Castle Hill

Castle Hill. Its natural history. , Formed in the last Ice Age , You are walking on the site of former glacial activity more than 10,000 years ago as the ice retreated. A huge amount of rock under a glacier was moulded into the elongated whale-back-shaped hill that you see today. This is known as a drumlin. Kendal Castle stands on the steep end that faced into the glacier and the long gentle slope behind is in the NW/SW direction of the ice flow. There are many drumlins in Cumbria from Kirkby Lonsdale to Furness - we think Kendal's drumlin is the only one with a castle on top!, Grazing grew a meadow , Until the early 1990s, cattle and sheep grazed freely in the castle grounds as they had done for over 800 years. This has made a distinctive grassland with over 50 species of flowering plants, which can survive grazing animals. These include Creeping Buttercup, Ivy-leaved Speedwell, Creeping Thistle, Crested Dog's Tail and Timothy Grass. Regular mowing helps to preserve this ancient meadowland., Man-made the woodland , Take a stroll through the man-made broadleaf woodland. Trees have been regularly planted since 1815. Look out for oak, ash, beech, sycamore, hawthorn, blackthorn, cherry, sweet chestnut, willow, and birch. The woodland is home to common bird and mammal species. In spring, enjoy the primroses and bluebells; in summer, the dappled shade, in autumn, the berries and conkers; and in winter, the views of Kendal through the bare branches., Sculptures reflect landscape , After exploring, take a rest on the sculpture seats around Castle Hill designed by Alain Avers. The seats symbolise how this area was formed naturally then shaped by human action, in a relatively short period The seats resemble the erratic boulders deposited by the ice flow and the cut ledges reflect the continuous relationship between the natural and the built environment.