In the UK, you’re never far from the wonderful wilds of nature. When you have just a day to spare and a hankering for some fresh air, heading to a National Park can be an inspiring experience. But how can you make the most of your trip, if you only have a few hours to spend there?
With a bit of planning, it’s perfectly possible to get good value from a day out in one of the UK’s National Parks. Take the Lake District, for example: jump on the hundred-year-old Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and you can check out a seven-mile stretch of stunning Cumbria without lifting a foot! The area is packed with wildlife, spectacular scenery, and even some ancient Roman history.
Further north, in Scotland’s Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, you can save some time for yourself by foraging for your evening meal. Mushrooms, herbs, and berries abound in the region; if you’re not sure what’s what you can always sign up for an afternoon course.
Our new infographic is packed with tips on how to make the most of a day out in each of the UK’s 15 National Parks…
National Parks are called so for a reason: they capture a glimpse of all that is most natural and wonderful about the country they’re in. Don’t let being short of time put you off finding out for yourself!
Fair use
If you’re a journalist interested in covering this project, we encourage you to use any of the graphics included above. When doing so, please attribute the authors by providing a link back to this page so your readers can learn more about this project and the related research.
Want to share this image on your site? Just copy and paste the embed code below:
Sources
Visit Peak District. Chatsworth. visitpeakdistrict.com
Historic UK. The Mermaids of the Peak district. historic-uk.com
Naylor, T. (2013) Top 10 budget resturants, Cafes and pubs Peak District. theguardian.com
Peak District National Park. Airsports. peakdistrict.gov.uk
Visit Cumbria. Muncaster Caster and Gardens. visitcumbria.com
Westlake Adventure. Ghyll Scrambling Canyoning. westlakesadventure.co.uk
Englands Lake District. The Lakes Distillery. englandslakedistrict.com
Ravenglass Railway. Homepage. ravenglass-railway.co.uk
Visit Wales. (2013) Harlech in Gwynedd West Wales. harlech.com
The Telegraph Staff. (2014) Try Wild Swimming in Snowdonia. telegraph.co.uk
Purple Moose Brewery. Homepage. purplemoose.co.uk
Zipworld. Homepage. zipworld.co.uk
Bovey Castle. Homepage. boveycastle.com
Ochota, M.A. (2014) Wild camping on Dartmoor. telegraph.co.uk
The Treby Arms. Homepage. thetrebyarms.co.uk
Treesurfers. Ride the Wild Woods. treesurfers.co.uk
Bolton Castle. Homepage. boltoncastle.co.uk
How Stean Gorge. Homepage. howstean.co.uk
Wensleydale. Homepage. wensleydale.co.uk
The Forbidden Corner. Homepage. theforbiddencorner.co.uk
West Dunbarton. Bolloch Castle and Country Park. west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs. Bracklinn Falls Circuit lochlomond-trossachs.org
Intrepid:Scotland. Homepage. intrepidscotland.com
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs. Climbing & Mountaineering. lochlomond-trossachs.org
Visit Pembrokeshire. Pembroke Castle. visitpembrokeshire.com
Pembrokeshire Coast. Sea Arches – The Green Bridge of Wales. pembrokeshire.org.uk
Visit Pembrokeshire. Where to buy Pembrokeshire local produce? visitpembrokeshire.com
Visit Pembrokeshire. Diving in Pembrokeshire. visitpembrokeshire.com
Lonely Planet. Dunster Castle. lonelyplanet.com
Exmoor National Park. Dunkery Beacon. exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
The Cafe Porlock Weir. Main Menu. thecafeporlockweir.co.uk
Exmoor Adventures. Coasteering. exmooradventures.co.uk
National Trust. Cragside. nationaltrust.org.uk
Hadrians Wall Country. Homepage. hadrianswallcountry.co.uk
The Feathers Inn. Lunch Menu. thefeathers.net
Lonely Planet. Farne Islands. lonelyplanet.com
Lonely Planet. Tretower Court & Castle. lonelyplanet.com
Lonely Planet. Pen-y-Fan. lonelyplanet.com
Lonely Planet. Penderyn Distillery. lonelyplanet.com
Brecon Beacons. Adventures in the Air. breconbeacons.org
Caister Castle Car Collection. Caister Castle. caistercastle.co.uk
Norfolk Holiday Windmill. The Windmill. norfolkholidaywindmill.co.uk
Woodforde’s. Brewery Tours. woodfordes.co.uk
Enjoy The Broads. Birdwatching. enjoythebroads.com
Lonely Planet. Beaulieu. lonelyplanet.com
New Forest Activities. Master Bushcraft in New Forest. newforestactivities.co.uk
The Elderflower. Homepage. elderflowerrestaurant.co.uk
New Forest National Park. Horse Riding. newforestnpa.gov.uk
Ross, D. (2017) Cowdray House. britainexpress.com
National Trust. The White Cliffs of Dover. nationaltrust.org.uk
Breaky Bottom. Homepage. breakybottom.co.uk
Sussex South Downs Guide. Gliding in Sussex over the South Downs. sussex-southdowns-guide.com
Balmoral Castle. Visiting Balmoral in 2017. balmoralcastle.com
Braemar Scotland. About. braemarscotland.co.uk
The Glenlivet. The Glenlivet Classic Tour.theglenlivet.com
Cairngorm Mountain. Homepage. cairngormmountain.org