National parks protect the UK’s wildest and most beautiful landscapes, and unlike in many countries they are lived in places, with villages, farms and pubs. You do not need a ticket to enter any of them. There are fifteen across England, Scotland and Wales, from mountains to heathland to coast.
These eight make a good first list. For each, we have included where to base yourself, what to do and a few tips. Remember that the weather can change quickly in the hills, so pack waterproofs and warm layers, and always follow the countryside code.
1. The Peak District
The Peak District was the UK’s first national park, created in 1951. It lies between Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Stoke-on-Trent, which means millions of people live within an hour of it. It is one of the most visited national parks in the world.
The park has two different landscapes. The Dark Peak, in the north, is a wild land of gritstone edges and heather moorland, including Kinder Scout, where a famous mass trespass in 1932 helped win the right to roam. The White Peak, in the south, is a gentler landscape of limestone dales, stone walls and villages.
Mam Tor, a hill above the village of Castleton, has a ridge walk with wonderful views, and Castleton itself has caves you can explore, including one reached by boat. Bakewell is famous for its pudding, not to be confused with a Bakewell tart. Chatsworth, one of the greatest country houses in Britain, is nearby.
The Monsal Trail, a former railway line with tunnels and viaducts, is lovely for walking and cycling. Trains run from Manchester and Sheffield to Edale and other villages in the Hope Valley. Weekends are very busy, so arrive early for parking or be dropped off.
2. The Lake District
The Lake District, in Cumbria, is England’s largest national park, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has sixteen major lakes and the highest mountains in England, including Scafell Pike, at nine hundred and seventy eight metres. It has inspired poets, painters and walkers for centuries.
Keswick, beside Derwentwater, is the best base for walking, with fells such as Catbells, Skiddaw and Blencathra close by. Windermere and Bowness are the best bases for boats and easy strolls, with lake cruises on England’s largest natural lake. Grasmere and Ambleside are lovely villages in between.
Wordsworth’s homes at Grasmere and Rydal, and Beatrix Potter’s farmhouse, Hill Top, are open to visitors. Steamers cruise Ullswater and Coniston Water too. There are walks for every ability, from lakeshore paths to mountain ridges.
The Lake District is busy in summer and at weekends, and the roads can be congested. Parking is scarce in the most popular villages. It rains often, so bring waterproofs, and plan some wet weather options.
3. Eryri (Snowdonia)
Eryri, in north Wales, became a national park in 1951, and it has the highest mountains in England and Wales. Its name in Welsh is now used officially. It is a place of jagged peaks, deep glacial valleys, lakes and waterfalls.
Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales, is the summit most people aim for, on foot or by the Snowdon Mountain Railway from Llanberis. Tryfan and the Glyderau offer more challenging scrambles. Betws-y-Coed, a village of waterfalls and woodland, is a popular base, with Swallow Falls nearby.
The park is also home to slate villages such as Blaenau Ffestiniog, where the Ffestiniog Railway, the oldest railway company in the world still operating, runs down to the coast at Porthmadog. Llyn Tegid, or Bala Lake, is the largest natural lake in Wales. The Welsh language is spoken widely in the area.
Eryri has adventure sports, from zip lines to surfing on an inland lagoon. The weather on the mountains can be severe, so check the forecast and go prepared. Parking at the most popular trailheads fills early, and there are park and ride buses.
4. The Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales, in the north of England, became a national park in 1954, and it was extended in 2016. It is a landscape of green valleys, known as dales, separated by high moors and dotted with stone villages, dry stone walls and field barns. Its limestone scenery is some of the finest in Britain.
Malham Cove, a huge curved limestone cliff with a limestone pavement on top, is one of the most famous sights. Gordale Scar, a dramatic gorge nearby, and Janet’s Foss, a small waterfall, make a lovely circular walk. Aysgarth Falls, in Wensleydale, is a series of waterfalls on the River Ure.
The Ribblehead Viaduct, on the Settle to Carlisle Railway, is a spectacular piece of Victorian engineering. The Yorkshire Three Peaks, Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, are a famous challenge. The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail is a lovely walk past a series of falls.
Hawes, in Wensleydale, is home to the creamery that makes Wensleydale cheese. The Dales have many cosy pubs and tea rooms. Settle, Skipton and Grassington are good bases.
5. The Cairngorms
The Cairngorms, in the Scottish Highlands, is the largest national park in the UK, created in 2003. It includes high mountains, ancient forests, lochs and rivers. It is one of the wildest places in Britain.
The park is home to some of the last remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forest, which once covered much of Scotland. Rothiemurchus and Abernethy are lovely places to walk among the old pines. Red squirrels, ospreys and rare birds live here.
Britain’s only free ranging herd of reindeer lives in the Cairngorms, and you can visit them with the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre. The Highland Wildlife Park, near Kingussie, has polar bears, Scottish wildcats and other animals. Balmoral, the royal estate, is on the eastern side of the park.
Aviemore is the main base, with hotels, shops and restaurants. The Strathspey Railway, a heritage steam railway, runs from Aviemore. In winter, the Cairngorms have some of Britain’s best ski areas, and the weather on the high tops can be arctic.
6. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, created in 2002, was Scotland’s first national park. It is less than an hour from Glasgow, which makes it one of the most accessible wild places in Britain. It is often called the Highlands in miniature.
Loch Lomond, the largest loch in Britain by surface area, is dotted with islands. Boat trips and water buses run from Balloch, Luss and other villages, and you can visit islands such as Inchcailloch, with its woodland walks. The pretty village of Luss has cottages and a beach.
Ben Lomond, the most southerly of Scotland’s high mountains, is a popular climb with wonderful views. Conic Hill, near Balmaha, is a shorter climb with one of the best views of the loch and its islands, along the line of the Highland Boundary Fault. The West Highland Way runs through the park.
The Trossachs, to the east, have wooded hills and lochs, including Loch Katrine, where a Victorian steamship carries passengers. Callander and Aberfoyle are good bases. The park is very busy on summer weekends.
7. Pembrokeshire Coast
The Pembrokeshire Coast, in south west Wales, became a national park in 1952, and it is the only national park in the UK that is mostly coastline. It is a land of cliffs, coves, sandy beaches and islands. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path runs for about a hundred and eighty six miles around it.
The islands off the coast are home to huge numbers of seabirds. Skomer Island, reached by boat from Martin’s Haven, is famous for its puffins, which nest there from spring to midsummer. Ramsey Island has grey seals, which have their pups on the beaches in autumn.
St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, is at the heart of the park, with its cathedral hidden in a hollow. Tenby is a colourful walled seaside town. Barafundle Bay, reached by a walk from Stackpole, is often voted one of the best beaches in Britain.
The Preseli Hills, in the north of the park, are where some of the smaller stones of Stonehenge came from. Coasteering, a sport combining swimming, climbing and jumping along the coast, was developed here. The roads are narrow, and parking at the best beaches fills quickly in summer.
8. The New Forest
The New Forest, in Hampshire, became a national park in 2005, but it was created as a royal hunting forest by William the Conqueror almost a thousand years ago. It is a landscape of ancient woodland, open heathland and villages. It is one of the most peaceful places in the south of England.
The forest is famous for its ponies, which roam freely through the woods, across the heath and even through the villages. They are owned by local people called commoners, who have ancient rights to graze their animals in the forest. Cattle, donkeys and pigs roam too.
The forest is flat and gentle, and it is ideal for walking and cycling, with more than a hundred miles of cycle tracks. The Rhinefield Ornamental Drive has some of the tallest trees in Britain. Bolderwood has a deer sanctuary with viewing platforms.
Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and Burley are pretty villages, and Beaulieu, with its motor museum, is on the edge of the forest. Drive slowly, as animals wander onto the roads. It is ideal with children.
A car for the whole day
Walks rarely start and finish in the same place, and buses in the hills can be few and far between. With hourly hire you keep the car and driver for the day: dropped at one trailhead, collected at another, with your bags in the boot.
It also means nobody has to hunt for a parking space at the busiest trailheads, and everyone can enjoy a drink in the pub at the end of the day.
Ride with ZeroLanes. Book the car for as many hours as the day needs, from one to twelve, and the price is for the time rather than the miles. Book a car by the hour.