

Below, we have a link to a map of parking in Kendal – this can be filtered to show only Blue Badge spaces.

Visit parking map

© Kendal Mountain Festival 2026
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