The UK has 15 national parks to its name – 10 in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland – but they vary greatly in size, with some only covering a few hundred square kilometres while others span many thousands.
Biggest national parks in UK
Cairngorms National Park, Scotland
Scotland’s Cairngorms are the biggest national park in the UK at 4,528km2. The Cairngorms mountain range sits at the heart of the national park, with lochs and lochans punctuating the rest of its landscapes. Winter in the Cairngorms is particularly magical, with golden eagles, snow buntings, ptarmigans, mountain hares and reindeer visible in the starkly white landscapes.
- Great places to stay in UK national parks
- Nan Shepherd revolutionised nature writing with The Living Mountain. This is her story
Lake District National Park, England
The Lake District National Park encompasses all the central Lake District, famed for its landscapes, lakes and mountains. As the second national park to be established in the UK – after the Peak District, which was designated a month earlier in April 1951 – the Lake District National Park covers an area of 2,362km2, making it the largest national park in England and Wales.
- Who was Alfred Wainwright? A quick guide to the Lake District icon
- Scafell Pike walk, Lake District: how to scale England's highest mountain
- Lake District National Park wins World Heritage Site status
- Cottages in the Lake District: the best places to stay while on holiday
Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
Covering most of the Yorkshire Dales, the Howgill Fells and Orton Fells, the Yorkshire Dales National Park has the highest proportion of privately owned land, with over 95 per cent of its area in private hands – mostly belonging to farmers and locals.
Along with Exmoor, Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and Northumberland National Parks, the Yorkshire Dales National Park holds International Dark Sky status, thanks to its low levels of light pollution and good conditions for astronomy. Limestone scenery is a key feature of the Yorkshire Dales, with dry-stone walls lining the countryside.
- Best walks in the Yorkshire Dales
- The Yorkshire Dales' prettiest villages to visit
- 10 great wildlife walks in the Yorkshire Dales
- Yorkshire Dales cottages: five beautiful places to stay
Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, Wales
While the Cairngorms are considered to be the most mountainous national park in the UK thanks to its extensive ranges, Eryri (Snowdonia) has the highest concentration of mountains over 3,000 feet – this height defines a mountain as a Munro in Scotland. The region takes its name from Wales’s highest mountain, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), which sits within the national park. Eryri was the first of three national parks to be designated in October 1951, and today spans 2,142km2.
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Scotland
Along with the Cairngorms National Park, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park was established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, extending to much of the western part of the southern Scottish Highlands from the base of Loch Lomond (one of the biggest lakes in the UK), just north of Glasgow. With an area of 1,865 km2, it includes 21 Munros, including Ben Lomond and Ben Lui. The area is popular with visitors, thanks to its proximity to Glasgow and other major Scottish cities.
More countryside stories
- Do national parks need reform?
- Should cars be banned from National Parks?
- Should we be selling off our national parks?
- Why our national parks need more wildlife
- Why are the National Parks expanding?
Top image: A view towards Pen-Y-Ghent, one of the Yorkshire Dales' three peaks (credit: Getty Images)
