Kendal Pride: Plunge with Pride

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor
Plunge with Pride
Sarah Hewitt

Kendal Pride: Plunge with Pride at Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Cumbria 16 June 2024 Entrance is free — Visit now

Kendal Pride is back with an action packed programme for 2024. On the more extreme end of the spectrum, you can enter into the spirit of the weekend by joining plunge with pride, a celebratory (if slightly chilly) queer dip in the waters of Lake Windermere. Whether you’re trying to shake the after effects from the previous evening’s activities or you’re curious about trying wild swimming for the first time in a queer and body positive environment, it’s a great way to enter the water knowing you’re supported by a bunch of like minded people.

The plunge will be led by a group of experienced open water swimmers. Let them show you how joyful this experience can be as you reinvigorate your body and immerse yourself, in the most literal sense, in nature. There’s now a wealth of information on the benefits of plunging into lakes and (non-polluted) rivers. It can massively affect your mental health as well as providing the short term physical benefits of being a brilliant way to start your day and long term benefits of boosting your immune systems and creating proteins in your brain that can prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia. 

There’s no need to book, you simply need to turn up with your swimwear and towel. There will be changing facilities on site and refreshments available from Windermere Jetty Museum after leaving the water. 

The event is definitely more of a dip than a swim. It’s open to swimmers of all abilities and is designed to celebrate the community around wild swimming in an act of shared joy, rather than being an athletic challenge. Getting in the water is a challenge in itself and is more than enough!

There are so many more events taking place over the weekend of Kendal Pride. With cabaret shows, drum circles, film screenings, runs, balls and a dog show there’s so much more to discover via the Kendal Pride website.

Kendal Pride: Plunge with Pride at Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Cumbria 16 June 2024 Entrance is free Visit now

What's on at Abbot Hall Art Gallery

Where to go near Kendal Pride: Plunge with Pride

Cross Lane Projects, Kendal, Cumbria. Art gallery, artist studios and exhibition space
Kendal and Sedbergh
Gallery
Cross Lane Projects

Founded by artists Rebecca Scott and Mark Woods, Cross Lane Projects brings new contemporary art to Cumbria and is situated in a former Kendal Mint Cake factory in central Kendal.

Comida
Kendal and Sedbergh
Restaurant
Comida

Spanish inspired restaurant serves up Iberian classic dishes such as Spanish Omelette and Chorizo, plus many intriguing wines.

Fell Bar Brewery
Kendal and Sedbergh
Bar or Pub
Fell Bar Brewery

Fell Bar is an outlet for the Fell Brewery and a great independent venue in itself, with a broad range of connoisseur-level craft beers.

The Joshua Tree
Kendal and Sedbergh
Restaurant
The Joshua Tree

The Joshua Tree is a family-run, homely bistro and restaurant housed in a sixteenth century building, specialising in coffee and exquisite fish and meat dishes.

What's on: Activity

Until
ActivityLiverpool
Old Dock Tours, Liverpool

The Old Dock tour is a treat for younger and older visitors alike, fans of Liverpool’s maritime past, and anybody curious about local history.

£8.50 with concessions
Until
ActivityManchester
Sí Manchester Daily Tour

Sí Manchester’s daily tour is a brilliant way to get an overview of the city with tours running in both English and Spanish.

free entry

Culture Guides