6 best national parks in the UK: my personal favourites

6 best national parks in the UK: my personal favourites

After visiting all 15 national parks in the UK, let's take a look at the best of them

Known as Britain's Breathing Spaces, the UK's 15 national parks are home to the most inspiring scenery Britain has to offer. There are 10 national parks in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland - all special in their own right.

It was difficult to narrow the list down to six. I had to skip the Broads, Britain's largest protected wetland, which also happens to be in my home county of Norfolk.

Even the mountains and moorlands of the Brecon Beacons or the idyllic New Forest cycle paths didn't quite make it.

There are a total of 15 national parks in Great Britain: 10 in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland.

6 best national parks in the UK

Everyone will have an opinion on the best national parks in the UK as they all offer something different. Each park I've excluded arguably deserves a spot on this list as they all offer something unique.

The six I've listed - in no particular order - all hold a special place in my heart, be it for extraordinary hiking, climbing or stargazing.

1. Dartmoor National Park

Location: Devon, England Size: 956 km2 Founded: 1951 Website: dartmoor.gov.uk

alt=“Britain’s best long-distance walks – Dartmoor – 4″>DreamtimeThe moorland of Dartmoor is dotted with torsens

I love Dartmoor and its famous tors as it is the only national park in England that allows wild camping. It is also less than an hour from Exeter and Plymouth and is relatively easy to get to from London. I try to make a trip there at least once a year.

• Lesen Sie unseren Artikel über die 10 besten Wanderungen im Dartmoor National Park

Almost half of the park is moorland and with its somewhat barren landscape it is easy to see why it was the setting for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic crime novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, starring detective Sherlock Holmes.

alt=”Best National Parks in Britain – Dartmoor – 6″>Atlas & BootsWild ponies can be seen on Dartmoor

Dartmoor also has a significant military history, dating back to the Napoleonic Wars. During World War II it was used to train troops for the D-Day landings and also served as an air base.

Today, three areas of the North Moor are still used for maneuvers and live-fire exercises. When that happens, flagpoles are put up to cordon off areas from the public, although they have never interrupted my trips there.

Across the moor, villages punctuate the landscape with tea rooms and traditional pubs serving cream teas and cask ales respectively.

Further reading: Dartmoor 365: An Exploration of Every One of the 365 Square Miles in the Dartmoor National Park

2. Cairngorms National Park

Location: Aberdeenshire, Angus, Moray, Perthshire and Kinross-shire, Scotland Size: 4,528 km2 Established: 2003 Website: cairngorms.co.uk

alt=“The best national parks in Europe Cairngorms- 13″>DreamtimeA run-down stone house in the Cairngorms

The Cairngorms are Britain's largest national park and my spiritual home. I have traveled to over 60 countries and still say Scotland is the most beautiful country I have ever seen. Catch it on a good day (there are a few a year!) and it is unrivaled in natural beauty with the Cairngorms at its heart.

Ever since my parents first took me camping in Scotland as a child, the Cairngorms have held a special place in my heart. I return to the area again and again, be it for summer hikes or winter mountaineering.

Scotland and its public access to land and water laws means that the Cairngorms offer an excellent opportunity for wild camping.

alt=”Winter mountaineering in the Cairngorms – 12″>Atlas & BootsWinter mountaineering in the Cairngorms

Although Ben Nevis, Scotland's highest mountain, lies to the west, the Cairngorms contain Britain's highest mountain range and its largest native forests.

The sheer size of the park means that it has a variety of landscapes to offer, including spectacularly crystal-clear rivers and lakes, rugged moorland and farmland, snow-capped peaks and ridges, castles and upland estates, as well as some of the most diverse wildlife in Britain.

Oh, and the whiskey is pretty good too!

Further reading: Pathfinder Cairngorms: The best short, medium and long highland walks in the Cairngorms National Park

3. Snowdonia National Park

Location: Gwynedd and Conwy, Wales Size: 2,176 km2 Established: 1951 Website: eryri-npa.gov.uk

alt="Snowdonia National Park with whales">Atlas & BootsSnowdonia is famous for its mountains and river gorges

Snowdonia is dominated by its rugged peaks, including the highest mountain in England and Wales, Snowdon at 1,085 m (3,560 ft). The razor-sharp Crib Goch route to the summit of Snowdon is one of the hairiest routes in Britain, offering some of the best alpine-style routes in the country in winter or equally strenuous climbing in summer.

alt=“Best National Parks in Britain -Snowdoania- 2″>Atlas & BootsClimbing Tryfan in 2010

My favorite thing to do in Snowdonia is camping in the village of Betws-y-Coed and seeing one of Britain's most famous peaks, Tryfan (918 m / 3,010 ft), along with the other surrounding Glyder Mountains (Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach et al).

alt="Tryfan and the Glyder Mountains">Atlas & BootsA rugged cliff of Tryfan and the Glyder Mountains

Snowdonia has much more to offer than mountains and climbing, including over 37km (23 miles) of dramatic coastline with sand dune-fringed beaches and rocky coves. There are also a variety of picturesque villages, steep river gorges, waterfalls, forested valleys, moors and moors.

Snowdonia is also an area steeped in culture and tradition with more than 26,000 people living in the park, more than half (62%) of whom speak Welsh.

Further reading: Short Walks Snowdonia: Twenty wonderful short country walks in Snowdonia National Park

4. Lake District National Park

Location: Cumbria, England Size: 2,362 km2 Established: 1951 Website: lakedistrict.gov.uk

alt=”Best National Parks in Britain – Lake District – 7″>DreamtimeA classic view of the Lake District

It would be criminal not to include the Lake District in a list of Britain's best national parks. It is home to England's highest mountain, the Scafell Pike at 978 m (3,209 ft), and the infamous Helvellyn at 950 m (3,117 ft) with its hair-raising Striding Edge ridge.

The Lake District is the most visited national park in the UK, with 15.8 million annual visitors and more than 23 million annual day visits. It is also the realm of the 214 Wainwright Fells, the hills and mountains described in Alfred Wainwright's classic seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells (1955-66).

Along with the mountains, of course, are the 16 main lakes from which it takes its name, as well as numerous smaller lakes that make it ideal for water sports such as sailing, canoeing, fishing and swimming.

alt=“The Striding Edge Ridge of Helvellyn”>DreamtimeThe Striding Edge Ridge of Helvellyn

I've camped, climbed and hiked in the Lake District several times over the years, but I think my fondest memory was cycling through the national park as part of the Coast to Coast cycle route in 2011.

The Lake District National Park has some of the best cycling routes in the country with a range of country lanes, approved cycle paths and bridleways suitable for all levels of experience. If you enjoy mountain biking, the forests of Whinlatter and Grizedale are criss-crossed with excellent off-road trails.

Further reading: The Lake District: High Level and Fell Walks: 30 Best Fell Walks

5. Northumberland National Park

Location: Northumberland, England Size: 1,049 km2 Established: 1956 Website: northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk

alt=“Britain's best long-distance walks -Northumberland- 9″>DreamtimeHadrian's Wall near Walltown

Wedged between the Scottish border and the industrial north-east, Northumberland National Park is the least visited of the UK's national parks. In addition, with just over 2,000 residents, it is also the least populated of the national parks in England and Wales.

• Lesen Sie unseren Artikel über die 12 besten Wanderungen im Northumberland National Park

I haven't spent nearly enough time exploring this harsh and remote land, where wild mountain goats still roam and the remains of Hadrian's Wall dot the landscape.

Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia and marked the northern border of the Roman Empire. Construction began in 122 AD under Emperor Hadrian to keep the “barbarians” out of the north.

alt=“The best national parks in Great Britain -Northumberland- 10″>DreamtimeSunset over the Cheviot Hills

The national park is also a designated Dark Sky Park, meaning it is kept free of artificial light pollution to promote astronomy in the area. In fact, it is the largest area of ​​protected night skies in Europe, making it the best national park in the UK for stargazing.

Further Reading: Northumberland (Official National Park Guide)

6. Yorkshire Valley National Park

Location: North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire, England Size: 2,178 km2 Established: 1954 Website: yorkshiredales.org.uk

alt=“The best national parks in Britain The view over the limestone pavement from the top of Malham Cove”>Atlas & BootsThe view over the limestone pavement from the top of Malham Cove

After moving to the area last year we had to add the Yorkshire Dales to this list. We live just outside the national park, so we regularly drive into the park - or sometimes even walk - for a short day hike or a few days of camping and trekking.

The Dales expanded by 24% in 2016 to a total area of ​​2,178 km2 and is famous for some of the most beautiful limestone landscapes in Britain. Cliffs, pavements and caves lie amid extensive heather moorland with rolling hills and dramatic waterfalls, all punctuated by miles of dry stone walls and picturesque villages.

• Lesen Sie unseren Artikel über die 12 besten Wanderungen in den Yorkshire Dales

The park attracts over 3.5 million visitors each year who explore the beautiful landscape on foot, by bike or kayak – to name just a few of the options available.

alt=“The best national parks in the British Yorkshire Dales “>Atlas & BootsDrystone walls around Gunnerside in the Dales

The Dales is also home to 41 mountains over 610m (2,000ft) - the height generally accepted as the benchmark for a mountain in Britain - and offers 41 great reasons to visit the Yorkshire Dales.

Further reading: Hiking in the Yorkshire Dales

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