Scenically beautiful, National Parks are great for touring – but in the UK, they also offer amazing experiences if you know where to look! How make taking a trip down a mine, taking a trip in a traditional Wherry boat, finding the hidden corners of moors which offer spectacular photographic opportunities, foraging for your own bottle of gin or making unique jewelry to take home? And that’s just for starters...
With 15 National Parks covering nearly 40% of the UK, there is always a National Park within easy distance, no matter where you are touring. Many of the experiences do need to be booked in advance so be prepared to plan ahead.
So just what is available and where?
Head towards South Wales for some amazing experiences underground, as well as exploring the mountain vistas. This is one of the most exciting caving areas in the country, and includes four of the five longest limestone caving systems in Britain. Try gorge walking, white water rafting as well as caving, or discover the amazing rock formations at the Dan yr Ogof Showcaves. Immerse yourself in the world of coal mining at the Big Pit museum, and take a tour of the underground shafts and tunnels worked by miners over the years. For those who prefer to stay on the surface, Welsh Overland Safari provide unique guided tours taking you ‘off the beaten track’ to find Roman and Celtic links and hidden sights. Equally fun is to try your luck geocaching around the Beacons. There are over 180 geocaches to be found throughout the area, which include some unusual locations like a WW2 bomber crash or the monument to Little Tommy Jones.
One of the largest wetland areas in the country, this is a fantastic area for exploring on water. Wherries are a traditional form of transport in the Broads, with distinctive sales and low water draught. There are scheduled sailings available on the wherry Hathor, and on days when it is not sailing, you take a look around the vessel at its regular mooring at How Hill. Alternatively try a canoe tour with the CanoeMan, or try paddleboarding to explore waterways that are inaccessible by car or on foot. For those preferring to discover the history and heritage of the Broads, there are special guided tours available at Paul Dickson Tours, where you can discover everything from monks, mayhem and Murder to stories of wherries, railways and Romans! For a superb look at wildlife, join Norfolk Photography Tours and photograph more than 25% of the rarest wildlife in the country before relaxing with a traditional English High tea.
Try canoeing or white water rafting through some of the most stunning areas of the Highlands, book a guided behind the scenes at a family run estate in Rothiemurchus near Aviemore or a LandRover safari through the wilderness at Laggan. Make your own delicious chocolates or truffles with Alba Chocolate at Newtonmore or take part in a guided whisky tasting at one of the many famous distilleries like Dalwhinnie or Balvinie where you can find out about the production of handcrafted malt whisky.
National Parks Experience cooking in the ancient Northumberland.
Moody and atmospheric, Dartmoor hides many secrets. This is the land of the Hound of the Baskervilles, of Agatha Christie, prehistoric remains and a granite tramway. Join a guided walk with tour/experience with Dartmoor's Daughter and discover the ancient stones of Dartmoor – an area possessing one of the highest concentrations of prehistoric tors, stone circles and standing stones within northern Europe, discover the legends and the ponies of Dartmoor or go off the beaten track with a photographer and find unexpected images to photograph.
Stroll through the world of Lorna Doone or Wordsworth, discover ancient archaeological sites with the aid of specialist guides. They will also take you to the best spots to see highland cattle and Exmoor ponies – and the best pub lunches available! Take a guided walk following the paths used by drovers across the centuries, discover the secrets of the stars. Capture the unique landscape gems of Exmoor through the lens of your camera with the aid of a local photographer who knows all the best spots to get the perfect image.
Wherever you go in the Lake District, you are never far from a flock of sheep, especially the historic Herdwick sheep beloved of Beatrix Potter. But what it is like caring for those sheep in today’s world? Meet a shepherdess and spend some time strolling through the countryside discovering her life and work, as well as seeing the land from her viewpoint. Alternatively, you could try creating a very special souvenir to take home by learning to blow glass at Caithness Crystal. Then, of course, there are lakes themselves to be experienced. Book a tour with Windermere Lake Cruises and learn how to ‘steam up’ Osprey, a beautifully restored 1900’s steamboat before going for sail and discovering an exhibition about the Campbell Bluebird speed record broken on this lake.
Scottish faeries have lived near the banks of Loch Lomond since the depths of time, as have the fearsome trolls that roam the hills and glens. Follow the faery trail in around the village of Luss, or discover the secrets of Loch Lomond with an archaeologist on board one of Sweeneys boats cruising the waters of this massive lake.
Hire a classic car at Beaulieu Garage and take to the roads through the New Forest in style. Try and spot the grazing New Forest ponies en route and perhaps stop off at the National Motor Museum to discover more about the cars of yesteryear. On the other hand, you could explore on foot with a guided walk led by a Fuzzacker keen to share the forest’s history and special traditions.
This is an area made famous by the Romans, who left a very distinctive landmark stretching across the land. Follow in their footsteps with an immersive walk led by a centurion from Ancient Britain. Walk in the footsteps of the soldiers and pitch a Roman tent, before trying a Roman-themed lunch. Discover why this was truly the ‘wild west’ of the Roman Empire. Equally fun is a walk offered by experience company called Northern Wilds, where you can discover the wild foods known for generations and forage for your lunch.
For something very different, you could have a hands-on experience with iconic birds of prey native to the area such as barn owls, kestrels and buzzards while discovering the art of falconry near Hexham.
This is truly a foodies delight, offering some of the best local produce to be found in the UK. Accompanied by specialist guides, you can visit food producers, farm shops, rural food markets and artisan producers with plenty of sampling opportunities. Complete the walk at a local brewery to try the beer, or taste gin in a local distillery. Alternatively, you can go hunting for fossils with Hidden Horizons or explore the mysteries of this beautiful coastline.
Visit Forest in a Bottle for a guided walk through the woods, foraging for ingredients before learning to brew a bespoke bottle of gin to take away and enjoy. You can even combine this with other foraging experiences, making beer, apple pressing and ice cream. If history is your forte, then try a walking tour to the mountain top crash sites of 1940’s military aircraft – including some which were flown by the USAF – and discover the training site for the famous RAF Dambusters Squadron daring attempts on the German dams. If you are feeling creative, then a visit to the Blue John Mine is not to be missed. Blue John is a rare, semi-precious gem found only at one location in the world – Castleton in the Peak District. Take a tour underground and find out how Blue John was discovered some three centuries ago, hunt for stones in the mining area before heading back to the workshop and crafting your own jewelry grinding, cleaning and polishing the stone. No two stones are ever identical; every one is different with shade combinations ranging from yellow to deep purple and white as well as the classic blue.
Discover natural wonders with the aid of guides within the Pembrokeshire National Park. Join a kayaking trip along the coast to find hidden caves accessible only by water with the aid of National Trust guide, or take part in a dawn otter watch around the Bosherton Lily Ponds. The Castlemartin Military range is usually off limits to visitors but the Park Rangers can take visitors on special guided tours to discover this hidden landscape.
Go off the beaten track in Snowdonia and it is easy to get lost, especially if the weather changes. Take a guided walk up Snowdon, or through the mountains to deep, dark lakes to discover tales of mystery and magic; join an evening ghost walk in Caernafon for tales of hauntings and hangings, Roman centurians, druids and nymphs of the night. Tour the Gwinllan Conwy vineyard before moving onto the Aber Falls distillery where they make award winning whiskeys and gins such as marmelade gin and violet liqueur.
The rolling hills of the South Downs are home to numerous wineries producing world-class wines; classic breweries and craft gin distilleries. Join a luxury tour led by a local drinks expert, to discover the areas alcoholic specialties including traditional pubs that have been a feature of the English landscape for centuries. Visitors preferring a cultural experience can follow in the footsteps of one of the best loved writers of the early nineteenth century – Jane Austen. With the aid of Hidden Britain Tours, you can discover the church where her father was rector, the country houses where she went dancing, the people she mentioned in her letters as well as her home in Chawton.
Wander through the Dales accompanied by llamas in an unforgettable experience led by a family run trekking center. Pre-booking is essential as the walks are very popular. Alternatively, you could take a walk with the Dales Countryside Museum and learn about attempts to conserve the native red squirrel from the depredations of the American grey squirrel, or discover the region’s mining history. Equally fun is discovering the secrets of cheese making at the Wensleydale Cheese Company, where one of the most historic British cheeses has been made for centuries. Head further west to the little village of Clapham for a guided walk highlighting the spectacular underground and overground limestone scenery including the unique Money Tree containing hundreds of coins pressed into its trunk and branches over hundreds of years.
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