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National parks of the United Kingdom

National parks of the United Kingdom (Welsh: parciau cenedlaethol; Scottish Gaelic: pàircean nàiseanta) are areas of relatively undeveloped and scenic landscape across the country. Despite their name, they are quite different from national parks in many other countries, which are usually owned and managed by governments as protected community resources, and which do not usually include permanent human communities. In the United Kingdom, an area designated as a national park may include substantial settlements and human land uses that are often integral parts of the landscape. Land within national parks remains largely in private ownership. These parks are therefore not "national parks" according to the internationally accepted standard of the IUCN[1] but they are areas of outstanding landscape where planning controls are a little more restrictive than elsewhere.

Within the United Kingdom there are fifteen national parks of which ten are in England, three in Wales, two in Scotland, and none in Northern Ireland.


An estimated 110 million people visit the national parks of England and Wales each year. Recreation and tourism bring visitors and funds into the parks, to sustain their conservation efforts, and support the local population through jobs and businesses. However, these visitors also bring problems, such as erosion and traffic congestion, and conflicts over the use of the parks' resources. Access to cultivated land in England and Wales is restricted to public rights of way and permissive paths. (Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 there is a right of access for walkers to most but not all uncultivated areas in England and Wales.)

to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park, and

to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Parks by the public.

Legal designation[edit]

National parks were first designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, and in England and Wales any new national park is designated under this Act, and must be confirmed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The 1949 Act came about after a prolonged campaign for public access to the countryside in the United Kingdom with its roots in the Industrial Revolution. The first 'freedom to roam' bill was introduced to Parliament in 1884 by James Bryce but it was not until 1931 that a government inquiry recommended the creation of a 'National Park Authority' to select areas for designation as national parks. Despite the recommendation and continued lobbying and demonstrations of public discontent, such as the 1932 Kinder Scout mass trespass in the Peak District, nothing further was done until a 1945 white paper on national parks was produced as part of the Labour Party's planned post-war reconstruction, leading in 1949 to the passing of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act.[6]


In England and Wales, as in Scotland, designation as a national park means that the area has been identified as being of importance to the national heritage and as such is worthy of special protection and attention. Unlike the model adopted in many other countries, such as the US and Germany, this does not mean the area is owned by the state. National parks in the United Kingdom may include substantial settlements and human land uses which are often integral parts of the landscape, and within a national park there are many landowners including public bodies and private individuals.[7]

National parks[edit]

Overview[edit]

Of the twelve national parks in England and Wales, four are in the North of England, two in the Southwest, one in the North Midlands, two (the most recently designated) in the South and three in Wales. They cover 10.7 per cent of England and 19.9 per cent of Wales.[14] They touch only sixteen English counties and there is no national park in the southern Midlands.


The Cairngorms National Park, at 4,528 km2 (1,748 sq mi), is the largest of the national parks. Outside the Scottish Highlands the largest is the Lake District National Park, which, at 2,292 square kilometres (885 sq mi), is the largest National Park in England and the second largest in the United Kingdom.


Snowdonia National Park, at 2,142 square kilometres (827 sq mi), is the largest national park in Wales and the fourth largest in the United Kingdom.


The smallest national park in England and Wales, and in the United Kingdom, is The Broads, at 303 square kilometres (117 sq mi).


The total area of the national parks in England and Wales is about 16,267 square kilometres (6,281 sq mi), for an average of 1,251 square kilometres but a median of 1,344 square kilometres.[14] In the United Kingdom the total increases to 22,660 square kilometres (average 1511 km2).[14] The most-visited national park is the Lake District, with 15.8 million visitors in 2009, although by visitor days the South Downs at 39 million compares to 23.1 million for the Lake District.[14]

Contribution to the local economy[edit]

Tourism is an important part of the economy of the regions which contain national parks. Through attractions, shops and accommodation, visitors provide an income and a livelihood to local employers and farmers. This income provides jobs for the park. For example, within the Peak District National Park the estimate in 2004 for visitor spending is £185 million, which supports over 3,400 jobs, representing 27% of total employment in the national park.[46]

National parks of Scotland

National parks of Wales

List of World Heritage Sites of the United Kingdom

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Campaign for National Parks

List of national parks

Geology of national parks in Britain

National Parks UK website

Campaign for National Parks

Natural England

Natural Resources Wales

from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Landscape Protection – National Parks