The UK has 15 National Parks, the 10 in the England, the 3 in the Wales, and the 2 in the Scotland, and the park is the landscape that has been designated as the “protected for the nation” for the beauty, the wildlife, and the cultural heritage. The British National Park is not the Yellowstone (the wilderness, the bears, and the 8,983 km² of the untouched nature): the British park is the working landscape, the farms, the villages, the footpaths, and the pub at the end of the walk, and the British National Park holiday is the combination of the walk, the village, and the meal that is the most satisfying holiday in the UK. Here is your guide.

UK National Park Holidays

• The Lake District, the essential: The Lake District is the most famous National Park in the UK, and the essential experience is the walk: the Wainwrights (the 214 fells, the mountains, the hills, the tops, catalogued by the Alfred Wainwright in the 7 volumes of the “Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells” between the 1955 and the 1966, and the essential Lake District challenge), the best walks, the Helvellyn via the Striding Edge (the most famous walk in the Lake District, the 13 km, the 5–6 hours, the knife-edge ridge, the scramble, and the essential Lake District experience. The walk is not for the beginners, and the weather must be good, the Striding Edge in the wet and the wind is the dangerous and the foolish), the Catbells (the beginner’s fell, the 2–3 hours, the view of the Derwentwater, and the best introduction to the Lake District walking), and the Scafell Pike (the highest mountain in the England, the 978 metres, the 3–4 hours from the Wasdale Head, and the essential English mountain experience). The essential villages: the Grasmere (the Wordsworth connection, the Dove Cottage, the 1799 home, the museum, and the best literary museum in the Lake District. ~£10), the gingerbread (the Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread, the 1854, the best gingerbread in the world, and the essential £5 in the Lake District), and the best pub: the Traveller’s Rest (the 16th century, the fireplace, and the best pub lunch in the Grasmere. ~£18 for the pie of the day). More UK →
• The Peak District, the Mass Trespass and the Monsal Trail: The Peak District was the first National Park in the UK (the 1951), and the park, the Dark Peak (the gritstone, the moorland, the Kinder Scout, the 636 metres, the site of the Mass Trespass of the 1932, the 400 ramblers who trespassed on the private moorland and won the right to roam, the essential moment in the British access-to-the-countryside movement), and the White Peak (the limestone, the dales, the beautiful villages, the Castleton, the Bakewell, the Ashbourne, and the best walking in the Peak District). The essential walk: the Monsal Trail (the 8.5 miles of the former railway line, the 4 tunnels, the view of the Monsal Dale, and the best family walk in the Peak District. Flat, the easy, and the essential bike hire, the Monsal Trail Cycle Hire at the Hassop Station. ~£20 for the half-day). The essential village: the Bakewell (the Bakewell Tart, the Bakewell Pudding, the 1860, the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop, and the essential £4 in the Peak District), the Castleton (the Blue John Cavern, the semi-precious stone, the 15-minute underground tour. ~£12)
• The Cairngorms, the Scottish wilderness: The Cairngorms is the largest National Park in the UK (the 4,528 km²), the most wild, and the most beautiful: the mountains (the 5 of the 6 highest mountains in the UK, the Ben Macdui, the Braeriach, the Cairn Toul, the Cairn Gorm, and the Beinn a’ Bhùird), the forests (the Caledonian forest, the ancient Scots pines, and the best ancient woodland in the UK), and the wildlife (the golden eagles, the red squirrels, the capercaillie, and the best wildlife watching in the UK). The essential walks: the Cairn Gorm (the 1,245 metres, the funicular, the Cairngorm Mountain Railway, the £22 return, and the essential mountain experience for the non-climber), and the Lairig Ghru (the 31 km, the 9–10 hours, the mountain pass through the heart of the Cairngorms, and the most beautiful long-distance walk in the Scotland). The essential village: the Aviemore (the skiing in the winter, the walking in the summer, and the best base for the Cairngorms. The essential pub: the Old Bridge Inn, the real ale, the fireplace, and the best pub meal in the Aviemore. ~£16 for the main)