Midwifery Walks

Elizabeth Thompson was a midwife practising in and around Kendal in the mid- to late 17th century. A diary, kept from 1669 to shortly before her death in 1675, lists the births she attended and the places where those births took place. The main walk will visit some of those sites, but you may also like to stroll around the parts of Kendal where Elizabeth lived and worked, and some information for this is included after the main walk.

This circular walk is routed around some of the outlying places to the west of Kendal where Elizabeth Thompson attended births. A couple of the houses are still standing and lived in, and these will be pointed out in the text.
The walk includes ancient tracks, woodland and forest, farmland and hamlets. It has stunning views especially at the beginning and end of the walk.