Great Britain Through It’s Natural And Beautiful Parks
The 15 natural parks at Britain hide some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.
In them you can find some of the best places for hiking, cycling, horse riding and many other adventure activities. If we add 15 national routes and about 50 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, we will have a lot to choose from when exploring the famous countryside of Great Britain.
ENGLAND:
In the southwest: Dartmoor | Exmoor
Despite being easily accessible by road, these two areas of rugged moors offer an authentic sense of remoteness and escape. In Dartmoor it is possible to practice free camping, and both parks are great for hiking, have breeds of ponies native to the region and are excellent for riding.
Exmoor has the tallest tree in England and hosts almost 250 species of birds.
In the southeast: New Forest | South Downs
The New Forest National Park is famous for its heather and ancestral forest areas; Guillermo el Conquistador was the first to declare protected areas almost 1,000 years ago. Ponies browse heather fields and deer jump between beech and twisted oaks.
To the east of the New Forest is South Downs, an area that covers about 160 km in length from the edge of Winchester to Beachy Head. It is best known for the steep slopes that lead to the steep white cliffs of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head.
In the East: The Broads
This wide expanse of eastern England is one of the most important wetlands in Europe. The best way to cross the 200 km of canals bordered by ancient churches, pubs and mills is by boat.
In the heart of England: Peak District
The first national park of Great Britain, which is the busiest in Europe, has a varied landscape, with moors covered with heather, dark limestone caves, gentle hills and rocky promontories. It spans several counties in the center-north of England and, in addition to being a climbing center, is the landscape that inspired the novelist Jane Austen.
In the northwest: Lake District
The 16 beautiful lakes and highest mountains in England, accompanied by the deep valleys and the coastal coastline of Cumbria and the Lake District have captivated generations of visitors and served as inspiration to famous writers and poets such as William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. But they offer more than just landscape. The area has a rich heritage to discover, a modern cultural environment and the good reputation of its gastronomy is increasing.
In the northeast: Northumberland | North York Moors| Yorkshire Dales
Listen to the bird calls of the plateaus, stroll through villages with picturesque stone houses, make sand castles or relax and let the hours pass. You have around you the traces of past generations: historic abbeys, castles equipped for battle, churches, crosses and ancient paths.
The Northumberland National Park extends from Hadrian’s Wall to the Scottish border, while the North York Moors extends westward from the Yorkshire coast. The Yorkshire Dales park crosses the center of the Pennines in the counties of North Yorkshire and Cumbria, and is a popular destination for hiking, cycling and horse riding.
SCOTLAND
In the center of the Highlands: Cairngorms
Explore one of the few areas of authentic wild nature in Europe, and home to red deer, osprey and golden eagles. Its mountains, valleys and lakes have inspired generations of visitors and its majesty represents, for many, the ideal image of the Scottish landscape.
In the downtown area: Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
The “beautiful, beautiful banks” of Loch Lomond, immortalized in verses and songs, are a sample of the Highlands of Scotland, located only an hour away from Glasgow. Cross the lake in steam, climb the Ben Lomond stop, visit Rob Roy’s tomb or taste the local whiskey at the Loch Lomond distillery.
WELSH
In the north: Snowdonia
The famous highlands of Wales are known for their rugged mountains, the haunting natural landscapes and the gray-green slate villages. But you will also find hidden valleys, the famous steam trains and some of the most impressive castles in Britain.
In the southern area: Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons National Park is a spectacular landscape area covering 872 km2 in central Wales. It extends from Hay-on-Wye in the east to Llandeilo in the west and has four mountain ranges; that of the Black Mountains in the east, Central Beacons, Fforest Fawr and that of Black Mountain (Mynydd Du) to the west. Do not forget to visit the charming villages of Crickhowell and Abergavenny, famous for their gastronomy festival.
In the southeast: Pembrokeshire
The only national park in Great Britain really on the coast is a wide half-moon territory full of beaches, cliffs and wild hills that is both a sanctuary for wildlife and a center for water sports. It also has the smallest cathedral city in Britain, the charming St David’s, and the 300-km-long Pembrokeshire Coast Path, which boasts some of the finest seascapes in Britain.
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
“Beautiful landscapes whose unique characteristics and natural beauty are so outstanding that it is convenient to protect them in the interests of the nation.”
In England and Wales there are 40 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty that cover from littorals to alluvial plains; 35 of them are in England, 4 are in Wales and the last crosses the border between the two countries. There are also 9 of them in Northern Ireland.
If you’re looking for natural beauty, these areas will enchant you.
